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Rams pull a fast one on Seattle
• BY JIM THOMAS
http://www.stltoday.com/sports/foot...cle_81371595-aa89-5ed8-ab5c-98a1ac8e1672.html
For the third home game in a row, the Rams got off to a lightning-fast start. Against San Francisco, it was 14-0 Rams in the first quarter. Against Dallas, it was 21-0 Rams midway through the second quarter.
Sunday against the reigning Super Bowl champs, the Rams spotted Seattle an early 3-0 lead, then scored three consecutive touchdowns to take a 21-6 lead at halftime.
In the Cowboys and 49ers games, the Rams blew big leads. This time, they didn't — but just barely held on for a 28-26 victory over the Seahawks on Sunday at the Edward Jones Dome. The Rams improved to 2-4, snapping a three-game losing streak. Seattle, losing for the second time in a row, fell to 3-3.
The Rams used a fake punt play to secure the win, with Johnny Hekker passing 18 yards to Benny Cunningham for a first down. The play with a little more than 2 minutes remaining extended the Rams' final possession after the Seahawks had used up their timeouts.
The Rams were able to run out the clock, although they first had to recover a fumble by Tre Mason in Seattle territory with 1:01 remaining.
On Thursday, offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer said the Rams would work in all of their running backs early, and then go with the hot hand. True to form, Benny Cunningham, Tre Mason, and Tavon Austin each had at least one carry during the Rams' opening two series. The only one who didn't get involved was Zac Stacy, who was in for only one play _ without touching the ball _ during those two opening series.
But the Rams quickly decided that Mason had the hot hand. Mason scored his first NFL touchdown on a 6-yard run on the Ram's second possession. They started with a very short field thanks to a 75-yard kickoff return by Benny Cunningham to the Seattle 31.
On the Rams' next series, Mason struck again with a 28-yard run _ the Rams' longest of the year _ to the Seattle 10. Cunningham made it 14-3 Rams early in the second quarter when he bulled his way into the end zone on a 6-yard shovel pass from quarterback Austin Davis.
Midway through the second quarter, Rams special teams struck again, and in a most unusual way. After Jon Ryan's punt, the Seattle coverage team raced down towards Austin who was looking the ball in on the right sideline.
There was just one problem: Ryan punted the ball towards the left sideline. Somehow, Stedman Bailey was situated there waiting for the ball. He had raced down the field after peeling back from his position on the outside blocking the Seahawks' gunner.
Bailey raced 90 yards for a touchdown with very little resistance; there were only a couple of Seattle defenders on that side of the field. Most of them were on the other side of the field, getting ready to tackle Austin.
It was the Rams' first punt return for a TD since Austin's 98-yarder in Game 10 of last season against Indianapolis, and it gave St. Louis a 21-3 lead with 7:05 to go in the first half.
But after a missed 52-yard field goal by Greg Zuerlein, Seattle mounted a 41-yard field goal drive in the last 1:5 of the half, trimming the Rams' lead to 21-6 at intermission.
After an exchange of punts to start the third quarter, Seattle took over at its 18 and marched 82 yards for a touchdown. Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson was at his best on this drive, keeping the ball early in the drive for 12 yards and escaping the Rams' pass rush on a couple of occasions for completions.
The capper came on third-and-4 from the St. Louis 19, when Wilson faked a handoff up the middle but kept the ball around right end all the way to the end zone. Outside linebacker Alex Ogletree had outside contain on the play and got sucked in like much of the defense.
Suddenly it was just 21-13 Rams. Here we go again? Would it be another big first-half lead lost?
It sure looked that way when Wilson threw a 25-yard TD pass to third-string tight end Cooper Helfet, who managed to keep his feet in-bounds with 9:44 to play in the fourth quarter. That made it 21-19 Rams. Seattle went for the 2-point conversion and the tie, but Wilson overthrew Jermaine Kearse who had gotten behind defender E.J. Gaines, and the pass fell incomplete.
It was do-or-die time for the Rams. And this time they did, marching 80 yards for a TD that gave them a 28-19 lead with 5:36 to play. Opening up their offense after a conservative approach for 3 1/2 quarters, Austin completed five of six passes for 70 yards on the drive. The TD came on a 4-yard pass to Lance Kendricks, but the big play was a 30-yard completion on a deep crossing route to Chris Givens.
Givens had been inactive for the previous two games, but replaced the inactive Austin Pettis in the lineup Sunday.
But Wilson stayed hot on the next Seattle possession. The killer was a 29-yard pass to Kearse over the middle in the teeth of a Rams blitz. Three Rams defenders had chances for tackles on the play but missed.
