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Rams about to conclude 'March of Doom'
• By Jim Thomas
http://www.stltoday.com/sports/foot...cle_051ceadc-ea22-573c-bf72-a1f5c46b4a9b.html
As soon as the Rams’ 2014 schedule came out, that eight-game stretch from early October to late November was called the “Gauntlet” and the “March of Doom.”
Eight consecutive games against teams that either won 10 or more games, or made the playoffs — or did both — in the 2013 season. Best of luck, Rams.
Well, the march is almost over. The eight-game stretch concludes this Sunday in San Diego against the 6-4 Chargers. What has coach Jeff Fisher learned about his team from those contests?
“With the exception of the second half in Kansas City, we’ve been in it,” Fisher said. “We just have to find ways to win games consistently. But this team has played hard and played physical against some really good teams.
“Big-picture wise, I think we’re building it right. We’re building to contend and compete in the division. I think young teams need to learn how to match up against those unfamiliar opponents, which we did (Sunday). Now we have to do that again.”
He was referring, of course, to Denver of the AFC West, which was stunned 22-7 by the Rams on Sunday.
The eight-game stretch began Oct. 5 in Philadelphia, a game in which the Rams nearly wiped out a 27-point deficit in a 34-28 defeat. There was that colossal second-half collapse in the 34-7 loss at Kansas City on Oct. 26. And that instant meltdown midway through the fourth quarter in a 31-14 loss at Arizona on Nov. 9.
(OK, when the Rams collapse, they really collapse.)
The 31-17 Monday night loss to San Francisco on Oct. 13 was more a slow but deadly strangulation by the 49ers than a collapse.
But on the bright side, the Rams have won against Seattle, at San Francisco, and against Denver. So in the past five weeks the Rams have beaten the defending Super Bowl champions (Seattle), the other NFC title game participant (San Francisco, in a rematch from the Monday night game), and the AFC champions (Denver) from last season.
“I think it tells us that we’re on the right track,” Fisher said. “We’re building this team, and we’re moving in the right direction. We’ve had some disappointing losses, some close losses, and some things have happened.
“But to be able to line up against these teams like we did, I think we’ve earned a little respect.”
Often times, what a team has done in one season doesn’t carry over to the next. But when it comes to the eight-team “Gauntlet,” that’s not the case. The eight teams are a combined 54-26 so far this season. If the Rams can upset the Chargers, they will have finished the eight-game stretch at 4-4.
“We’re just trying to get better,” rookie running back Tre Mason said. “Be consistent every week because we don’t want to be the team that beats a great team and then loses (next week).”
But that’s exactly what they’ve been in this 4-6 season, over and over again. The Rams have yet to win back-to-back games this season. They haven’t won two in a row since Games 14 and 15 of last season, when they defeated New Orleans and Tampa Bay in consecutive home games at the Edward Jones Dome.
The longest winning streak so far in Fisher’s three seasons with St. Louis is a modest three games, in Games 11 through 13 of the 2012 season at Arizona, vs. visiting San Francisco (in overtime) and at Buffalo.
But overall, the Rams simply haven’t played with enough consistency from week to week to mount any kind of winning streak.
“That’s the thing the guys were talking about (Sunday) afternoon in the locker room,” Fisher said. “That we had a big win, now can we go ahead and put another one together. Because it’s going win-loss, win-loss, win-loss, and it needs to go win-win. That’s our focus.”
The Rams certainly have the potential to close the season on a roll based on their strength of schedule over the final six games. In theory, it gets much easier.
In their first 10 games, even factoring in contests with Minnesota (4-6) and Tampa Bay (2-8), Rams opponents currently have a 61-39 record — or a 61 percent winning percentage.
Starting with San Diego, the Rams’ final six opponents are only 27-33, for a 45 percent winning percentage. After San Diego, the Rams get 0-10 Oakland and also face the New York Giants and Washington, who are both 3-7.
Two of those three contests are at the Dome. That leaves 9-1 Arizona in a Dec. 11 Thursday night game in St. Louis, and the almost-annual regular-season finale in Seattle on Dec. 28 against the 6-4 Seahawks.
“Coming off a tough loss last week (in Arizona), to be able to bounce back against a great (Denver) team, it just shows how professional we are as a team and as an organization,” right guard Davin Joseph said.
“To be able to take your punches, take your losses, and come back the next week and just keep on playing ball. So yeah, we’ve beat some tough opponents this year, but it’s really week to week. And there’s no easy teams in this league.”
