Fourth-quarter meltdown dooms Rams/PD

[RamBill]

Fourth-quarter meltdown dooms Rams
• BY JIM THOMAS

http://www.stltoday.com/sports/foot...cle_990b5bec-6811-5ca8-84b0-77fdde989aaa.html

GLENDALE, Ariz. • The Rams were teetering on the edge of another upset victory, leading Arizona 14-10 in the fourth quarter, and having knocked quarterback Carson Palmer out of the game with a knee injury.

But just when it looked like the team was on to something big — namely a sweep of the NFC West over a four-game stretch — the bottom fell out for the Rams in a big way. First came a 48-yard lightning bolt to speedy John Brown on just the fourth play of the game by replacement QB Drew Stanton.

That gave Arizona a 17-14 lead, but there was still plenty of time for the Rams to come back — 7 minutes, 40 seconds.

But the Cardinals don't lose many games in the fourth quarter, and they didn't this Sunday at University of Phoenix Stadium as the Rams melted away right before our eyes. First came a Pick 6 by Arizona's Patrick Peterson on a second-and-9 from the St. Louis 26. The high but catchable throw went off the hands of Kenny Britt and into the arms of Peterson. It was the fourth interception return for a touchdown thrown by Davis this season.

That made it 24-14 Arizona with just over 5 minutes to play. On the Rams' next possession, Davis lost a sack fumble on first-and-10 from the St. Louis 22. The loose ball was picked up Antonio Cromartie, who returned it for another TD. That made it 31-17 Arizona, and that was that.

While the Rams lost their poise down the stretch, the Cardinals closed out yet another game. It was the fourth game won by the Big Red this season, when trailing entering the fourth quarter. The Cardinals (8-1) have now outscored the opposition 91-34 in the fourth quarter.

For three quarters, things went well for the Rams. Tight end Jared Cook couldn't have picked a better time for his first touchdown of the season. Running a seam route on the last play before the 2-minute warning of the first half, Cook got behind an Arizona linebacker and hauled in a 59-yard touchdown pass to give the Rams a 14-10 halftime lead.

The Rams had only 41 yards passing before that play, with quarterback Austin Davis bugged just enough by the blitzing Big Red to make things sticky in the pocket.

The Rams scored first Sunday, driving 62 yards for a touchdown on their third offensive series of the game. Tavon Austin, who has struggled getting going this season, was featured on that drive. He picked up 17 yards on a quick screen, eluding a couple of tacklers near the line of scrimmage, to get the Rams into Arizona territory for the first time.

Three runs by Tre Mason, who started again on Sunday, advanced the ball into the red zone. After a neutral zone infraction by Arizona, Austin gained 10 yards on an end around, giving the Rams a first down at the Arizona 3. On the next play, Benny Cunningham ran up the middle for a touchdown and a 7-0 lead with 4:35 to play in the opening quarter.

It was Cunningham's four TD of the season, tying for the team lead.

But most of the rest of the half belonged to the Big Red, who scored the game's next 10 points for a 10-7 lead. It didn't help that Rams nickel back Lamarcus Joyner suffered a groin injury early in the second quarter _ and was done for the day.

That left the Rams with only three healthy corners: E.J. Gaines, Trumaine Johnson, and Janoris Jenkins. And for Jenkins it was his first game back since suffering a knee injury Oct. 19 against Seattle.

Palmer carved up the Rams' defense with intermediate passes on the drive, going five-for-five, including four for first downs. Andre Ellington's 3-yard TD tied the game at 7-7, 3½ minutes into the second quarter.

After a 3-and-out by the Rams, the Cardinals drove 36 yards for a Chandler Catanzaro field goal giving the Big Red a 10-7 lead. It was the 17th consecutive successful field goal by Catanzaro, a rookie from Clemson.

But before the half ended, Davis' strike to Cook gave the Rams a 14-10 lead at the intermission. If regular-season games end at halftime, the Rams would be 5-3-1. But they don't, and after a fourth-quarter meltdown, the Rams now stand 3-6.

