Austin Davis talks with the media during his press conference on Wednesday.

http://www.rams-news.com/austin-davis-itll-be-a-good-test-to-see-where-we-are-video/

Three Plays That Defined Rams’ Win Over 49ers
By Anthony Stalter

http://www.101sports.com/2014/11/05/three-plays-defined-rams-win-49ers/

Entering the season, I assumed the Rams’ identity would consist of two things: a strong rushing attack and a relentless defense. But for nearly two months, neither of those characteristics showed up in the Rams’ play.

Until Sunday, that is.

The Rams were due for a market correction when it came to their sack numbers. Through the first five games of the season, their vaunted pass rush delivered just one sack as the team sputtered to a 1-4 record. Things got so bad that the media and fans made the PR-driven “#sackcity” slogan into a weekly punchline.

But consider the script officially flipped. Over their last three games the Rams’ defense has produced 13 sacks, including eight against Colin Kaepernick and the 49ers in the team’s shocking 13-10 victory in Santa Clara on Sunday. With that, it’s only appropriate that we start with one of those sacks.

Play 1: The Tide Changes.

In the first game between these two teams, the Rams generated a ton of pressure but failed to sack Kaepernick in the Niners’ 31-17 victory on “Monday Night Football.” In that game, Kaepernick hit Brandon Lloyd for an 80-yard touchdown right before halftime that proved to be the tipping point in a game the Rams once led 14-0.
robert quinn

Robert Quinn

While the Rams never built a two-touchdown lead on Sunday, the game started to take on a familiar feeling for Jeff Fisher’s squad. Nursing a 10-3 lead with 2:32 remaining in the first half, the Niners faced a second-and-2 following a Kaepernick 9-yard run.

San Francisco was set up at its own 49-yard line, and one got the feeling that if the Niners could take a double-digit lead into halftime, the Rams might wilt given how poorly their offense was playing.

On that second down, the Niners came out in a no-back set with three receivers to Kaepernick’s (who was in shotgun) left and two to his right. The Rams countered with a single-high look and three down linemen (Eugene Sims, Aaron Donald and Robert Quinn from left to right).

Alec Ogletree and safety T.J. McDonald flanked the three defensive linemen while Jo-Lonn Dunbar and James Laurinaitis lined up side-by-side at the second level.

At the snap, Ogletree rushes off the edge while McDonald jams Vernon Davis at the line. Dunbar, who had walked toward the line of scrimmage pre-snap, blitzed through the A gap to center Marcus Martin’s right while Donald crosses Martin’s face and engages left guard Mike Iupati.

Quinn then beats left tackle Joe Staley around the edge, but the key to the play is Sims, who takes a few steps inside and then bull-rushes right guard Alex Boone. As Kaepernick tries to set his feet in order to hit Stevie Johnson on a quick slant, Sims pushes Boone into the quarterback’s face. Then, as Kaepernick tries to retreat by breaking the pocket to his right, Quinn bursts past Staley and is in perfect position to swat the ball out of the quarterback’s hand. As the ball flops on the ground, it was none other than Sims who jumped on it for the recovery.

Three plays after Quinn’s strip and Sims’ recovery, an offense that had been stuck in neutral for most of the afternoon finally shifted forward.

Play 2: Rams Capitalize.

Following a 17-yard pass completion to Benny Cunningham and a negative 2-yard run by the aforementioned running back, the Rams faced a second-and-12 at the Niners’ 21-yard line with 1:11 remaining in the half. What transpired would be the first and final time the Rams would reach the end zone.
Kenny Britt

Kenny Britt

The Rams come out in a spread formation with Chris Givens and Stedman Bailey lined up to the left of the formation and Kenny Britt lined up to the right. Austin Davis is in shotgun with Cunningham as the single back to his left.

Before the snap, Britt goes in motion and then runs a crossing route, while Givens takes an inside release and runs vertically to the end zone, Bailey runs a curl, and Cunningham runs a sneak.

With Britt and Cunningham both crossing his face while heading in opposite directions, linebacker Chris Borland blows his assignment by breaking toward Cunningham.

He tries to recover, but it’s too late as Davis gets the ball out of his hand right before defensive end Justin Smith crushes him for a would-be sack.

The end result is an easy 16-yard touchdown reception for Britt, who waltzed into the end zone to tie the game at 10-10. Who knew it would be the only touchdown the Rams would need?

Play 3: Why Not Gore?

There’s really nothing to break down when it comes to the deciding play of this game – Kaepernick doesn’t field the snap cleanly while diving into the end zone and instead of scoring the game-winning touchdown in the closing seconds, Laurinaitis emerges from the pile with the football in hand.

Game over.

What’s interesting about that play, at least in my eyes, is the Monday water cooler discussion about why Jim Harbaugh didn’t put the ball (and the game) in Frank Gore’s hands. The consensus is that Gore was the better option considering the Niners only needed a yard and the team’s identity under Harbaugh has been power football (at least until this season).

