Even with the team at 6-8, the Rams' fans are into it. Enough tickets have been sold that the game will be on local St. Louis television, which hasn't always been the case this year even as the club has emerged from a 1-15 season into contention. Given Jackson's veteran status, it's possible this game means more to him than to his teammates, although coach Steve Spagnuolo makes it clear that this game is huge for everyone up and down the St. Louis roster.
"I know how important it is to him, just like I know it's important to all the guys on this football team,'' Spagnuolo said when asked about Jackson and the chance to be in the playoffs. "I think we all have to realize we're only promised today and not tomorrow, so when you get in this situation, you've got to try to take advantage of it.''
Jackson, whose load has been lightened by the addition of rookie quarterback Sam Bradford to the roster this year, predates Spagnuolo and most of his Rams teammates. That makes him a natural leader.
"He was a leader when we got here and he's been a leader every day since,'' Spagnuolo said. "The players respond to him. They know the caliber of player he is in the league, and what he does for us on Sundays and every day in between.
"He does it (leading) in a lot of different ways. I don't ever remember him missing anything, never late for anything. He knows how to prepare himself. He's a pro.''
The 49ers know that about Jackson, and one of San Francisco's targeted goals Sunday in Edward Jones Dome is containing the veteran.
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