Here are the in-game updates posted by football writer Joe Lyons of the Post-Dispatch:

The Arizona Cardinals used their fourth-quarter magic to post a 31-14 victory over the visiting Rams on Sunday.

The Cardinals, who improved their league-best record to 8-1, came up with 21 fourth-quarter points, including two touchdowns on defensive returns, to overcome a 14-10 deficit.

This season, Arizona has outscored its opponents 91-34 in the fourth quarter.

The Rams, coming off a dramatic 13-10 road win over San Francisco, fell to 3-6. They'll host the powerful Denver Broncos Sunday at the Edward Jones Dome.

With the Cardinals driving early in the fourth quarter, quarterback Carson Palmer went down with an apparent knee injury on a Mark Barron sack. Earlier this season, Palmer sat out three games with a nerve injury in his throwing shoulder.

Palmer was carted off to the Arizona locker room.

On the next play, rookie kicker Chandler Catanzaro went wide right on a 53-yard field goal try with 11:13 left in the game. It was the first miss of his professional career and gave the Rams possession at their own 43. Unfortunately, they couldn't move the ball and were forced to punt.

Drew Stanton, who led Arizona to wins over the New York Giants and San Francisco 49ers earlier this season, takes over for Palmer.

It took Stanton just four plays to cover 89 yards and put the Cardinals back on top 17-14 with a 48-yard bomb to rookie John Brown, who made a brilliant diving catch at the goal line with 7:40 to play.

Stanton completed three of three passes for 89 yards on the drive.

A play after being called for an illegal contact _ his league-leading 11th flag of the season _ Arizona cornerback Patrick Peterson picked up his first interception of the season when Austin Davis tried to force a pass intended for Chris Givens.

The Cardinals, who lead the league with 10 fourth-quarter takeaways, take over at their own 46-yard line. But the Rams' defense stepped up and forced a punt with about 6 ½ minutes to play.

But again, the Arizona defense responded. On a second-and-nine play, a Davis' pass went off the hands of Kenny Britt and Peterson made the play of the day. After tipping the ball to himself, Peterson collected and returned it 30 yards for a touchdown to stretch the Arizona lead to 24-14 with 5:13 to play in the game.

The Arizona defense struck again with 3:58 to play when the ball came free when Cardinals' rookie Kareem Martin sacked Austin Davis and Antonio Cromartie scooped up the football and returned it 14 yards for a touchdown to make it 31-14.

RAMS UP 14-10 WITH A QUARTER TO PLAY

Just when it appeared the Cardinals were driving toward a score, the Rams' Alec Ogletree stepped in front of an Arizona receiver in the middle of the field near the 10-yard line and picked off a Carson Palmer pass and returned it to the Arizona 45.

It was the first turnover of the game and just the third of the season for Palmer.

On first down, Austin Davis hooked up with tight end Jared Cook for a 25-yard gain, but Lance Kendricks is called for an illegal block downfield _ a coach the Rams did not agree with _ that took 15 yards off the play.

Three plays later, a Calais Campbell sack took the Rams out of field goal range and forced a punt.

RAMS LEAD 14-10 AT HALFTIME

The Cardinals pulled even at 7 on a 3-yard scoring run by Andre Ellington at the 11:39 mark of the second quarter. Carson Palmer completed all five of his passes on the eight-play, 66-yard drive. On second-and-nine from the Rams 17, Rams rookie defensive back Lamarcus Joyner was shaken up with a groin injury fter bouncing off Palmer on a blitz.

Arizona went up 10-7 with 4:52 to play before halftime, thanks to a 43-yard field goal from rookie Chandler Catanzaro, a rookie from Clemson who has converted all 17 of his kicks this season. The field goal wrapped up an 11-play, 36-yard drive that featured a pair of Palmer 14-yard passes to future Hall of Famer Larry Fitzgerald.

The Rams came right back, moving 80 yards on just five plays to regain the lead at 14-10 on a 59-yard touchdown pass from Austin Davis to Jared Cook. With Cook matched up with a rookie defensive back, Davis threw a perfectly lofted pass and Cook did the rest for his first touchdown of the season with 1:50 to play before halftime.

