Recent Forum Topics › Forums › The Rams Huddle › the media post-mortem on the KC game … Gordon, Wagoner, Thomas, etc.
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October 26, 2014 at 9:40 pm #10525
znModeratorMamaRama re-formatted to make it postable
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RAMS REPORT CARD – WEEK 8: CHOPPED DOWN TO SIZE
Jeff Gordon grades the Rams after their loss in Kansas City.
Quarterback: D
Austin Davis started fast, hitting a wide-open Kenny Britt for a 43-yard completion. That set up his touchdown pass to TE Lance Kendricks, off a nice scramble to the right. But then Davis’ day turned bad and stayed bad. He forced a deep pass toward Britt into double coverage on the next Rams possession, suffering an interception that killed a promising drive. The rest of his game became an unmitigated nightmare.Running Back: C
Benny Cunningham lunged to make a big red zone catch to keep the Rams moving toward their early TD. He also had a nice 18-yard run in this game. But the RB committee produced just 76 yards in 16 carries, with 14 of those yards coming on the game’s final play. At least Zac Stacy got back into the offense to contribute three receptions in garbage time.Wide Receivers: D
After Britt got free for his 43-yard catch, the WRs were mostly invisible. Losing Brian Quick to an arm injury made things worse. Tavon Austin got just four touches in the offense – two on inside runs – for 19 yards. At least Stedman Bailey (two catches, 33 yards) got a little work in once the game got out of hand.Tight Ends: D
This seemed like the game to refocus the passing game on the TEs to neutralize the Chiefs linebackers. And sure enough, Lance Kendricks got free for the early TD. But that was his only catch. Jared Cook had just one catch, too, and these two failed to make a positive difference as blockers.Offensive Line: F
RG Rodger Saffold went down. C Scott Wells went down. LT Jake Long went down. C/G Time Barnes was already sidelined, so the Rams ended up with a line of, left to right, Greg Robinson, Mike Person, Barrett Jones, Davin Joseph and Joe Barksdale. Along the way the Chiefs overwhelmed that battered unit and sacked Davis seven times for 44 yards in losses.Defensive Line: C
This unit had its moments. DE Robert Quinn stripped Chiefs QB Alex Smith of the ball, but the Rams did not recover it. Later, Quinn earned sacks on consecutive plays late in the first half. DT Aaron Donald forced a fumble by Chiefs RB Jamaal Charles and DE William Hayes recovered it in prime scoring position. The defensive front remained stout against the run until fatigue finally set in during the second half.Linebackers: F
OLB Alec Ogletree channeled his inner Ray Ray Armstrong and earned two personal foul penalties. Veteran OLB Jo-Lonn Dunbar had a big missed tackle in the open field. MLB James Laurinaitis kept getting lost in traffic on big run plays. The Chiefs worked over the linebackers corps in the second half with an assortment of short passes, hitting their TEs over and over.Secondary: F
Marcus Roberson got his first NFL start across from fellow rookie E.J. Gaines. This unit struggled—and it only got worse when S Rodney McLeod and S Cody Davis went down, forcing rookie CB Lamarcus Joyner to play back there. Gaines had a host of issues, including the failure to recover a fumble, a missed open-field tackle and a questionable personal foul penalty.Special Teams: F
Greg Zuerlein’s missed 38-yard field goal was a turning point. The game was tied 7-7 at that point and his miss prevented the Rams from capitalizing on a fumble recovery. The Chiefs countered with a field goal to take a 10-7 lead, then Knile Davis went 99 yards with the opening kickoff of the second half to send the Rams staggering toward defeat.Coaching: F
Once again offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer developed an early play script that produced an early TD. But once again he ran out of things that worked. Defensive coordinator Gregg Williams hit on some calls earlier, but he too ran out of answers. His D got trapped on the field for long stretches. Once key Rams players started falling left and right to injuries, the game turned ugly.October 27, 2014 at 12:05 am #10542znModeratorRapid Reaction: St. Louis Rams
By Nick Wagoner
http://espn.go.com/blog/st-louis-rams/post/_/id/12996/rapid-reaction-st-louis-rams-19
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — A few thoughts on the St. Louis Rams’ 34-7 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium:
What it means: The Rams’ victory over Seattle last week offered a short respite to forget about all that ails the Rams. But it only took a week for many of those problems to come bubbling to the surface again. The Rams had plenty of chances to jump out to an early lead and make Kansas City work for this one, but instead reverted to their usual M.O. of self-destruction. Never was that more evident than a second-quarter sequence in which the Rams recovered a fumble at Kansas City’s 8 and came away with zero points. The Chiefs scored 34 unanswered points and that was that. At 2-5 with road trips to San Francisco and Arizona the next two weeks, things such as silly penalties, missed tackles and shoddy pass protection remain at the forefront for this team. Until those things change, the results will remain the same.