But honestly, who could blame Harbaugh for wanting to run a simple quarterback sneak? How many times do fans complain about a running back getting stuffed in the backfield in a crucial short-yardage situation when “all the team had to do was give it to the quarterback on a sneak?” Had Kaepernick fielded the snap cleanly, chances are that he would have been lying across the goal line when the officials started peeling bodies off the pile.

Personally, I would have run play-action again. The Niners had just attempted a play-action pass on second down, and the result was an incomplete pass. But with linebackers and safeties so worried about a run in that situation, there seemingly is always a tight end or receiver open for an easy touchdown off play-action. And at the very least, another incomplete pass would have stopped the clock to preserve a last-second field goal attempt from PAT range.

Nevertheless, the results worked out favorably for the Rams, who will head back on the road this week to take on the red-hot Cardinals in Arizona. If the same defense that showed up in Santa Clara makes its way to the desert, I like the Rams’ chances to pull off another stunner.

Jeff Fisher not pleased with forward-progress whistle
By Nick Wagoner

http://espn.go.com/blog/st-louis-rams/post/_/id/13356/jeff-fisher-not-pleased-with-forward-progress-whistle

EARTH CITY, Mo. — As St. Louis Rams coach Jeff Fisher stood before the assembled media Monday evening discussing his team’s 13-10 victory over the San Francisco 49ers, he couldn’t help but think of what he might have been talking about had the game not gone the Rams way.

More than 24 hours after Sunday’s game, Fisher was still fuming about a whistle that came after Rams defensive tackle Kendall Langford tackled Niners back Frank Gore, forcing a fumble that linebacker James Laurinaitis recovered and ran to the end zone. With the Rams trailing 10-3 in the second quarter, the loose ball and apparent touchdown would have tied the game and potentially shifted momentum, but the officials waited a beat and then blew the play dead.

The ruling on the field was that Gore’s forward progress had been stopped, so even though he fumbled, it was after his progress had ended.

“I think they’re fairly consistent as far as when they’re blowing the play dead,” Fisher said. “This was highly inconsistent, however. This play was not dead. The ball came out. They made a mistake. Again, glad we won this game because that would be the major topic of discussion right now because that was a defensive score.”

Fisher, who is a member of the NFL’s competition committee, knew forward progress was not a call that he could challenge, but he threw the red flag anyway. It’s safe to assume he did so because he wanted to spend a little more time letting the officiating crew know that they had blown the call.

Replays show that Fisher had a legitimate beef, and though some might think it was a “quick” whistle, it actually wasn’t quick at all. In fact, there was a moment where it appeared the officials were going to let it play out before they seemed to randomly decide to blow the play dead.

Fisher voiced his displeasure immediately after the game and said he saw nothing on the tape Monday to change his mind.

“I feel the same way,” Fisher said. “I’ll just say this: I’s nice to have won this game because that is a game-changing call. That’s a defensive touchdown and it’s the wrong call, the incorrect call. It was not progress. The ball was out. He should’ve thrown the bean bag, ruled it a fumble. Then you go back to replay and replay shows it’s fumble.

“It’s a defensive touchdown. In essence, they took a defensive touchdown away from us because he blew the whistle. The forward progress …there were a number of other instances in that game where you could say, ‘OK.’ When they picked up Tre [Mason] and dropped him on his head, that’s forward progress. Whistles didn’t blow there. I was disappointed in the call and I will be. It’s the incorrect call, the wrong call.”

In many instances, calls that have gone against the Rams have contributed to losses. They also had a couple bounce their way Sunday in what was a rough day at the office for referee Jerome Boger and his crew in general. But this time, it didn’t matter as much because the Rams found a way to win.

The Film Don’t Lie: Rams
By Nick Wagoner

http://espn.go.com/blog/st-louis-rams/post/_/id/13304/the-film-dont-lie-rams-5

A weekly look at what the St. Louis Rams must fix:

No cliche in football carries more truth than the need to win the turnover battle, but never is it more true for the St. Louis Rams than this week against the Arizona Cardinals.

In last week’s surprising 13-10 win against the San Francisco 49ers, the Rams managed to escape with the victory because their defense was able to come up with two key takeaways that helped nullify the two they gave away early in the game. The Rams scored their lone touchdown after one of those takeaways and ended the game with the second.

But turnovers have been a consistent issue for the Rams offense this season. Many of those issues can be pinned on quarterback Austin Davis. Against the Niners, Davis didn’t get through his progression and missed an open target on a crossing pattern, which led to the first of his two interceptions. His second came later, when he scrambled and attempted to throw downfield on the run — a throw he simply doesn’t have the arm to make.

Those two interceptions both came outside the pocket, which made Davis the first quarterback since Christian Ponder in 2012 to throw two interceptions from outside the pocket in the same game.

For the season, Davis has thrown seven interceptions, three of which have been returned for touchdowns. He also has a fumble that was returned for a score. All told, the Rams are minus-3 in turnover margin, which is tied for 23rd in the NFL.

