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W2W4 revisited: St. Louis Rams
By Nick Wagoner
http://espn.go.com/blog/st-louis-rams/post/_/id/13048/w2w4-revisited-st-louis-rams-10
KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Looking back at three things to watch in the St. Louis Rams' 34-7 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday afternoon:
1. Defending the perimeter: Entering the game, the Rams were last in the league defending runs outside the tackles, allowing an average of 8.15 yards per carry. That was a big part of the struggles defending the run as a whole and Kansas City looked like a team capable of taking advantage. For most of the first half and into the third quarter, the Rams mostly bottled up Chiefs running back Jamaal Charles and his teammates. But as the game slipped away, so too did the Rams' discipline defending the edge. Kansas City finished with 143 yards on 43 carries with 54 of those yards coming on 10 carries outside the tackles. Charles scored twice while Knile Davis added one of his own.
2. Protection priority: The Rams' offensive line had its worst day of the season, surrendering seven sacks for a loss of 44 yards. The damage wasn't all done by the offensive line but quarterback Austin Davis was under siege for most of the day. That shouldn't be a surprise considering the Rams' struggles with some of the better pass rushes in the league. The Chiefs represented the best pass rush the Rams had seen all year and they got one of their best efforts. Justin Houston made easy work of right tackle Joe Barksdale as he led the way with three sacks. Injuries to left tackle Jake Long, right guard Rodger Saffold and center Scott Wells didn't make life any easier as Kansas City teed off on Davis after it jumped to a big lead.
3. Handling the heat: The Rams finished with eight penalties for 68 yards but many of the infractions weren't so much the result of a noisy atmosphere as a combination of silly decision making and strange calls from the officials. But once the Rams dealt with the aforementioned injuries on the offensive line, there were some obvious communication issues which led to some problems late in the game, including a delay of game penalty in the third quarter. Guard Davin Joseph said communication was difficult because of the moving parts on the offensive line and the crowd noise and beyond penalties, the communication malfunctions could have played a part in the onslaught of pressure on Davis.
By Nick Wagoner
http://espn.go.com/blog/st-louis-rams/post/_/id/13048/w2w4-revisited-st-louis-rams-10
KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Looking back at three things to watch in the St. Louis Rams' 34-7 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday afternoon:
1. Defending the perimeter: Entering the game, the Rams were last in the league defending runs outside the tackles, allowing an average of 8.15 yards per carry. That was a big part of the struggles defending the run as a whole and Kansas City looked like a team capable of taking advantage. For most of the first half and into the third quarter, the Rams mostly bottled up Chiefs running back Jamaal Charles and his teammates. But as the game slipped away, so too did the Rams' discipline defending the edge. Kansas City finished with 143 yards on 43 carries with 54 of those yards coming on 10 carries outside the tackles. Charles scored twice while Knile Davis added one of his own.
2. Protection priority: The Rams' offensive line had its worst day of the season, surrendering seven sacks for a loss of 44 yards. The damage wasn't all done by the offensive line but quarterback Austin Davis was under siege for most of the day. That shouldn't be a surprise considering the Rams' struggles with some of the better pass rushes in the league. The Chiefs represented the best pass rush the Rams had seen all year and they got one of their best efforts. Justin Houston made easy work of right tackle Joe Barksdale as he led the way with three sacks. Injuries to left tackle Jake Long, right guard Rodger Saffold and center Scott Wells didn't make life any easier as Kansas City teed off on Davis after it jumped to a big lead.
3. Handling the heat: The Rams finished with eight penalties for 68 yards but many of the infractions weren't so much the result of a noisy atmosphere as a combination of silly decision making and strange calls from the officials. But once the Rams dealt with the aforementioned injuries on the offensive line, there were some obvious communication issues which led to some problems late in the game, including a delay of game penalty in the third quarter. Guard Davin Joseph said communication was difficult because of the moving parts on the offensive line and the crowd noise and beyond penalties, the communication malfunctions could have played a part in the onslaught of pressure on Davis.