Following the score, the Rams' Chris Givens was flagged for unsportsmanlike conduct during the TD celebration. It pushed the kickoff back to the Rams' 20.

Some halftime numbers....

• Austin Davis has completed 8 of 10 passes for 110 yards, with a 59-yards scoring strike to tight end Jared Cook.

• Tre Mason has rushed nine times for 35 yards.

• Safety T.J. McDonald has been all over the field. According to press box stats, he has six tackles and a sack.

• Carson Palmer has complete 13 of 20 for 128 yards. Larry Fitzgerald has six of those catches for 72 yards. The Rams have limited Andre Ellington to nine yards on nine carries.

RAMS UP 7-0 AFTER A QUARTER

The Rams took the lead with 4:35 to play in the first quarter as Benny Cunningham powered his way into the end zone from 3 yards out to make it 7-0. It was Cunningham's fourth touchdown of the season, tying him with Lance Kendricks for the team lead.

Key plays on the drive included a 16-yard run from rookie Tre Mason and a pair of big plays from second-year wideout Tavon Austin _ an exciting 18-yard gain on a flanker screen and a 10-yarder on an end around.

The Rams defense seems to have picked up right where it left off after pitching a second-half shutout in last week's 13-10 road victory over the San Francisco 49ers. The Cardinals' first drive was slowed by a Robert Quinn sack and safety T.J. McDonald came up with a big stop in the backfield on running back Andre Ellington to stop Arizona on its second drive.

CORNERBACK JENKINS ACTIVE FOR CARDS

GLENDALE, Ariz. • After missing the past two games with a knee injury, Rams cornerback Janoris Jenkins is active for today's game with Arizona. Whether he starts or even plays remains to be seen.

If Jenkins isn't of much help, the Rams will be shorthanded at cornerback with only Trumaine Johnson, E.J. Gaines, and Lamarcus Joyner available. The team's fifth corner, Marcus Roberson, is on the pregame inactive list with an ankle injury.

Other Rams inactives besides Roberson: S Maurice Alexander, RB Trey Watts, LB Daren Bates (groin), OG Brandon Washington, TE Alex Bayer, and DE Ethan Westbrooks. Watts, Roberson, and Bates all played last week. That trio was replaced on today's active list by Jenkins, LB Korey Toomer, and S Cody Davis.

Davis had concussion symptoms against Kansas City two weeks ago, and didn't play last week in San Francisco. For Toomer, who was signed to the practice squad Oct. 21 and then promoted to the active roster Oct. 28, this marks his first game for the Rams.

There were no surprises on Arizona's inactive list, which included: QB Logan Thomas, RB Stepfan Taylor, LB Desmond Bishop, LB Thomas Keiser, LB Glenn Carson, NT Alameda Ta'amu, and TE Darren Fells.

(Jim Thomas of the Post-Dispatch contributed to this report.)

 

[RamBill]

Rams suffer desert meltdown
• By Jim Thomas

http://www.stltoday.com/sports/foot...cle_bea98b96-0761-54a0-b7b8-09b7914b2918.html

GLENDALE, Ariz. • Staring hard at another second-half meltdown, Rams coach Jeff Fisher strongly denied that his team had lost its poise down the stretch in the Arizona desert.

“No,” Fisher said. “We didn’t lose poise. We just gave up some plays, and plays happen. They made the plays, we didn’t. I believe in these guys, and I’m not buying into that — all that business about us not being able to complete a game.”

There is, however, plenty of evidence to indicate otherwise. For openers, the Rams were outscored 21-0 in the fourth quarter Sunday in a 31-14 loss to Arizona.

Over the last five games, the Rams have been outscored an astounding 86-13 in the second half. It’s amazing they’ve won two of those five, considering that stat.

For the season, it’s 155-59 after intermission.

“The record reflects it, and statistics reflect it, but we’re going to keep doing the things we’re doing because I believe in them,” Fisher said.

The NFL is a fourth-quarter league; nearly half the games every year are one-possession contests — those decided by seven points or less.

