Well, there is not much that can be said after the performance Sunday by the Rams. The only bright spot after watching that game was realizing the city of St. Louis could watch the Cardinals later on that night.
Lets flash back to the article last week:
“The start to the game Sunday will be crucial to the game’s result. It’s very simple, if the Rams want to escape with an away victory, they must come out aggressively from the first snap. Word to the wise, Austin was drafted 8th overall this past off-season for a reason, lets get this kid involved in a majority of the offensive drives. The threat of Austin on the field will open up room for the run game and allow the Rams to capitalize on defensive mistakes.”
There were two very simple things that the Rams needed to improve upon this week and not only did they not show signs of growth, but they took ten steps backwards. After receiving the ball to start the game, Coach Fisher turned to Tavon Austin to spark the running game. Yes, you read that correctly. Austin rushed the ball for a three-yard gain to start the game.
However, that was not enough to get the offense rolling. They were quickly forced to punt on a three and out, but managed to scrape an opportunity by a fumbled punt return. Once again, Bradford and company had ideal position to attack at the beginning of the game on the Dallas 30 yard line. And then, yet again, they were forced out after three downs. But instead of trying the field goal, the team elected to try a fake punt, which similar to the offense, flat out failed.
Throughout the course of the game, nothing seemed to improve for the Rams. Bradford ended up being sacked six times, just one sack shy of his career high. In addition, the ground attack managed to produce just 35 yards on 12 attempts. This statistic is just pathetic. A team that manages only 35 yards on the ground will never win a game in the NFL.
I am going to chalk this game up to a simple bad day at the office. The team just did not produce in Dallas, but lets hope something can wake this squad up for Thursday’s night game against San Francisco.
In addition to being a nationally televised game, this is a statement game for both teams. While both squads were projected to be contenders for the NFC West at the beginning of the season, they now fall at a 1-2 record. This is not where either team desires to be and this game could serve as a national statement for who is going to wake up and rise to the occasion. More specifically, the run game along with Sam Bradford need to focus on executing the foundation they have set. Jeff Fisher knows what he is doing, but ultimately it is the player’s job to act on game day.
While Sunday’s game had me raging with frustration, I am turning the page like every Rams fan should. Yes, there were a lot of mistakes, but it is to early in the season for all the fans to start turning their back. Let’s give this team a chance in front of an enthusiastic crowd for the national audience Thursday night and prove we want more than just a red October.