That play carried to the 9, and the Seahawks were in the end zone two plays later, on a Doug Baldwin TD catch, trimming the Rams' lead to 28-26 with 3:18 left to play.
But then came the fake punt, and the surprise victory for the Rams.
Here are the updates posted during the game by Post-Dispatch football writer Joe Lyons:
With their best start-to-finish effort of the season, the Rams held off Seattle 28-26 Sunday at the Edward Jones Dome.
The Rams improved to 2-4 while the defending Super Bowl champs slipped to 3-3 with their second consecutive loss.
The Seahawks cut the Rams lead to 21-19 with 9:44 to play as Russell Wilson hooked up with tight end Cooper Helfet to cap a nine-play 91-yard drive. On the try for two to even the score, the pass from Wilson went off the finger tips of Jermaine Kearse.
Wilson keyed the drive with a pair of scrambles covering 7 and 52 yards.
The Rams responded with an eight-play, 80-yard scoring drive that pushed their lead back to 28-19, thanks to a 4-yard scoring pass from Austin Davis to tight end Lance Kendricks with 5:36 left in the game.
The drive was highlighted by a 30-yard pass from Davis to Chris Givens on a deep crossing pattern that was followed up by an 11-yard run from Tre Mason to the Seattle 4.
Seattle wasted no time, moving 80 yards in just 2:18, getting a 9-yard touchdown pass from Russell Wilson to Doug Baldwin with 3:18 left to cut the Rams' lead to 28-26.
On the drive Wilson had a 22-yard pass to Baldwin and a 29-yarder to Jermaine Kearse.
The Seahawks used their timeouts and forced a Rams punt. But instead of punting, the Rams' Johnny Hekker completed a fourth-down pass from the 18 to Benny Cunningham for an 18-yard game that allowed the Rams to eventually close out the 28-26 victory.
RAMS UP 21-13 INTO THE FOURTH QUARTER
The Seahawks put together a 12-play, 82-yard drive that took better than six minutes off the clock in the third quarter, cutting the Rams' lead to 21-13 on a 19-yard run by Russell Wilson with 4:22 to play in the third quarter.
On the third-and-three play, Wilson faked the dive play up the middle to Marshawn Lynch and then broke it as outside linebacker Alec Ogletree bit on the fake and was not able to recover.
RAMS LEAD 21-6 AT THE HALF
The Rams added to their lead on a strange-looking 90-yard punt return for touchdown from Stedman Bailey. With the entire Seattle punt coverage team headed toward Tavon Austin to the right, the ball somehow ended up on the opposite side of the field, where Bailey made an over-the-shoulder catch and followed up with a 90-yard return down the sideline to make it 21-3 with 7:05 left in the first half.
The key to the play was Austin selling the play and drawing the Seattle coverage men his way.
The Rams had a chance to add to their lead just after the two-minute warning, but Greg Zuerlein pushed a field goal try from 52 yards wide to the right.
Seattle closed out the first half scoring as Steven Hauschka boots a 35-yard field goal with seven seconds left.
The Rams' Janoris Jenkins suffered a knee injury late in the half. His return is questionable.
Some halftime numbers:
• Mason has rushed 10 times for 54 yards and has his first NFL touchdowns.
• Davis is a perfect 9-for-9 passing for 41 yards, with a 6-yard TD pass to Cunnigham. Tavon Austin and Cunningham lead the Rams with three catches apiece.
• Russell Wilson has completed 9 of 17 for 150 yards. Marshawn Lynch had 23 yards on 10 carries.
• After just one sack through their first four games, the Rams had three (Aaron Donald, Eugene Sims, Robert Quinn) during a stretch of five Seattle offensive snaps in the second quarter.
RAMS LEAD 14-3 EARLY IN THE SECOND
After forcing a Rams' punt to open the game, the Seahawks moved 68 yards on just nine plays to grab the 3-0 lead on a 24-yard field goal from Steven Hauschka with 9:01 to play in the opening quarter. The key play of the drive was a 49-yard pass from Russell Wilson to Doug Baldwin, who broke an Alec Ogletree tackle before breaking away down the middle.
The Rams came right back, thanks to a 75-yard kickoff return down the right sideline from Benny Cunningham to the Seattle 31. Six plays later, after a nice cutback move at the line of scrimmage, rookie Tre Mason powered through the would-be tackle of Earl Thomas at the goal line for a 6-yard touchdown that gave the Rams a 7-3 lead with 5:19 to play in the first quarter. It was the first professional touchdown for Mason rushed four times for 17 yards.