Stock watch: Down — The offense, all of it. After an impressive opening drive, the Rams were wholly ineffective with the ball, with plenty of blame to be spread. Start with ineffective play calling that offered little in the way of creativity or adjustments, then go to an offensive line that was leaking from nearly every position to a quarterback who forced a bad interception in the first quarter to receivers failing to create separation. You name it, the Rams did (or didn’t) do all of it. All told, the Rams mustered 200 yards of offense, including just 20 in an atrocious third quarter.
Injuries pile up: Speaking of the offensive line, a group that has mostly held up on the injury front so far finally had the issues that seemed imminent from the start of the season. Guard Rodger Saffold, center Scott Wells and left tackle Jake Long have been injury-prone in the past few years and it seemed to be a matter of time before it happened again. It happened all at once against Kansas City as Saffold (shoulder), Wells (elbow) and Long (knee) left the game and did not return. Receiver Brian Quick left with an arm injury and also did not come back. The Rams also took major hits at safety, where Rodney McLeod (knee) and Cody Davis (concussion) departed and did not return.
Game ball: Defensive end Robert Quinn. In an ongoing theme this season, there wasn’t much to choose from here, but Quinn had his best day of the season, posting back-to-back sacks in the second quarter and forcing an Alex Smith fumble from behind in the opening quarter. After going without a sack in the season’s first five games, Quinn has three in the past two weeks and seems to be coming to life.
What’s next: The Rams head to San Francisco to take on the 49ers for the second time in four weeks. It will be the second game in a three-game road trip.
October 27, 2014 at 12:06 am #10543znModeratorRams crushed in Kansas City 34-7
By Jim Thomas
http://www.stltoday.com/sports/foot…cle_c3d8917b-dbf9-50f6-8297-121f30f833df.html
KANSAS CITY • After a promising start, the Kansas City nightmare continued for the Rams. A 34-7 loss to the Chiefs made the Rams 0-3 against their NFL cousins on the western edge of the state since the move to St. Louis in 1995.
The composite score in those three contests: Kansas City 137, Rams 51.
Since that buzz-kill of a season-opening 34-6 loss to Minnesota, the Rams had played everyone tough over the next five games. But not this Sunday.
While the Chiefs were piling up points in the second half, the Rams were piling up penalties, missed tackles, and injuries. It was an embarrassing afternoon to say the least.
Injuries to center Scott Wells (elbow), left tackle Jake Long (knee), right guard Rodger Saffold (shoulder), wide receiver Brian Quick (arm), cornerback Rodney McLeod (knee), and safety Cody Davis (concussion symptoms) added injury to insult.
There couldn’t have been a better start for the Rams in the Sea of Red. For starters there was a 41-yard kickoff return by Benny Cunningham, who entered the day as the NFL’s leader in kickoff return average.
On third-and-1 from the St. Louis 44, Austin Davis found Kenny Britt open deep down the left sideline for a 43-yard gain to the Kansas City 1. Three plays later, a patient Davis found tight end Lance Kendricks open in the middle of the end zone for a 1-yard touchdown.
It marked the third game in a row that Kendricks has hauled in a TD catch, with two of the grabs coming in the red zone.
End of highlight reel. Things went downhill from there on out for the Rams, who dropped to 2-5 on the season and face road games at NFC West rivals San Francisco and Arizona in the next two Sundays.
On the Rams’ second possession, Davis forced a deep ball into double coverage that was intended for Britt. Fourth-year defensive back Ron Parker hauled in the overthrown pass for a Kansas City interception.
Starting late in the first quarter, the Chiefs (4-3) took advantage of good field position to even the score on a 53-yard touchdown drive. It was a tough drive for Rams rookie cornerback E.J. Gaines, the Missouri product playing in his hometown.