“I really don’t believe that we’re a team that folds,” said linebacker James Laurinaitis, who was playing on a bad leg Sunday. “I don’t know what happened today. Big play. And their defense, when they score twice, it’s hard.

“This is the cream of the crop in the NFL right now, the Cardinals. They’re 8-1. I believe for three quarters we outplayed them. But we’ve got to grow up and realize you’ve got to play four quarters. We didn’t. So we’ve just gotta mature and realize that, and finish it off.”

The Rams barely hung on for victories against Seattle and San Francisco. Otherwise, it’s been a tough lesson to learn, this finishing concept.

“That’s always a hard thing to do,” tight end Jared Cook said. “But in tough times, that’s what shows the men from the boys.”

Count the Cardinals, then, as men. They have outscored their opponents 91-34 in the fourth quarter this season. And Sunday marked the fourth time this season the Big Red have won a game when trailing after three quarters.

For three-plus quarters Sunday, the game looked like a carbon copy of the Rams’ hard-fought 13-10 win a week ago at San Francisco. The St. Louis defense choked off the Arizona running game, and although there weren’t eight sacks this time, the Rams put plenty of pressure and plenty of hits on quarterback Carson Palmer — he of the three-year, $50 million contract extension Friday.

After being sacked by new Rams safety Mark Barron on third-and-7 from the St. Louis 28, Palmer left the game with a knee injury. That pushed the ball back to the 35, where Big Red place-kicker Chandler Catanzaro then missed from 53 yards — his first missed field goal in 18 tries in this, his rookie season.

So the Rams took over with excellent field position — at their 43 — with a 14-10 lead, 11:13 to play, and with the opposing team’s starting QB knocked out of the game. In short, they were in a really good spot. Another touchdown would’ve made it a two-score game, and the NFC West Division leaders would’ve been in big trouble.

But instead of going in for the kill, the Rams collapsed.

“You feel like they’re either gonna come out and run it (with backup Drew Stanton),” Laurinaitis said. “Or they’re gonna do play-action easy throws. Which is what they did. They did play-action, play-action.”

And then Stanton went deep, hitting small-college find John Brown with a 48-yard touchdown pass on Stanton’s fourth play of the game for a 17-14 lead.

“We had a breakdown in coverage,” Fisher said.

Free safety Rodney McLeod, who slipped on the play, blamed himself.

“It was a great throw by (Stanton),” McLeod said. “I was back there, I just slipped. It’s a play that I’ve gotta make. I take all responsibility for that.”

And that was just the beginning of the Rams’ fourth-quarter woes. On the next series, quarterback Austin Davis badly underthrew wide receiver Chris Givens, who was well behind the Arizona secondary.

If the throw’s on target, it’s a touchdown. Instead, Arizona cornerback Patrick Peterson, who was beaten on the play, intercepted the pass, and Arizona took over at its 47. But the Rams’ defense held, forcing the Big Red to punt.

But Peterson was just getting started. Three plays into the Rams’ next possession, Davis threw high to Kenny Britt. Although not the most accurate throw, it was catchable. But the ball deflected off Britt’s hands to Peterson, who returned the interception 30 yards for a score and a 24-14 lead.

That score staggered the Rams, and the knockout blow came five plays later, when Davis fumbled while getting sacked and Antonio Cromartie scooped up the loose ball for 14 yards and another TD and a 31-14 lead.

For Davis this season, opposing defenses have now scored four TDs on interceptions and two TDs on sack-fumbles.

“A couple of interceptions on me — that can’t happen,” Davis said. “That just kind of killed the momentum of the game. It turned it, and they capitalized.”

All four of Davis’ “pick 6’s” have come in the fourth quarter.

“It’s killing our defense,” Davis said. “They’re playing their tails off ... I have to get a lot better.”

Even before the Rams’ fourth-quarter follies, the momentum started changing late in the third quarter. Cook, who scored the Rams’ second TD of the day on a 59-yard catch and run late in the second quarter, got free again down the seam, this time for a 41-yard gain to the Arizona 4.

