The St. Louis Rams lost 34-31 to the Arizona Cardinals Sunday, and their record now stands at 0-5. They are one of three NFL teams yet to achieve a victory, along with the Miami Dolphins and New Orleans Saints.

The team is full of injured players. QB Marc Bulger, WR Isaac Bruce, RB Steven Jackson, SS Corey Chavous and CB Tye Hill - all starters - were out against the Cardinals. Not to mention two starters on the offensive line, OG Mark Setterstrom and OT Orlando Pace, are gone for the season.

Here's how St. Louis Post-Dispatch columnist Bernie Miklasz put it in his column:

"At some point, you just run out of things to say. Oh, I suppose I can work up a lather and fake some outrage and rip coach Scott Linehan and the Rams again. But near the end of the team's 34-31 loss to Arizona on Sunday afternoon at The Ed, I turned to my buddy Bryan Burwell and confessed: I don't know what to write about this anymore. I'm low on words, short on anger. It's just a bad team."

Down in New Orleans, the Saints lost 16-13 to the Carolina Panthers in another game QB Drew Brees struggled in. New Orleans Times-Picayune writer Mike Triplett delivered his opinion about the contest:

"A year ago, these Saints were labeled a 'Team of Destiny.' Their march deep into the playoffs was as magical as it was improbable, as if their fate had been pre-determined and nothing could stand in their way.

Well, that's exactly what this season feels like. Only it's exactly the opposite."

Meanwhile, in Miami, the Dolphins lost to the Houston Texans 22-19 on a last second 57 yard field goal. Miami Herald columnist Armando Salguero said this about the team:

"Those good feelings of semi-accomplishment in that locker room are as misleading as the scent of a blooming flower in a sewer.

The Dolphins are still winless today. Only two other teams are failing as miserably as they are but those two -- the Rams and Saints -- have excuses because New Orleans is playing a first-place schedule and the entire Rams roster is seemingly on injured reserve.

The Dolphins? Cameron said they got a 'heck of an effort,' from Lemon. Lemon's passer rating was 56.2."

I'm not sure Rams and Saints fans would agree that their teams have "excuses," but the point is clear - the Dolphins are bad. But how bad? Which of these three teams is worse? Who will win a game first?

One thing is certain: either the Rams or Saints will have a victory by week 10, as the two teams play each other in New Orleans that week. Unless, of course, they tie.

For comparison, here is how the teams rank in the NFL in offense and defense:

Total Offense - Yards Per Game
19. Miami - 318.8
22. New Orleans - 307.3
27. St. Louis - 287.4

Points Per Game
18. Miami - 19.4
27. St. Louis - 14.0
29. New Orleans - 12.8

Total Defense - Yards Allowed Per Game
16. New Orleans - 327.3
24. Miami - 345.8
27. St. Louis - 356.0

Points Allowed Per Game
26. St. Louis - 27.4
28. Miami - 28.2
29. New Orleans - 29.8

So neither the Rams, Saints or Dolphins can play offense or defense. Gotcha. But what about their remaining games - do they offer any reason for optimism?

Looking at the Saints schedule and considering their talent, it seems likely the Saints would be the first of these three teams to win a game. The most likely scenario has them beating Atlanta at home in two weeks, or St. Louis at home in week 10.

The Dolphins schedule actually offers some hope. Their next game is against the Browns, they have winnable home games against the Giants and Bengals, and they still have three games against the Bills and Jets.

The Rams, on the other hand, have an extremely difficult slate of games remaining. Four of their next five are on the road, including the next two games against Baltimore and Seattle. Their schedule includes these opponents - Baltimore and Seattle (twice), San Francisco, Cincinnati, Green Bay and Pittsburgh. Their best chance for a win comes in week 8 against Cleveland or week 13 vs. Atlanta.

Three teams in a race to be less embarrassed than they were the week before .... And they're off!