Injury will force Rams' Bradford to sit

~ Feeley will get the start at quarterback today against Dallas

ARLINGTON, Texas -- A few hours before the Cardinals start taking batting practice for Game 4 of the World Series, their NFL neighbors from St. Louis will be kicking off their next game an Albert Pujols long ball away.

The contrast is stark: One St. Louis team will be playing for a championship. The other will be seeking its first win.

Then again, the contrast is pretty stark for the home teams, too. The Texas Rangers are playing for a championship for a second straight year, while their neighbors are mired in the longest title drought in franchise history.

Neither the Rams nor the Cowboys will earn contender status with a win today, but both sure could use one. Badly. Dallas (2-3) has lost two straight, while St. Louis is 0-5.

"I think our football team is better today than it was three weeks ago, which was before our bye week," Rams coach Steve Spagnuolo said. "The goal here, the drive here, is to just get better. We know it's not good enough, that's obvious by our scores and our record. But our quest here is to continue to get better with the hope that if we get over the hump here and win a game, we can kind of get on a roll."

The Rams have scored a measly 49 points -- two field goals less than Dallas' kicker alone has scored. And the Rams have the NFL's third-worst defense -- last when it comes to stopping the run.

St. Louis' offense could get a boost today from the arrival of receiver Brandon Lloyd, who was acquired from Denver this week. However, the Rams won't have quarterback Sam Bradford, who was ruled out Saturday because of a high ankle sprain, making a starter out of A.J. Feeley for the first time since 2007.

It sets up perfectly for the Cowboys to finally have a breakout game.

And that could be their biggest concern.

This is a team that struggles with good fortune. They blew a 14-point, fourth-quarter lead in the opener, a 24-point third-quarter lead in their last home game and a three-point lead at New England in the final minutes last week. Their only wins required late comebacks.

"I think everybody understands you don't take anybody lightly in this league," Cowboys tight end Jason Witten said. "We're a 2-3 team -- we've got to go and find a win."

Dallas has had 11 straight games decided by four points or less. Oddsmakers nonetheless have made the Cowboys about a two-touchdown favorite, so another loss -- or even another squeaker -- might crank up the building heat around first-year coach Jason Garrett.

"The way we've been playing, we know [our fans] have been smashing a lot of flatscreens," linebacker Bradie James said.

Dallas' foes are a combined 21-8. Every opponent was undefeated at kickoff until last week, when New England entered at 4-1.

St. Louis' foes are a combined 19-9 and three are in first place.