But fellow tight end Lance Kendricks was called for an illegal blindside block on safety Tony Jefferson on the play. It was a spot foul, meaning it was assessed from the spot of where the infraction occurred, which in this case was the 20. So instead of having the ball at the 4, the Rams were backed up to the 35.

What followed was a loss of a yard on a Tre Mason run, an incomplete pass by Davis, and an 11-yard sack of Davis by Calais Campbell. So the Rams went from a potential TD, all the way out of field goal range, to a Johnny Hekker punt.

“I came down at a 45-degree angle (to Jefferson),” Kendricks said. “I thought it was a clean hit.”

Referee Ronald Torbert’s crew thought otherwise. So here the Rams sit at 3-6, with Peyton Manning and the Denver Broncos coming to the Edward Jones Dome next Sunday.

 

[RamBill]

The St. Louis Post-Dispatch’s Jim Thomas tells CineSport’s Brian Clark what went wrong in the fourth quarter of the Rams’ 31-14 loss to the Cardinals.

Watch JT's Game Report

 

[RamBill]

Failure to finish still plagues Rams
By Nick Wagoner

http://espn.go.com/blog/st-louis-rams/post/_/id/13527/failure-to-finish-still-plagues-rams

GLENDALE, Ariz. -- St. Louis Rams coach Jeff Fisher prefers to believe his team has the ability to close out games. It somehow found a way to do it just a week ago against the San Francisco 49ers.

"I believe in these guys and I’m not buying into that business about us not being able to complete a game," Fisher said after Sunday's 31-14 loss. "The record reflects it and statistics reflect it but we’re going to keep doing the things we’re doing because I believe in them."

Tre Mason and the Rams can't seem to run away when they have a second-half lead.
As the coach of the Rams, that's an understandable approach for Fisher to take but as ESPN colleagues Michael Smith and Jemele Hill would tell you, the numbers never lie. Even if Fisher chooses not to acknowledge them, the Rams' second half and fourth quarter failures are impossible to deny.

Never was that more clear than in Sunday's loss to the Arizona Cardinals. As late as midway through the fourth quarter, the Rams held a 14-10 lead and looked to be on the verge of one of the season's biggest upsets. They'd dominated defensively and made the types of big plays that have often gone against them.

Then Arizona quarterback Drew Stanton hit John Brown for a 48-yard touchdown to give Arizona its first lead. A flurry of three Rams turnovers followed, including two returned for a touchdown. A four-point lead turned into a 17-point final margin going the other way as the Rams fell to 3-6.

The theme of not closing out games has become all too common for the Rams.

"It’s frustrating," linebacker Jo-Lonn Dunbar said. "It’s something that we haven’t done all season long, something we didn’t for the last two years. Again, it’s frustrating. It needs to change. We need change from everyone, myself included. We have got to step up and play better and make sure we keep everybody together so we can focus on Denver and come out with a win."

While there are three other quarters to get things done, closing out games is clearly something good teams do and bad teams don't. Arizona offers the best example of all.

After Sunday's game, the Cardinals now rank first in the NFL in fourth-quarter scoring margin at plus-57. They also lead the NFL in turnover margin in the fourth quarter, now up to a whopping plus-11.

The Rams, meanwhile, have mostly offered floundering finishes, even in the games they've won. For the season, they are minus-40 in fourth quarter scoring differential and they are minus-five in turnover margin which includes seven giveaways and two takeaways. Of those seven giveaways, five have gone for defensive touchdowns.

St. Louis has outscored an opponent in the fourth quarter in only three games this season. Aside from the Philadelphia game in which the Rams outscored the Eagles by 14 in the fourth quarter, the other two fourth quarter advantages have been plus-3, with those advantages coming in wins against Tampa Bay and San Francisco.

"I think we learned today that this game is four quarters long," Fisher said. "Three doesn’t get it done for you."

Through nine games, the Rams have proved capable of going toe to toe with anyone in the league for 30 or even 45 minutes. But until they can add the other 15, the Rams will continue to get the same results.