First off, he tried to pick up an Alex Smith fumble forced by Robert Quinn instead of falling on the ball. It rolled out of bounds and the Chiefs retained possession. On third-and-7, an illegal contact penalty on Gaines gave KC a first down.
Then, on third-and-6 from the St. Louis 18, Gaines missed a tackle near the line of scrimmage on a quick sideline toss to tight end Travis Kelce. Kelce wasn’t brought down until he reached the 1-yard line. On the next play, Jamaal Charles was in the end zone running off left guard to tie the score 7-7 early in the second quarter.
Later in the quarter, the Rams missed a golden opportunity to take the lead when a botched handoff to Charles from Smith resulted in a fumble deep in Kansas City territory. Defensive end William Hayes recovered the loose ball and returned it six yards to the Kansas City 8. But two running plays produced no gain, and then Davis foolishly held onto the ball instead of throwing it away and was sacked for a 14-yard loss.
Wait — it gets worse. Out trotted Greg Zuerlein, who promptly missed a 38-yard field goal, wide right.
The Chiefs took over at their 28 and even with back-to-back sacks by Quinn in the final 80 seconds of the half, they were able to tack on a Cairo Santos 53-yard field goal with 1 second left.
It took Kansas City only 12 seconds to tack onto the lead to start the second half. For some reason, Zuerlein sent a line-drive kick that bounced to Knile Davis at the 1. Davis returned the ball 99 yards for a TD, with only Zuerlein having any kind of a shot at a tackle. Zuerlein whiffed.
That play seemed to break the Rams’ back. They were never the same afterward.
It became 20-7 Kansas City on the Chiefs’ next possession on a 28-yard field goal by Santos. The drive started at the KC 6, but the Rams helped the Chiefs downfield with a late hit by linebacker Alec Ogletree and a spearing penalty by Rodney McLeod that led to 30 yards in penalties.
Also, a missed tackle near the first-marker by Jo-Lonn Dunbar helped Charles turn a short reception into a 30-yard gain to the St. Louis 14 on third-and-6.
Charles hammered the nail into the coffin early in the fourth quarter with a 36-yard TD run to give the Chiefs a 27-7 lead.
October 27, 2014 at 12:08 am #10544znModerator
Rams’ missed chances become Chiefs’ blowoutBy Nick Wagoner
http://espn.go.com/blog/st-louis-rams/post/_/id/13019/rams-missed-chances-become-chiefs-blowout
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The St. Louis Rams have made a habit of starting as the hare and ending as the tortoise in 2014, but for all of those slow finishes, many of them can be directly linked to a series of missed opportunities.
After the Rams’ 34-7 blowout loss to the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday afternoon, the 2-5 Rams appear headed down the path to another disastrous season.
And there will be no sequence of plays that better sums up this year’s team so far than what happened midway through the second quarter of Sunday’s loss.
In a 7-7 game with the ball at Kansas City’s 8-yard line after a fumble recovery by defensive end William Hayes, the Rams somehow managed to come away with no points. Not a touchdown, not a field goal, nothing. Instead of at least a 3-point Rams’ lead, Kansas City got the ball back and promptly drove for a field goal of its own.
It was a six-point swing that turned more painful as the Chiefs rattled off the next 27 points of the game. They scored all 34 of their points after the Rams’ opening touchdown.
“We clearly got outplayed the second half of this game in all three phases,” Rams coach Jeff Fisher said. “It probably started before half when we had the turnover, got sacked, got no points and then gave up points. So this team is going to have to learn to play consistent through 60 minutes.”
Really, the most consistent thing about this Rams team is the repeated use of that final sentence. Talk of finishing a game, playing a full 60 minutes and other such cliches are staples around the St. Louis locker room and yet nothing seems to change — with rare exceptions like last week’s win against Seattle mixed in.
Sunday’s failure came at all levels, but the steamroller didn’t really fire up until after the missed second quarter chance.
The Rams offense had put together an impressive opening drive for a touchdown, and though it hadn’t scored since, had at least moved the ball. On first down from the Chiefs’ 8, running back Tre Mason ran up the middle for 1 yard. On second down, the Chiefs blanketed a Rams receiver corps as pressure came through the Rams’ struggling offensive line and forced quarterback Austin Davis to scramble for a yard.