• By Jim Thomas
http://www.stltoday.com/sports/foot...cle_051ceadc-ea22-573c-bf72-a1f5c46b4a9b.html
As soon as the Rams’ 2014 schedule came out, that eight-game stretch from early October to late November was called the “Gauntlet” and the “March of Doom.”
Eight consecutive games against teams that either won 10 or more games, or made the playoffs — or did both — in the 2013 season. Best of luck, Rams.
Well, the march is almost over. The eight-game stretch concludes this Sunday in San Diego against the 6-4 Chargers. What has coach Jeff Fisher learned about his team from those contests?
“With the exception of the second half in Kansas City, we’ve been in it,” Fisher said. “We just have to find ways to win games consistently. But this team has played hard and played physical against some really good teams.
“Big-picture wise, I think we’re building it right. We’re building to contend and compete in the division. I think young teams need to learn how to match up against those unfamiliar opponents, which we did (Sunday). Now we have to do that again.”
He was referring, of course, to Denver of the AFC West, which was stunned 22-7 by the Rams on Sunday.
The eight-game stretch began Oct. 5 in Philadelphia, a game in which the Rams nearly wiped out a 27-point deficit in a 34-28 defeat. There was that colossal second-half collapse in the 34-7 loss at Kansas City on Oct. 26. And that instant meltdown midway through the fourth quarter in a 31-14 loss at Arizona on Nov. 9.
(OK, when the Rams collapse, they really collapse.)
The 31-17 Monday night loss to San Francisco on Oct. 13 was more a slow but deadly strangulation by the 49ers than a collapse.
But on the bright side, the Rams have won against Seattle, at San Francisco, and against Denver. So in the past five weeks the Rams have beaten the defending Super Bowl champions (Seattle), the other NFC title game participant (San Francisco, in a rematch from the Monday night game), and the AFC champions (Denver) from last season.
“I think it tells us that we’re on the right track,” Fisher said. “We’re building this team, and we’re moving in the right direction. We’ve had some disappointing losses, some close losses, and some things have happened.
“But to be able to line up against these teams like we did, I think we’ve earned a little respect.”
Often times, what a team has done in one season doesn’t carry over to the next. But when it comes to the eight-team “Gauntlet,” that’s not the case. The eight teams are a combined 54-26 so far this season. If the Rams can upset the Chargers, they will have finished the eight-game stretch at 4-4.
“We’re just trying to get better,” rookie running back Tre Mason said. “Be consistent every week because we don’t want to be the team that beats a great team and then loses (next week).”
But that’s exactly what they’ve been in this 4-6 season, over and over again. The Rams have yet to win back-to-back games this season. They haven’t won two in a row since Games 14 and 15 of last season, when they defeated New Orleans and Tampa Bay in consecutive home games at the Edward Jones Dome.
The longest winning streak so far in Fisher’s three seasons with St. Louis is a modest three games, in Games 11 through 13 of the 2012 season at Arizona, vs. visiting San Francisco (in overtime) and at Buffalo.
But overall, the Rams simply haven’t played with enough consistency from week to week to mount any kind of winning streak.
“That’s the thing the guys were talking about (Sunday) afternoon in the locker room,” Fisher said. “That we had a big win, now can we go ahead and put another one together. Because it’s going win-loss, win-loss, win-loss, and it needs to go win-win. That’s our focus.”
The Rams certainly have the potential to close the season on a roll based on their strength of schedule over the final six games. In theory, it gets much easier.
In their first 10 games, even factoring in contests with Minnesota (4-6) and Tampa Bay (2-8), Rams opponents currently have a 61-39 record — or a 61 percent winning percentage.
Starting with San Diego, the Rams’ final six opponents are only 27-33, for a 45 percent winning percentage. After San Diego, the Rams get 0-10 Oakland and also face the New York Giants and Washington, who are both 3-7.
Two of those three contests are at the Dome. That leaves 9-1 Arizona in a Dec. 11 Thursday night game in St. Louis, and the almost-annual regular-season finale in Seattle on Dec. 28 against the 6-4 Seahawks.
“Coming off a tough loss last week (in Arizona), to be able to bounce back against a great (Denver) team, it just shows how professional we are as a team and as an organization,” right guard Davin Joseph said.
“To be able to take your punches, take your losses, and come back the next week and just keep on playing ball. So yeah, we’ve beat some tough opponents this year, but it’s really week to week. And there’s no easy teams in this league.”
