Once known as “The Greatest Show on Turf,” the St. Louis Rams are coming off a miserable season in which QB Marc Bulger and RB Steven Jackson each missed 4 games due to injury and their only home win came against the equally dismal Atlanta Falcons.

Some fans have already correctly identified this week’s game as a dreaded “trap game.” But the Giants must not look past the hungry Rams towards their epic week 3 match up with the Cincinnati Bengals.

In addition to classics such as “win the turnover battle,” “control the trenches,” and my old favorite, “play four quarters of football,” I now bring you my five keys to help the Giants win their 11th (12th if you count the Super Bowl) straight road game.

1. Keep an Eye on Steven Jackson on passing plays

Jackson is one of the best running backs in the NFL, but people might not realize what kind of threat he is as a receiver. He only caught 38 passes in an injury shortened ’07 campaign, but in ’06, he had 90 receptions for 806 yards. For comparison’s sake, Tiki Barber’s career highs in receptions and receiving yards are 72 and 719 respectively.

2. Pass a lot

Don’t get me wrong, establishing the run is always important, especially early in the game. On the other hand, the Rams just allowed 3 Eagles receivers to eclipse 100 yards, and the Eagles were without their top 2 receivers. The last time the Giants faced the Rams (albeit in 2005) Plaxico Burress caught 10 passes for 204 yards and 2 of Eli Manning‘s 4 touchdown passes. Let’s do that again.

3. Don’t allow Josh Brown to win it

If, for some reason, the Rams are in position to win the game on a last second field goal, then many other things have not gone according to plan. But don’t count on Brown missing a clutch field goal at the end of the game. In 2006, then with the Seahawks, Brown tied an NFL record with 4 game-winning field goals in the final minute of regulation or in overtime. You may remember one of these field goals against the Giants in Jay Feely’s infamous 3-miss game.

4. Get Bradshaw in the mix

Last week, RB Ahmad Bradshaw gained 0 yards on 0 carries. Though the run attack did fine in the hands of Brandon Jacobs and Derrick Ward, Coach Tom Coughlin admitted that the rotation did not turn out the way he had hoped. Getting the versatile Bradshaw on the field can only help against the Rams, and giving the three backs defined roles and consistent carries will prove wise in the long run.

5. Play Four Quarters of Football (!)

Last week, the Giants offense decided to take the 2nd half off, gaining only 103 yards after halftime. Who could blame them? With their dominance over the Redskins established, both teams went into autopilot. This is a bad habit to get into, however, and unless the Giants want to wake up Monday morning asking themselves what happened, they should look to keep tacking on points until the final bell sounds.