With the addition of the 8th overall pick in the NFL Draft, Tavon Austin gives quarterback Sam Bradford  a weapon.  During his tenure in St. Louis, he has never had a serious weapon at Wide Receiver.  For this reason, it is Bradford’s time to produce.  This will be his make it or break it year because the team has finally equipped him with everything  necessary to win.

In game one of the regular season, Bradford completed 27 of 38 passes with two touchdowns.  He seemed to have a game plan and executed it well for most of the game.  The only mistake came in his own end zone where he had a pass deflected, intercepted, and returned to the house to give the Cardinals a lead.

However, when the team needed to step up, they finally displayed signs of maturity.  The defense came through with a clutch 3 and out possession with Robert Quinn providing excitement, sacking Carson Palmer for the third time.  The offense understood this was their time to shine in front of their home crowd and got their man Greg “The Leg” Zuerlein into a reasonable range.  With just 40 seconds remaining, Zuerlein’s fourth field goal sailed straight through the uprights.  Following a day of solid play from the Rams whole team, the packed crowd of 55,279 was treated to a winner.

Following preseason game 2 against the Green Bay Packers, it was evident that Head Coach Jeff Fisher and his staff still had much to prepare for.  While the 1-3 record may not jump off the page as spectacular, this team continued to mature throughout the four week period.  This maturity was tested in against Arizona, but the team rose to the occasion to come away with the win.

Anything that could go wrong in the preseason did.  Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers picked apart the defense, Zuerlein missed his first field goal attempt of the year, and the offense couldn’t score from the one yard line with a turnover on downs.  The only bright spot was from rookie linebacker Ray Ray Armstrong.

Formerly a player at the University of Miami, Armstrong was kicked off the team for violating team rules and was drawing little attention prior to the NFL Draft.  After joining the Rams squad, Armstrong continues to prove that he was worthy of a spot on the final roster.  His coverage on special team plays in particular appears to be superior to other players on the squad.

Following the performance at home and the next week at Denver, the team finally appears to be displaying signs of maturity.  In the final preseason game versus the Baltimore Ravens, the Rams were able to come away with their first win of the season with a successful team effort and have confidence entering the game against the Cardinals.

The defense was able to capitalize on poor decisions by both the Ravens and Cardinals.  During the preseason, Armstrong forced a rushed pass that was intercepted to seal up the game for the Rams.  In a similar circumstance, the Rams defense came up strong with Robert Quinn coming up with clutch sacks.

While the team escaped with a close victory, there were still some concerns that must be addressed prior to the game next week at Atlanta.  The most concerning was Cornerback Cortland Finnigan who not only got beat multiple times by Larry Fitzgerald, but also committed two Personal Fouls on late hits.  While Fitzgerald is one of the best receivers in the game, there is simply no reason a veteran like Finnigan should be getting flagged twice for a late hit.

A key matchup to watch next week will be with former Ram Steven Jackson who signed a deal with the Atlanta Falcons this past offseason.  Can Robert Quinn and company step up and send a message to the NFL that the Rams mean business this year?  That much I do not have an answer to, but it definitely provides an extra incentive to watch come Sunday afternoon.