Third down is when things really took a turn for the worse as Davis felt pressure, escaped the pocket to the right and instead of throwing the ball away or hanging in the pocket to find receiver Chris Givens in the back of the end zone, took a 14-yard sack.
“That was a big point in the game,” Davis said. “Obviously you get the big turnover. At minimum, you’ve got to come away with three but really you need to score a touchdown. I’ve got to throw it away. We’re even closer and it would have been more of a chip shot for Greg so I have got to do a better job of throwing the football away and managing the situation. You get the field goal and everyone feels a little bit better. Those types of plays are critical in a close game as it was at that point.”
In fairness, Davis had thrown a touchdown earlier in the game on a similar play when he rolled out and found tight end Lance Kendricks in the back of the end zone. Taking a sack isn’t a good play but it still left kicker Greg Zuerlein a 38-yard chip shot. Or so it seemed.
Zuerlein, who has developed a knack for missing kicks at crucial times, said he rushed the kick and didn’t set his plant foot properly.
“Anytime you go out there they expect you to make the field goal, obviously you should, being that close,” Zuerlein said.
Once again, there are a lot of simple enough things the Rams should be able to do to help them win games. They’re the things that winning teams do and losing teams don’t. And for as long as the Rams don’t do them, they’ll continue to get the same result.
October 27, 2014 at 12:11 am #10545znModeratorBernie: Sing it again … same old Rams
Bernie Miklasz
KANSAS CITY • Chiefs 34, Rams 7 … and the beat goes on.
And by now, I don’t know what to say. I could throw a tantrum and demand firings to appease the understandably angry mob of Rams fans. But telling the owner to sack the GM and head coach and a coordinator or two is nothing more than a cheap grandstand play. And it has no chance of happening. None.
After using a satchel of magic tricks to upset the Seattle Seahawks last Sunday, the Rams had a chance to come to Arrowhead Stadium and get a little something going. Just a two-game winning streak to signify that things were on the upswing. You know, a little serving of hope for the people.
The day began promisingly enough for the visitors, with an opening drive of six plays, 65 yards and a touchdown for a 7-0 lead.
That’s it.
There’s your highlight.
The Chiefs outscored the Rams 34-0 the rest of the way.
That little slice of hope was shredded by the Chiefs.
“It’s disappointing,” Rams coach Jeff Fisher said. “We had a great week, a short-lived bit of momentum, and weren’t able to put two in a row together.”
And now the Rams and their overpopulated list of wounded players go on the road for games at San Francisco and Arizona.
Good luck with that.
The bullet points on a 27-point loss:
• More Rams players limped off the field with broken bodies — six guys were injured in this one including three starting offensive lineman.
• The Rams allowed a 99-yard kickoff return to start the second half, and the Chiefs were suddenly up 17-7 and well on their way to a systematic rout.
• Kicker Greg Zuerlein shanked that kickoff to set up the runback. In the second quarter he missed a 38-yard field goal that would have given the Rams a 10-7 edge.
• QB Austin Davis threw a terrible interception to kill the early momentum. And on at least a couple of occasions Davis failed to throw the ball away to avoid being sacked. The Chiefs sacked him seven times. Davis is a young quarterback who hasn’t always played like a young QB. He played young Sunday.
• After grabbing that early 7-0 lead, here’s what the Rams did on their next eight possessions: 33 plays, 51 yards, five first downs, six punts, the interception, and the missed field goal.
• The Rams’ young, injury-torn secondary was shredded by KC quarterback Alex Smith for 24 completions in 28 attempts and a 100.3 passer rating. Defensive coordinator Gregg Williams’ pass defense remains vulnerable.
• The Rams defense stopped Chiefs RB Jamaal Charles for as long as they could; he had only 14 yards on eight first-half carries. But with the Rams offense unable to stay on the field, the overexposed Rams defense eventually gave way. In the second half Charles galloped for 96 combined rushing-receiving yards and had two touchdowns including a 36-yard breakaway.
• The Rams actually did a solid job of running the ball — but sort of moved away from the run while this game was within plausible (if not realistic) reach.
• I’m not sure why offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer thinks it’s so clever to use the mini-receiver Tavon Austin on runs between the tackles. Defensive players must chortle when they see Austin lined up in the backfield.
• And of course there were eight Rams penalties for 68 yards.
