The good, bad & ugly from the Week 1 win
The Rams simply had to beat the Gridbirds while opening their season at home. Next up are tough games at Atlanta and Dallas. Then the explosive 49ers come to town in Week 4. An 0-1 start could have sent the Rams' season in the wrong direction. So the victory was big — especially coming back from an 11-point deficit in the fourth quarter.
THE GOOD
• The offensive line afforded Sam Bradford ample protection, allowing zero sacks against the blitz-happy Arizona defense.
Bradford took what the Arizona defense gave him: some big strikes to tight end Jared Cook and lots of quick stuff to his other targets. He was 27 for 38 for 299 yards, two touchdowns, one interception, one two-point run and a 100.7 passer rating.
Cook’s 141 yards set a franchise record for most receiving yards by a tight end. The Cardinals didn’t come close to containing him.
Arguably, Bradford’s best play came in the second quarter. On a key third-and-six play, he scrambled away from pressure and hit receiver Chris Givens on the run for the first down. That extended what became a touchdown drive.
• Rookie Tavon Austin couldn't bust a big play on his seven touches from scrimmage, but he did draw a long pass interference penalty on one of Bradford's rare deep balls.
• Running back Daryl Richardson did a nice job in the passing game, catching five passes for 33 yards. He only averaged 3.2 yards on 20 carries, but generally read his blocks well and hit the seams with authority.
• The defensive ends had an exceptional day. Robert Quinn started fast and finished well, earning three sacks — including two strip sacks, one which led to a huge turnover. William Hayes earned a sack and two other tackles for losses. Chris Long recovered a fumble and also had a key pass deflection at the line.
The active Rams front seven limited the Arizona ground game to 3.3 yards on 26 carries.
• Cornerback Janoris Jenkins broke up three passes, including one to Larry Fitzgerald at the goal line. Cornerback Trumaine Johnson had a right-place, right-time interception and nearly ran it back for a TD.
Safety Rodney McLeod delivered some crushing hits in run and pass support.
• Legatron lives! Placekicker Greg Zuerlein hit all four of his field goal tries, including the game-winner from 48 yards out. He also crushed his kickoffs, forcing Arizona into unfavorable field position,
Punter Johnny Hekker negated a dangerous return game with length (49.0 yards) and accuracy. (He killed one punt at the Arizona 1, only to see his cover team carry the ball over the goal line.)
THE BAD
• Bradford nearly handed the Cardinals a chance to win the game by losing the ball deep in his own territory on an awkward scramble. Fortunately, Richardson recovered the ball.
• The offensive line failed to get adequate push in short-yardage running scenarios. These guys need to do more heavy lifting for the smallish Rams backs.
Two offensive line penalties doomed the first Rams possession. Tackles Jake Long (holding) and Rodger Saffold (false start) were the culprits. That sucked some life from the team.
• The Rams played soft pass coverage for much of the game. True, they were trying to take away Carson Palmer’s deep passing ability. But they still allowed Palmer to throw for 327 yards, mostly into some big passing windows.
THE UGLY
• The officials flagged the Rams for three personal foul penalties and one taunting penalty. We know Jeff Fisher is trying to build an aggressive team attitude, but that was ridiculous. The Rams are a .500-caliber team. They can’t afford such excesses.
Veteran cornerback Cortland Finnegan led that penalty parade with two unsportsmanlike conduct penalties. Also, Palmer came after him whenever he needed a big play. Finnegan is supposed to be a team leader. That is not leadership.
• Cook let Tyrann Mathieu poke a sure touchdown out of his hands at the end of what should have been a big play.
• Bradford handed the Cardinals an easy touchdown when his supposed safe, ball-control passing play at the goal line went haywire. Look out for that huge defender looming right in your face!
HOW OTHERS SAW IT
Here is an assessment of the Rams from other media types:
Mike Tanier, Sports on Earth: “Jared Cook caught two touchdown passes and had a third one batted from his hands Leon Lett-style as he was about to cross the plane. Tavon Austin caught six short passes and drew pass interference from the Honey Badger, who saw Austin sprinting past him and just shoved him. Daryl Richardson got the Steven Jackson treatment with 20 carries and five catches, though there was a difference: the new receiving corps had the defense stretched far enough that Richardson did not look like he was being shoveled into a coal furnace. Sam Bradford still stares down too many receivers and is too reluctant to throw downfield, but the Rams offense actually won a game for them, something that hasn't happened much since 2006.”
Pete Prisco, CBSSports.com: “Sam Bradford had a solid day throwing it and the defense had four sacks. Robert Quinn was everywhere. That was a nice fourth-quarter comeback.”
Dan Bickley, Arizona Republic: “(Cardinals tackle Levi) Brown was beaten so thoroughly by Robert Quinn that he went out of his way to find the Rams’ defensive end after the game, just to shake his hand. It was not a good look, congratulating a guy you couldn’t block on Twitter.”
Peter King, SI.com: “Love the fact that Sam Bradford engineered three scoring drives (okay, one was a two-yarder) that ended in touchdown, field goal and game-winning field goal in the fourth quarter. Also love the fact that the Rams are now 5-1-1 in, arguably, the toughest division in football since the start of the 2012 season.”
Nick Wagoner, ESPN.com: “Much of the buildup through this offseason has been centered on the Rams' revamped offense and how they intend to open things up a bit more. Make no mistake, the Rams were more pass-happy, throwing 38 passes to 24 rush attempts, but it wasn't the spread-out, up-tempo attack that many anticipated. In fairness, coordinator Brian Schottenheimer has said the approach would be game-plan specific, and considering Arizona's propensity for blitzing, maybe this week was intended to be more run-heavy.”
