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St. Louis Rams Mobile: Keys 2 Victory at Cardinals
http://yi.nzc.am/xELBH
As we get closer to Sunday’s 3:25 CT kickoff, here are three keys to victory for the Rams against the Cardinals (3-0) on Sunday.
1) Improve third-down efficiency
Over the last two games, the Rams have been OK on third down defensively, but poor on third down offensively. Starting with the defense, both Washington and Pittsburgh converted 50 percent of their third-down opportunities -- a number St. Louis would like to see go down this week. Going back to Week 1, Seattle converted 8-of-19 third-down chances, which is still a bit high.
On the other hand, the Rams have made only four third-down conversions in their last two games: two against Washington, and two against Pittsburgh. There are many factors that go into converting third downs -- positive plays on both first and second down among them. If St. Louis can get its running game going, that should set the offense up in 3rd-and-manageable situations. Those are always easier for an offense to convert than 3rd-and-long.
2) Start fast on defense
The Rams performed well against the Steelers’ offense, allowing only 12 points. But the unit did have trouble getting off the field early in the ballgame.
Pittsburgh had scoring drives of 13 and 12 plays to open the game -- possessions that took a combined 13:45 off the clock. The Rams also allowed 154 yards in the first quarter and then just 105 yards the rest of the way. Those numbers, and only surrendering 12 points, indicate the Rams did a nice job of making adjustments throughout the game.
Still, the unit getting off to a faster start should aid the Rams in getting into an offensive rhythm. If St. Louis’ defense can get off the field early and often, that will give the offense more chances to go down the field and put up points.
3) Make plays when they’re available
Last week, the Rams had a few key drops that could have either extended drives or given the team more opportunities to score. Playing a strong Arizona defense, the Rams must capitalize on those chances when they arrive.
That means converting those turnover opportunities if a defensive player can get his hands on a Carson Palmer pass, or picking the ball up on a fumble. It also means if the offense is in the red zone, the unit cannot have penalties to take them out of range for a scoring strike. With Arizona’s explosive offense, St. Louis will need touchdowns instead of field goals to come away with the victory.
http://yi.nzc.am/xELBH
As we get closer to Sunday’s 3:25 CT kickoff, here are three keys to victory for the Rams against the Cardinals (3-0) on Sunday.
1) Improve third-down efficiency
Over the last two games, the Rams have been OK on third down defensively, but poor on third down offensively. Starting with the defense, both Washington and Pittsburgh converted 50 percent of their third-down opportunities -- a number St. Louis would like to see go down this week. Going back to Week 1, Seattle converted 8-of-19 third-down chances, which is still a bit high.
On the other hand, the Rams have made only four third-down conversions in their last two games: two against Washington, and two against Pittsburgh. There are many factors that go into converting third downs -- positive plays on both first and second down among them. If St. Louis can get its running game going, that should set the offense up in 3rd-and-manageable situations. Those are always easier for an offense to convert than 3rd-and-long.
2) Start fast on defense
The Rams performed well against the Steelers’ offense, allowing only 12 points. But the unit did have trouble getting off the field early in the ballgame.
Pittsburgh had scoring drives of 13 and 12 plays to open the game -- possessions that took a combined 13:45 off the clock. The Rams also allowed 154 yards in the first quarter and then just 105 yards the rest of the way. Those numbers, and only surrendering 12 points, indicate the Rams did a nice job of making adjustments throughout the game.
Still, the unit getting off to a faster start should aid the Rams in getting into an offensive rhythm. If St. Louis’ defense can get off the field early and often, that will give the offense more chances to go down the field and put up points.
3) Make plays when they’re available
Last week, the Rams had a few key drops that could have either extended drives or given the team more opportunities to score. Playing a strong Arizona defense, the Rams must capitalize on those chances when they arrive.
That means converting those turnover opportunities if a defensive player can get his hands on a Carson Palmer pass, or picking the ball up on a fumble. It also means if the offense is in the red zone, the unit cannot have penalties to take them out of range for a scoring strike. With Arizona’s explosive offense, St. Louis will need touchdowns instead of field goals to come away with the victory.