• Faulty preparation was apparently an issue. A quote from tight end Lance Kendricks on the Rams’ sputtering offense: “We struggled all across the board. It was loud out there. We couldn’t get the signals out. We couldn’t get the personnel out. So the game wasn’t really flowing for us as it may have for them. But that’s on us. We’re professionals. We play ball, too. We have to be ready for that type of stuff. I just don’t think we were ready for everything they threw at us.”
I’m sorry to disappoint you, but I just can’t lather myself up with rage after this one. My supply of rage is running low. After a while, these smackdowns of the Rams just leave me shrugging. I don’t know if I’m just numb to it by now. Or if I’ve just accepted the reality. The Rams lose. And lose. And lose. So why would we expect a different outcome except for the odd Sunday here and there?
Fisher and the staff and the players are working hard. (I know; no one cares about that. That’s what they’re supposed to do. True.) The Rams aren’t good enough to win consistently when healthy. They sure as heck have no chance to win when they aren’t healthy.
The Rams are 2-5 on the season.
They’re 45-105-1 since the start of the 2005 campaign.
Pardon the mixing of sports, but that’s 151 games … nearly enough to add up to a full major-league baseball season.
So basically, the Rams are the 1962 New York Mets (40-120), or maybe the 2003 Detroit Tigers (43-119.)
Sometimes, a team is so bad it becomes comical. I’m not suggesting laughter here … but please don’t have a heart attack over this team. It isn’t worth it.
I suppose there’s always hope.
I know this because I’m looking across the parking lot at Kauffman Stadium, and World Series Game 6 will be played there Tuesday night, the San Francisco Giants at the Kansas Royals.
As you know, the Royals failed to make the MLB playoffs for 29 consecutive seasons, 1986 through 2013. And now the Royals have a chance to win a World Series a few hundred yards from the patch of ground where the Rams curled up to absorb another hideous loss.
Yeah, so there’s always hope of a Rams turnaround.
In theory, anyway.
Just don’t ask me to predict if it’ll happen during your lifetime.
October 27, 2014 at 1:22 am #10550znModeratorRams notes: J. Long could be done for year
By Jim Thomas
KANSAS CITY • Remember the Cleveland preseason game, when the Rams lost five starters in the first half?
Well, Sunday’s 34-7 shellacking to Kansas City was that nightmare revisited.
Early in the second quarter — just two plays apart — the Rams lost wide receiver Brian Quick (arm) and right guard Rodger Saffold (shoulder) to injuries. Quick’s left arm was in a sling after the game; he said he didn’t know the extent of the injury.
Late in the third quarter, left tackle Jake Long left with a knee injury. Two sources confirmed to the Post-Dispatch after the game that it looks like Long is done for the year with a torn ACL (anterior cruciate ligament). That’s the same injury that sidelined Long in the Tampa Bay game late last season.
Before the second half was over, center Scott Wells (elbow), free safety Rodney McLeod (knee) and backup free safety Cody Davis (concussion symptoms) had been sidelined with injuries. McLeod apparently has an MCL (medial collateral ligament) injury, which is not nearly as serious as an ACL injury.
And although there was no in-game announcement regarding William Hayes, the veteran defensive end left the locker room on crutches with a foot injury.
It all added up to six starters, and a backup, going down with injuries Sunday afternoon.
“I’ll assess our injury situation over the next 24 hours,” coach Jeff Fisher said at his postgame news conference. “We’re gonna have some players that are gonna miss some time. I don’t know how much and whom, but they’re gonna miss some time.”
The Rams finished the game with only two of their original five offensive line starters on the field — Greg Robinson and Joe Barksdale. And Barksdale, the team’s right tackle, was the only one playing his original position.
After Long’s injury, Robinson moved from left guard to left tackle. Mike Person, who had played only four snaps previously all season on the offensive line, came off the bench to play left guard. Barrett Jones, who played in his first game of the season last week against Seattle following back surgery, replaced Wells at center. It was Jones’ first action in the NFL on offense after being drafted in the fourth round out of Alabama in 2013.
Davin Joseph, who started the first four games of this season at right guard, replaced Saffold there.
“It’s always a setback, especially when you start losing key players,” Hayes said. “Hopefully we can get ‘em healthy this week and they’ll be ready to go for San Fran. But it just (stinks). Guys work hard and then you see ‘em go down. It’s always tough.”