After a Seattle punt, the Rams put together a nine-play, 74-yard drive capped by a 5-yard scoring pass from Austin Davis to Cummingham with 13:12 to play in the second quarter. Key plays on the drive included a 28-yard Mason run, a 14-yard pass from Davis to Brian Quick and a pair of costly Seattle penalties.
RAMS, SEAHAWKS SQUARE OFF AT DOME
The Rams face a banged-up Seattle Seahawks squad today at noon at the Edward Jones Dome.
The defending Super Bowl champs are 3-2, coming off a 30-23 home loss to the Dallas Cowboys and will be without four starters _ middle linebacker and top tackler Bobby Wagner (foot), center Max Unger (foot), cornerback Byron Maxwell (calf) and tight end Zach Miller (ankle).
And on Friday, they traded receiver-kick returner Percy Harvin to the Jets for a draft pick.
Seattle is 19-2 at home with Russell Wilson at quarterback. Slowing Wilson and running back Marshawn Lynch will be key today for the Rams.
Today marks the first NFC West game of the season for the Seahawks. The Rams opened division play last Monday, falling 30-17 loss to visiting San Francisco.
For the Rams (1-4), the list of inactives is headed by receiver Austin Pettis, who is tied for third on the squad with 12 receptions. Pettis, a fourth-year pro, was also slowed this week in practice with an ankle injury. He's replaced by third-year pro Chris Givens, who was inactive for the losses to Philadelphia and San Francisco.
Other Rams inactives today are third quarterback Case Keenum, defensive end Ethan Westbrooks (hand), center and ex-Mizzou Tiger Tim Barnes (shoulder), safety and Eureka High product Maurice Alexander and, cornerbacks Trumaine Johnson (knee) and Brandon McGee (foot).
With Barnes out, Barrett Jones is active for the first time. Jones, a fourth-round draft pick in 2013, had back surgery early in training camp.
The Seahawks hold a 20-12 edge in the series, with one of St. Louis' wins coming in the playoffs. Seattle swept last year's games, winning 14-9 here in a Monday Night thriller and 27-9 in the regular-season finale there. In the series, the Seahawks have won three in a row, six of seven and 16 of the teams' last 18 meetings.
• BY JIM THOMAS
http://www.stltoday.com/sports/foot...cle_81371595-aa89-5ed8-ab5c-98a1ac8e1672.html
For the third home game in a row, the Rams got off to a lightning-fast start. Against San Francisco, it was 14-0 Rams in the first quarter. Against Dallas, it was 21-0 Rams midway through the second quarter.
Sunday against the reigning Super Bowl champs, the Rams spotted Seattle an early 3-0 lead, then scored three consecutive touchdowns to take a 21-6 lead at halftime.
In the Cowboys and 49ers games, the Rams blew big leads. This time, they didn't — but just barely held on for a 28-26 victory over the Seahawks on Sunday at the Edward Jones Dome. The Rams improved to 2-4, snapping a three-game losing streak. Seattle, losing for the second time in a row, fell to 3-3.
The Rams used a fake punt play to secure the win, with Johnny Hekker passing 18 yards to Benny Cunningham for a first down. The play with a little more than 2 minutes remaining extended the Rams' final possession after the Seahawks had used up their timeouts.
The Rams were able to run out the clock, although they first had to recover a fumble by Tre Mason in Seattle territory with 1:01 remaining.
On Thursday, offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer said the Rams would work in all of their running backs early, and then go with the hot hand. True to form, Benny Cunningham, Tre Mason, and Tavon Austin each had at least one carry during the Rams' opening two series. The only one who didn't get involved was Zac Stacy, who was in for only one play _ without touching the ball _ during those two opening series.
But the Rams quickly decided that Mason had the hot hand. Mason scored his first NFL touchdown on a 6-yard run on the Ram's second possession. They started with a very short field thanks to a 75-yard kickoff return by Benny Cunningham to the Seattle 31.
On the Rams' next series, Mason struck again with a 28-yard run _ the Rams' longest of the year _ to the Seattle 10. Cunningham made it 14-3 Rams early in the second quarter when he bulled his way into the end zone on a 6-yard shovel pass from quarterback Austin Davis.
Midway through the second quarter, Rams special teams struck again, and in a most unusual way. After Jon Ryan's punt, the Seattle coverage team raced down towards Austin who was looking the ball in on the right sideline.
