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Rapid Reaction: St. Louis Rams
By Nick Wagoner
http://espn.go.com/blog/st-louis-rams/post/_/id/14569/rapid-reaction-st-louis-rams-26
ST. LOUIS -- A few thoughts on the St. Louis Rams' 12-6 loss to the Arizona Cardinals at the Edward Jones Dome:
What it means: The Rams mini-streak of two wins and their shutout streak of more than nine quarters came to an end in a game where the Rams guaranteed that another streak will continue. Of course, the one that will live on isn't nearly as appealing for the Rams and their fans. In dropping to 6-8 on the season, the Rams guaranteed that they will once again come up short of a winning record. They haven't had one of those since 2003 and would now need to win their final two games just to get to 8-8 on the season. The Rams defense did what it could to keep the team in the game but they had a pair of costly hiccups that led directly to points for the Cardinals. Of more concern was an offense that did next to nothing aside from its first possession and had a fumble that set up Arizona's first field goal. Simply put, the Rams aren't good enough to overcome turnovers on offense and big plays allowed on defense against good teams.
Stock watch: Down -- The offense -- There was plenty of discussion about the Rams' defensive success the past two weeks being tied directly to facing struggling opponents like Oakland and Washington. The reality is that it was the offense that was providing the smoke and mirrors. With a top defense in town, the Rams looked like they had never seen a blitz before and mustered only 280 yards for the game. Running back Tre Mason coughed up a fumble that gave Arizona points. And, until a 38-yard completion to Stedman Bailey with about 10 minutes to go in the fourth quarter, the Rams didn't have a first down in the second half.
Shutout streak ends: The way the Rams defense and Arizona offense had played entering the game, it was fair to wonder how or when somebody would score some points against the Rams. So it was no coincidence that the first points they allowed in more than nine quarters came as a direct result of Mason's fumble in Rams territory. The streak ended after 144 minutes and 41 seconds and the 86 unanswered points the Rams scored during it is the most by a team during a shutout streak since the Buffalo Bills also had 86 unanswered in 1992.
Game ball: The defense -- The margin for error was next to none for this group and they had a couple of costly mistakes but it's unrealistic to expect them to pitch shutouts every week. They kept the Rams in it despite getting next to no help from the offense. They will lament the near misses for takeaways, namely a late fumble by Arizona running back Kerwynn Williams and two interceptions through the hands of cornerback Janoris Jenkins but you can't blame a group that limited an opponent to 12 points.
What's next: The Rams wrap up the home portion of their schedule on Dec. 21 against the New York Giants before closing the season with another trip to the Pacific Northwest to take on the Seattle Seahawks.
By Nick Wagoner
http://espn.go.com/blog/st-louis-rams/post/_/id/14569/rapid-reaction-st-louis-rams-26
ST. LOUIS -- A few thoughts on the St. Louis Rams' 12-6 loss to the Arizona Cardinals at the Edward Jones Dome:
What it means: The Rams mini-streak of two wins and their shutout streak of more than nine quarters came to an end in a game where the Rams guaranteed that another streak will continue. Of course, the one that will live on isn't nearly as appealing for the Rams and their fans. In dropping to 6-8 on the season, the Rams guaranteed that they will once again come up short of a winning record. They haven't had one of those since 2003 and would now need to win their final two games just to get to 8-8 on the season. The Rams defense did what it could to keep the team in the game but they had a pair of costly hiccups that led directly to points for the Cardinals. Of more concern was an offense that did next to nothing aside from its first possession and had a fumble that set up Arizona's first field goal. Simply put, the Rams aren't good enough to overcome turnovers on offense and big plays allowed on defense against good teams.
Stock watch: Down -- The offense -- There was plenty of discussion about the Rams' defensive success the past two weeks being tied directly to facing struggling opponents like Oakland and Washington. The reality is that it was the offense that was providing the smoke and mirrors. With a top defense in town, the Rams looked like they had never seen a blitz before and mustered only 280 yards for the game. Running back Tre Mason coughed up a fumble that gave Arizona points. And, until a 38-yard completion to Stedman Bailey with about 10 minutes to go in the fourth quarter, the Rams didn't have a first down in the second half.
Shutout streak ends: The way the Rams defense and Arizona offense had played entering the game, it was fair to wonder how or when somebody would score some points against the Rams. So it was no coincidence that the first points they allowed in more than nine quarters came as a direct result of Mason's fumble in Rams territory. The streak ended after 144 minutes and 41 seconds and the 86 unanswered points the Rams scored during it is the most by a team during a shutout streak since the Buffalo Bills also had 86 unanswered in 1992.
Game ball: The defense -- The margin for error was next to none for this group and they had a couple of costly mistakes but it's unrealistic to expect them to pitch shutouts every week. They kept the Rams in it despite getting next to no help from the offense. They will lament the near misses for takeaways, namely a late fumble by Arizona running back Kerwynn Williams and two interceptions through the hands of cornerback Janoris Jenkins but you can't blame a group that limited an opponent to 12 points.
What's next: The Rams wrap up the home portion of their schedule on Dec. 21 against the New York Giants before closing the season with another trip to the Pacific Northwest to take on the Seattle Seahawks.