SITTING IT OUT
Rams inactives Sunday were CB Janoris Jenkins (knee), CB Trumaine Johnson (knee), C Tim Barnes (shoulder), DE Ethan Westbrooks (hand), TE Alex Bayer, S Maurice Alexander and QB Case Keenum.
On Saturday, the Rams placed second-year CB Brandon McGee on the season-ending injured reserve list because of a foot injury that he aggravated in practice last week. He was replaced on the active roster by CB Jemea Thomas, who was promoted from the practice squad.
Thomas’ Rams debut included an unnecessary roughness penalty after the last Kansas City kickoff of the day.
RAM-BLINGS
• The Rams had only 200 yards of offense Sunday, easily their lowest total of the year. Between their game-opening touchdown on their first possession to some garbage-time yards on their final two possessions late in the fourth quarter, they managed only 65 yards of offense over a span equivalent to three quarters.
• After giving up zero sacks last week against Seattle, the Rams allowed seven sacks Sunday against the Chiefs.
• LB Marshall McFadden, promoted to the active roster from the practice squad following the release of WR Austin Pettis, made two special teams tackles in his Rams debut, according to unofficial press box stats.
October 27, 2014 at 1:32 am #10554
RamBillParticipantSpecial teams miscues fuel Rams’ loss to Chiefs
• By Jim ThomasKANSAS CITY • Last week, the entire football world was raving about the derring-do of the Rams’ special teams unit. There was the fake punt, and the decoy punt return with the special name — “Mountaineer.”
But football can be a humbling game, and it was the Rams’ failure to execute the basics that contributed mightily to a landslide 34-7 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday at Arrowhead Stadium.
It looked odd when Greg Zuerlein hit a line-drive kickoff that bounced before reaching Chiefs return man Knile Davis to start the second half. No one was laughing, at least on the Rams’ sidelines, 12 seconds later when Davis was celebrating in the end zone after a 99-yard kickoff return for a touchdown.
Zuerlein has a strong enough leg to routinely kick the ball high enough and long enough into the end zone for a touchback. He did so after the Rams scored a touchdown on their opening possession of the game.
But this wasn’t a case of the Rams trying to get too cute with the low, bouncing kick to start the third quarter.
“It was a bad kick,” Fisher said bluntly. “We were trying to get a deep left kick and he shanked it.”
Zuerlein missed Friday’s practice with a flu-like illness, but said, “It really doesn’t matter. You’ve still got to come out here and perform and do your job. There’s no excuses for mis-hits or missing field goals, or anything like that. So really how sick I was is irrelevant.”
Zuerlein said he simply tried to kick the ball too hard, struck it too high. “Can’t do that,” he said.
Davis’ TD made it 17-7, and the Rams all but curled up into the fetal position as the second half progressed and they lost player after player to injury, including Jake Long (knee), Rodger Saffold (shoulder), Brian Quick (arm) and Scott Wells (elbow). The Chiefs (4-3) would add a field goal and two more TDs before the day was done, winning for the fourth time in their last five games.
As for the Rams (2-5), well, they didn’t do much of anything in the second half. They committed more silly penalties and missed more open-field tackles — recurring themes over this season. And after a scoring a touchdown on a Lance Kendricks reception to start the game, they couldn’t get anything generated on offense until garbage time in the final 6½ minutes.
“We clearly got outplayed in the second half of this game in all three phases,” a disheartened Fisher said after the game. “This team’s gonna have to learn to play consistent through 60 minutes. … So it wasn’t a good effort.”
Not even close.
The Rams have been outscored 65-10 in the second half of their past three games. For the season, the tally is 134 to 56 — opposing team — after halftime.
But as Fisher noted, Sunday’s troubles began even before intermission. More specifically, after Rams defensive end William Hayes recovered a botched handoff from quarterback Alex Smith to running back Jamaal Charles deep in Kansas City territory.
Hayes returned the loose ball 6 yards to the KC 8-yard line midway through the second quarter of what was then a 7-7 ballgame.
But a running play by Tre Mason and a scramble by Austin Davis left the Rams at third-and-goal from the 8. On the next play, Davis scrambled, and scrambled some more, and then took a sack. Not just any sack, but a 14-yard sack.
“That was a big point in the game,” Davis said. “You get the big turnover. Minimum, you gotta come away with three. But really, you’ve gotta score a touchdown, right?”
