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Rams Must Find Offense from Foles After the Bye
Posted by: Brandt Dolce
http://www.101sports.com/2015/10/16/rams-must-find-offense-foles-bye/
After starting the season 2-3, the St. Louis Rams’ bye week comes at a good time for a team with obvious areas for improvement.
nick foles-2
Foles has a QB rating of 77.6 so far in 2015.
After a thrilling overtime win against Seattle in week one, the Rams have sputtered, going 1-3, with their lone victory being an upset over the Arizona Cardinals on the road.
The Rams are 30th in the NFL in points per game, at just 16.8 per contest.
Running back Todd Gurley’s emergence as a legitimate NFL-caliber workhorse is a positive sign, but even with his production, the club hasn’t been able to turn those yards into points.
Gurley has 55 carries for 314 yards (5.7 per attempt) in his rookie campaign. In his debut against Pittsburgh, the back struggled to find a rhythm with limited action on six carries, totaling nine yards.
At Arizona, as the feature back, Gurley exploded for 146 yards on 19 attempts. The 7.7 yards a clip showcased the kind of talent the Rams hoped for in selecting Gurley 10th overall in the NFL Draft last spring. He took over the second half, especially the fourth quarter.
Gurley once again made hay on the Frozen Tundra. For a second consecutive week, he broke a carry for more than 50 yards, and had 159 yards on 30 attempts.
To say the passing game waned despite Gurley’s production would be an understatement.
Nick Foles had his worst game as the Rams’ quarterback, going 11-30 for 141 yards, with one touchdown and four interceptions. One of the picks came back for a touchdown.
The Rams fell 24-10, and Greg Zuerlein missed three field goals. Not a good Sunday.
The Rams have an opportunity to get back to .500 and beyond after the bye
St. Louis’ schedule enters a soft stage after the bye, with the Cleveland Browns and San Francisco 49ers coming to the Dome in consecutive weeks.
However, Jeff Fisher doesn’t buy that narrative.
After the initial five contests, the Rams’ coach isn’t willing to admit those games presented the toughest part of the team’s schedule.
“We can make a case that the record should be better than it is.” Fisher said. “It’s where it is right now, and we have to focus on the next opponent.”
Long-time NFL head coach Bill Parcells used to put a team’s record into perspective frequently when asked if he thought his team was better, or perhaps worse, than their record indicated, saying “You are what your record says you are.”
And so go the Rams.
It’s difficult to call a week seven game a “must win”, but it’s as close to that as it can be at this stage. For a reasonable chance to make the playoffs, the Rams would need to finish 9-7, meaning St. Louis would need to finish the season at 7-4 to reach that goal.
With road games remaining at Seattle, Baltimore, and Cincinnati, the next two home games are crucial.
This is the Rams, however, so counting those road games as losses or the next two home games as wins is hardly a certainty.
If Foles continues to struggle with his new team and offense, any opponent can beat St. Louis, despite the defense playing to its capability.
Winning games by scoring 12.5 points per contest (the average of the Rams’ last four games) is a near impossibility, unless you’re the Pittsburgh Steelers, and you’re playing the St. Louis Rams.
Posted by: Brandt Dolce
http://www.101sports.com/2015/10/16/rams-must-find-offense-foles-bye/
After starting the season 2-3, the St. Louis Rams’ bye week comes at a good time for a team with obvious areas for improvement.
nick foles-2
Foles has a QB rating of 77.6 so far in 2015.
After a thrilling overtime win against Seattle in week one, the Rams have sputtered, going 1-3, with their lone victory being an upset over the Arizona Cardinals on the road.
The Rams are 30th in the NFL in points per game, at just 16.8 per contest.
Running back Todd Gurley’s emergence as a legitimate NFL-caliber workhorse is a positive sign, but even with his production, the club hasn’t been able to turn those yards into points.
Gurley has 55 carries for 314 yards (5.7 per attempt) in his rookie campaign. In his debut against Pittsburgh, the back struggled to find a rhythm with limited action on six carries, totaling nine yards.
At Arizona, as the feature back, Gurley exploded for 146 yards on 19 attempts. The 7.7 yards a clip showcased the kind of talent the Rams hoped for in selecting Gurley 10th overall in the NFL Draft last spring. He took over the second half, especially the fourth quarter.
Gurley once again made hay on the Frozen Tundra. For a second consecutive week, he broke a carry for more than 50 yards, and had 159 yards on 30 attempts.
To say the passing game waned despite Gurley’s production would be an understatement.
Nick Foles had his worst game as the Rams’ quarterback, going 11-30 for 141 yards, with one touchdown and four interceptions. One of the picks came back for a touchdown.
The Rams fell 24-10, and Greg Zuerlein missed three field goals. Not a good Sunday.
The Rams have an opportunity to get back to .500 and beyond after the bye
St. Louis’ schedule enters a soft stage after the bye, with the Cleveland Browns and San Francisco 49ers coming to the Dome in consecutive weeks.
However, Jeff Fisher doesn’t buy that narrative.
After the initial five contests, the Rams’ coach isn’t willing to admit those games presented the toughest part of the team’s schedule.
“We can make a case that the record should be better than it is.” Fisher said. “It’s where it is right now, and we have to focus on the next opponent.”
Long-time NFL head coach Bill Parcells used to put a team’s record into perspective frequently when asked if he thought his team was better, or perhaps worse, than their record indicated, saying “You are what your record says you are.”
And so go the Rams.
It’s difficult to call a week seven game a “must win”, but it’s as close to that as it can be at this stage. For a reasonable chance to make the playoffs, the Rams would need to finish 9-7, meaning St. Louis would need to finish the season at 7-4 to reach that goal.
With road games remaining at Seattle, Baltimore, and Cincinnati, the next two home games are crucial.
This is the Rams, however, so counting those road games as losses or the next two home games as wins is hardly a certainty.
If Foles continues to struggle with his new team and offense, any opponent can beat St. Louis, despite the defense playing to its capability.
Winning games by scoring 12.5 points per contest (the average of the Rams’ last four games) is a near impossibility, unless you’re the Pittsburgh Steelers, and you’re playing the St. Louis Rams.