There was just one problem: Ryan punted the ball towards the left sideline. Somehow, Stedman Bailey was situated there waiting for the ball. He had raced down the field after peeling back from his position on the outside blocking the Seahawks' gunner.
Bailey raced 90 yards for a touchdown with very little resistance; there were only a couple of Seattle defenders on that side of the field. Most of them were on the other side of the field, getting ready to tackle Austin.
It was the Rams' first punt return for a TD since Austin's 98-yarder in Game 10 of last season against Indianapolis, and it gave St. Louis a 21-3 lead with 7:05 to go in the first half.
But after a missed 52-yard field goal by Greg Zuerlein, Seattle mounted a 41-yard field goal drive in the last 1:5 of the half, trimming the Rams' lead to 21-6 at intermission.
After an exchange of punts to start the third quarter, Seattle took over at its 18 and marched 82 yards for a touchdown. Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson was at his best on this drive, keeping the ball early in the drive for 12 yards and escaping the Rams' pass rush on a couple of occasions for completions.
The capper came on third-and-4 from the St. Louis 19, when Wilson faked a handoff up the middle but kept the ball around right end all the way to the end zone. Outside linebacker Alex Ogletree had outside contain on the play and got sucked in like much of the defense.
Suddenly it was just 21-13 Rams. Here we go again? Would it be another big first-half lead lost?
It sure looked that way when Wilson threw a 25-yard TD pass to third-string tight end Cooper Helfet, who managed to keep his feet in-bounds with 9:44 to play in the fourth quarter. That made it 21-19 Rams. Seattle went for the 2-point conversion and the tie, but Wilson overthrew Jermaine Kearse who had gotten behind defender E.J. Gaines, and the pass fell incomplete.
It was do-or-die time for the Rams. And this time they did, marching 80 yards for a TD that gave them a 28-19 lead with 5:36 to play. Opening up their offense after a conservative approach for 3 1/2 quarters, Austin completed five of six passes for 70 yards on the drive. The TD came on a 4-yard pass to Lance Kendricks, but the big play was a 30-yard completion on a deep crossing route to Chris Givens.
Givens had been inactive for the previous two games, but replaced the inactive Austin Pettis in the lineup Sunday.
But Wilson stayed hot on the next Seattle possession. The killer was a 29-yard pass to Kearse over the middle in the teeth of a Rams blitz. Three Rams defenders had chances for tackles on the play but missed.
That play carried to the 9, and the Seahawks were in the end zone two plays later, on a Doug Baldwin TD catch, trimming the Rams' lead to 28-26 with 3:18 left to play.
But then came the fake punt, and the surprise victory for the Rams.
Here are the updates posted during the game by Post-Dispatch football writer Joe Lyons:
With their best start-to-finish effort of the season, the Rams held off Seattle 28-26 Sunday at the Edward Jones Dome.
The Rams improved to 2-4 while the defending Super Bowl champs slipped to 3-3 with their second consecutive loss.
The Seahawks cut the Rams lead to 21-19 with 9:44 to play as Russell Wilson hooked up with tight end Cooper Helfet to cap a nine-play 91-yard drive. On the try for two to even the score, the pass from Wilson went off the finger tips of Jermaine Kearse.
Wilson keyed the drive with a pair of scrambles covering 7 and 52 yards.
The Rams responded with an eight-play, 80-yard scoring drive that pushed their lead back to 28-19, thanks to a 4-yard scoring pass from Austin Davis to tight end Lance Kendricks with 5:36 left in the game.
The drive was highlighted by a 30-yard pass from Davis to Chris Givens on a deep crossing pattern that was followed up by an 11-yard run from Tre Mason to the Seattle 4.
Seattle wasted no time, moving 80 yards in just 2:18, getting a 9-yard touchdown pass from Russell Wilson to Doug Baldwin with 3:18 left to cut the Rams' lead to 28-26.
On the drive Wilson had a 22-yard pass to Baldwin and a 29-yarder to Jermaine Kearse.
The Seahawks used their timeouts and forced a Rams punt. But instead of punting, the Rams' Johnny Hekker completed a fourth-down pass from the 18 to Benny Cunningham for an 18-yard game that allowed the Rams to eventually close out the 28-26 victory.
RAMS UP 21-13 INTO THE FOURTH QUARTER
The Seahawks put together a 12-play, 82-yard drive that took better than six minutes off the clock in the third quarter, cutting the Rams' lead to 21-13 on a 19-yard run by Russell Wilson with 4:22 to play in the third quarter.
On the third-and-three play, Wilson faked the dive play up the middle to Marshawn Lynch and then broke it as outside linebacker Alec Ogletree bit on the fake and was not able to recover.