Right.
“I was just trying to make a play,” Davis continued. “I thought that maybe I could move around — you see a lot of plays happen that way. … That’s just me trying to do too much.”
But even after the sack, which backed the Rams up to the 20, a 38-yard field is a chip shot for today’s NFL place-kicker, right?
Wrong.
Zuerlein’s kick sailed wide right. It didn’t miss by much, but it missed.
“I didn’t hit it solid,” Zuerlein said. “That’s basically all it was. Rushed at the ball a little bit and didn’t get my plant foot set properly. If that doesn’t get right, then the leg swing’s not gonna be proper and you saw the result.”
Compounding matters, Kansas City cobbled together a field goal drive after the Zuerlein miss, taking a 10-7 lead on a career-best 53-yard kick with 1 second left in the half by rookie Cairo Santos.
So it was a 10-point swing. Rams miss out on golden chance to score a touchdown; Chiefs counter with field goal.
Then came Knile Davis’ 99-yard kickoff return to start the second half.
“Obviously, a play like that is a dagger,” said Chase Reynolds, one of the Rams’ core special teams players.
But as Reynolds pointed out, it would be a mistake to heap all the blame on Zuerlein for the mis-hit on the kickoff return.
“He can hit it wherever he wants,” Reynolds said. “It’s our job to go tackle the ball. We’re accountable for wherever that ball goes — it’s our job to stop it.”
And there was plenty of blame to go around well behind the special teams miscues.
On offense, the Rams’ most consistent blocker, right tackle Joe Barksdale, had the worst day of his young career in giving up three sacks to Chiefs outside linebacker Justin Houston.
On defense, cornerback E.J. Gaines and linebacker Alec Ogletree both were guilty of costly personal fouls that kept a third-quarter Kansas City field goal drive going. Fisher didn’t think Gaines’ infraction should’ve been a penalty. As for Ogletree, Fisher wasn’t as forgiving.
“‘Tree’s’ gotta outgrow that, learn how to be a pro,” Fisher said. “Keep fighting when things aren’t going well and just worry about doing his job. So, we’ll get him straight.”
Gaines, playing in his hometown, missed a tackle on third down that set up the Chiefs’ first touchdown of the game. Linebacker Jo-Lonn Dunbar missed a tackle on Charles in the third quarter that turned about a 6-yard gain into a 30-yarder.
“I overplayed it, so that was a bad play on my part,” Dunbar said. “I accept it. I understand it. I’ve got to play better.”
He’s got plenty of company on that point.
October 27, 2014 at 2:02 am #10556RamBillParticipantGaines mixes bad with good at homecoming
• By Joe LyonsKANSAS CITY • This certainly isn’t the way Rams cornerback E.J. Gaines envisioned his return home.
Born in nearby Independence, Gaines starred at Fort Osage High and the University of Missouri before being drafted in the sixth round of May’s draft. He made his seventh consecutive NFL start Sunday in front of family, friends and the Sea of Red in a 34-7 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium.
“I played here a couple of times in college and once was I was about 10 in Pop Warner,’’ he recalled. “But playing at this level, in your home town, it doesn’t get much better than this.’’
Unless, of course, you win the game.
The Rams took the opening kickoff and drove for a quick 7-0 lead Sunday. From there, the day belonged to the Chiefs.
“We have to go watch on film and fix our mistakes,’’ Gaines said. “We have to play better against San Francisco next week.’’
According to the unofficial press box stats, Gaines finished with a career-best eight tackles, including seven solos and one for loss. But like the Rams overall, the rookie struggled at times Sunday. In fact, during one stretch midway through the first half, the 5-foot-10, 190-pounder failed to come up with a fumble after teammate Robert Quinn ran down Chiefs quarterback Alex Smith to knock the ball loose, was called for illegal contact and then failed to bring down Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce on a 17-yard pass play that set up a Jamaal Charles touchdown run that evened the score at 7.
“He had a ball in his hands, tried to get up and run and we lost it,’’ Rams coach Jeff Fisher said of the muffed fumble recovery. “You lay on the ball and maybe things would’ve been different there.’’
Gaines explained: “I just tried to do too much (on the fumble). I missed a couple of tackles. Those are the kind of things I have to work on; I gotta make plays like that to help this defense.’’
Early in the second half, on a Smith scramble, Gaines was called for personal foul, although it appeared he dived over the Kansas City quarterback. Fisher didn’t agree with the call.
“I don’t think they should have called the personal foul … you can’t take (quarterbacks) feet first or head first, but you have to take a chance to get them down,’’ the coach said.
Gaines, who moved into the starting lineup when third-year pro Trumaine Johnson hurt his knee in the preseason, was joined at cornerback Sunday by fellow rookie Marcus Roberson, an undrafted free agent from the University of Florida who made his first NFL start in place of third-year starter Janoris Jenkins, who suffered a knee injury in last weekend’s win over Seattle.
“It felt good to get out there and contribute,’’ said Roberson, who was on the field for 13 defensive snaps against the Seahawks. “The more you play, the more comfortable you get. I felt like I played OK, played solid, but we didn’t get the ‘W,’ so nobody feels real good about things right now.’’
Roberson was credited with four tackles Sunday.
The young Rams secondary became even more inexperienced during Sunday’s game as safety Rodney McLeod, a third-year pro, left with a knee injury on the first play of the fourth quarter and reserve safety Cody Davis left with a possible concussion a few plays later. At that point, the Rams’ secondary featured rookies Gaines and Roberson at cornerback and rookie Lamarcus Joyner and second-year pro T.J. McDonald at safety.
“I feel like we can be better in a lot of areas, but honestly I don’t feel like the (play of the rookies) was a factor,’’ said McDonald, who finished with seven tackles. “Those guys come to work every day. They may not have the experience, but they know the calls, they know what to do. They played with poise and they kept battling. The more snaps they get, the better they’ll be.’’
McDonald continued: “The Chiefs did what their team does. They ran the ball, they threw the ball quickly and with shorter routs and they managed the game. We needed to do a better job against the run in the second half and we needed to turn it up on third down — not just the rookies, the whole team. We just didn’t get it done.’’
Smith, the Kansas City quarterback, turned in a solid effort, completing 24 of 28 passes for 226 yards with no touchdowns, no interceptions and a passer rating of 100.3. The Chiefs picked up 129 of their 143 rushing yards after halftime, getting 73 and a pair of TD runs from Charles. Knile Davis ran for 49 yards and a score and made the game-changing play when he returned the opening kickoff of the second half 99 yards to make it 17-7.
Joyner, who shifted from nickel back to safety during the game because of the injuries, led the Rams with 10 tackles, including nine solos.
“It’s tough when you’re playing from behind because it allows the offense to set the rhythm and do what it wants to do,’’ said Joyner, a second-round pick from Florida State. “They didn’t have any deep balls against us, nobody got behind us, but we also didn’t make enough plays.’’
October 27, 2014 at 9:04 am #10564
wvParticipantKendricks: “We struggled all across the board. It was loud out there. We couldn’t get the signals out. We couldn’t get the personnel out. So the game wasn’t really flowing for us as it may have for them. But that’s on us. We’re professionals. We play ball, too. We have to be ready for that type of stuff. I just don’t think we were ready for everything they threw at us.”
Well, i didnt see the game yet
but that dont sound good.Looks like youth and injuries
played a big part. Ah well.w
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This reply was modified 10 years, 1 month ago by
wv.
October 27, 2014 at 9:44 am #10571RamBillParticipantCineSport’s Brian Clark asks the Post-Dispatch’s Jim Thomas what went wrong for the Rams in their 34-7 loss to the Chiefs, and for an injury update on several key starters.
http://www.rams-news.com/jim-thomas-rams-take-step-back-in-rout-video/
October 27, 2014 at 5:02 pm #10614RamBillParticipantW2W4 revisited: St. Louis Rams
By Nick Wagonerhttp://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.
October 27, 2014 at 5:34 pm #10616RamBillParticipantESPN’s Jim Basquil and Ron Jaworski break down the Chiefs’ 34-7 win over the Rams. (1:54)
http://www.rams-news.com/espns-sunday-blitz-rams-chiefs-recap-video/
October 28, 2014 at 9:09 am #10643RamBillParticipantCasey Phillips chats with Barrett Jones following the road loss to the Kansas City Chiefs.
http://www.rams-news.com/barrett-jones-part-of-being-a-backup-is-always-being-ready-video/
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