RAMS LEAD 21-6 AT THE HALF
The Rams added to their lead on a strange-looking 90-yard punt return for touchdown from Stedman Bailey. With the entire Seattle punt coverage team headed toward Tavon Austin to the right, the ball somehow ended up on the opposite side of the field, where Bailey made an over-the-shoulder catch and followed up with a 90-yard return down the sideline to make it 21-3 with 7:05 left in the first half.
The key to the play was Austin selling the play and drawing the Seattle coverage men his way.
The Rams had a chance to add to their lead just after the two-minute warning, but Greg Zuerlein pushed a field goal try from 52 yards wide to the right.
Seattle closed out the first half scoring as Steven Hauschka boots a 35-yard field goal with seven seconds left.
The Rams' Janoris Jenkins suffered a knee injury late in the half. His return is questionable.
Some halftime numbers:
• Mason has rushed 10 times for 54 yards and has his first NFL touchdowns.
• Davis is a perfect 9-for-9 passing for 41 yards, with a 6-yard TD pass to Cunnigham. Tavon Austin and Cunningham lead the Rams with three catches apiece.
• Russell Wilson has completed 9 of 17 for 150 yards. Marshawn Lynch had 23 yards on 10 carries.
• After just one sack through their first four games, the Rams had three (Aaron Donald, Eugene Sims, Robert Quinn) during a stretch of five Seattle offensive snaps in the second quarter.
RAMS LEAD 14-3 EARLY IN THE SECOND
After forcing a Rams' punt to open the game, the Seahawks moved 68 yards on just nine plays to grab the 3-0 lead on a 24-yard field goal from Steven Hauschka with 9:01 to play in the opening quarter. The key play of the drive was a 49-yard pass from Russell Wilson to Doug Baldwin, who broke an Alec Ogletree tackle before breaking away down the middle.
The Rams came right back, thanks to a 75-yard kickoff return down the right sideline from Benny Cunningham to the Seattle 31. Six plays later, after a nice cutback move at the line of scrimmage, rookie Tre Mason powered through the would-be tackle of Earl Thomas at the goal line for a 6-yard touchdown that gave the Rams a 7-3 lead with 5:19 to play in the first quarter. It was the first professional touchdown for Mason rushed four times for 17 yards.
After a Seattle punt, the Rams put together a nine-play, 74-yard drive capped by a 5-yard scoring pass from Austin Davis to Cummingham with 13:12 to play in the second quarter. Key plays on the drive included a 28-yard Mason run, a 14-yard pass from Davis to Brian Quick and a pair of costly Seattle penalties.
RAMS, SEAHAWKS SQUARE OFF AT DOME
The Rams face a banged-up Seattle Seahawks squad today at noon at the Edward Jones Dome.
The defending Super Bowl champs are 3-2, coming off a 30-23 home loss to the Dallas Cowboys and will be without four starters _ middle linebacker and top tackler Bobby Wagner (foot), center Max Unger (foot), cornerback Byron Maxwell (calf) and tight end Zach Miller (ankle).
And on Friday, they traded receiver-kick returner Percy Harvin to the Jets for a draft pick.
Seattle is 19-2 at home with Russell Wilson at quarterback. Slowing Wilson and running back Marshawn Lynch will be key today for the Rams.
Today marks the first NFC West game of the season for the Seahawks. The Rams opened division play last Monday, falling 30-17 loss to visiting San Francisco.
For the Rams (1-4), the list of inactives is headed by receiver Austin Pettis, who is tied for third on the squad with 12 receptions. Pettis, a fourth-year pro, was also slowed this week in practice with an ankle injury. He's replaced by third-year pro Chris Givens, who was inactive for the losses to Philadelphia and San Francisco.
Other Rams inactives today are third quarterback Case Keenum, defensive end Ethan Westbrooks (hand), center and ex-Mizzou Tiger Tim Barnes (shoulder), safety and Eureka High product Maurice Alexander and, cornerbacks Trumaine Johnson (knee) and Brandon McGee (foot).
With Barnes out, Barrett Jones is active for the first time. Jones, a fourth-round draft pick in 2013, had back surgery early in training camp.
The Seahawks hold a 20-12 edge in the series, with one of St. Louis' wins coming in the playoffs. Seattle swept last year's games, winning 14-9 here in a Monday Night thriller and 27-9 in the regular-season finale there. In the series, the Seahawks have won three in a row, six of seven and 16 of the teams' last 18 meetings.