If Davis and Co. are going to pull off an upset in Arizona, they’ll have to cut down on the mistakes. The Cardinals are second in the league in turnover margin at plus-10, with a plus-8 margin in the fourth quarter.

Somehow Rams avoid that old sinking feeling
• By Jim Thomas

http://www.stltoday.com/sports/football/professional/somehow-rams-avoid-that-old-sinking-feeling/article_352fa5ae-acc4-544f-baf7-bc466980a9d6.html

There was a time in the second quarter of the Rams’ game Sunday against the San Francisco 49ers when there was a distinct here-we-go-again feel to the proceedings at Levi’s Stadium.

Rams quarterback Austin Davis threw into double coverage for an interception, missing an open receiver elsewhere. Three plays later, a busted coverage led to a 27-yard touchdown by San Francisco wide receiver Anquan Boldin and a 10-3 lead for the 49ers.

Yes, here we go again.

But the Rams didn’t tumble down that slippery slope this time.

Not only did they tie the score before the half at 10-10, but a Rams team that has been yielding nearly 20 points a game in second halves this season pitched a shutout after halftime this time.

The Rams found a way to avoid their second-half woes and finish off a game in their 13-10 victory.

“We stressed … it. We talked about it,” linebacker James Laurinaitis said. “Maybe that’s why. It was in the forefront of our minds, but we were talking about it for weeks, really.”

The subject came up at halftime, and although there were no magic words, the words spoken hit home.

“We just said, ‘We’re going to fight. Fight till we can’t fight anymore,’” defensive end Williams Hayes said. “And that’s what happened. We just didn’t go flat.”

Coach Jeff Fisher was at a loss Monday to explain why they didn’t go flat in the second half, as had been the case in Kansas City, or in the Monday night loss to San Francisco, or against Dallas or even back in the season opener against Minnesota.

“It just happened,” Fisher said. “We had been talking about the importance of playing 3 hours and 10 minutes, as opposed to a first half of a football game.”

Similarly, the dramatic revival of the pass rush just seemed to happen.

The Rams’ eight sacks vs. San Francisco was their highest total since a nine-sack performance against Arizona in a Thursday night contest early in the 2012 season.

Mobile Colin Kaepernick isn’t the easiest quarterback in the league to get down on the ground, but the Rams kept him inside the pocket and seemed to get him rattled — at least a little gun shy — as the pressures and sacks mounted over the course of the game.

“We played him good,” Hayes said. “He’s a phenomenal quarterback, you know. And he’s got a real good O-line. We just got the best of him.”

Throughout the visitors’ locker room Sunday, Rams players stressed that they could’ve played much better.

It’s a point Fisher reiterated Monday.

“But we found a way to win it, and that speaks volumes of these guys,” Fisher said. “Things didn’t look good early in the week. But we got their legs back; we got them back.

“We told them, ‘You’re not going to be thinking about Tuesday, Wednesday, or Thursday at 1 o’clock (Pacific time). So go play hard.’ And that’s what they did.”

The victory illustrated two of the best features of Fisher’s coaching style.

For one, he has an excellent feel on when to ease up on the players physically.

The result last week was turning Wednesday’s practice into a walk-through, something basically unheard of in the NFL.

You only get three full-scale practices a week in the regular season, and Fisher all but canceled one of them.

“Everybody was committed to working after that loss” to Kansas City, tight end Lance Kendricks said. “We know we’re a good team. We’ve just got to prove it. We’ve got to come out here on Sunday and prove it. ‘Fish’ took care of our bodies during the week and we were able to come out here and get a win.”

So after what could have been a devastating loss to the Chiefs, Fisher said he talked to the team Monday and Wednesday of San Francisco week.

He asked the players to trust him and trust the staff. They would get the players back physically and mentally in time for the 49ers.

“This team listens very well,” Fisher said.

Fisher said he could tell by Thursday that the team’s energy level was back.

From that point on, he said he had no doubts about whether the team would be focused or ready for San Francisco.

And the other thing that’s apparent about Fisher’s coaching style: He does some of his best work when the Rams are in the underdog role and no one expects them to win.

It’s not necessarily something he verbalizes to the media, but he gets his message across to the players.

“We like that, knowing that the world’s against us and all we have are the guys that are in this locker room,” wide receiver Kenny Britt said. “That’s something about us that we take pride in.

“Regardless of what our record is right now, how bad the game goes, we believe in ourselves. Throughout the whole game, throughout this whole season, we believe in ourselves.”

They certainly made believers of the 49ers on Sunday afternooon.

“We get really confident when we play teams in our division,” Laurinaitis said. “We like playing against these guys. We love the matchup.

“It’s old-school football. We love the challenge.”

And this time around, it was a challenge met.

Fisher says Rams backfield remains timeshare
• By Jim Thomas

http://www.stltoday.com/sports/football/professional/fisher-says-rams-backfield-remains-timeshare/article_d13dae8d-45ae-5362-ba5a-7f2f6c021b29.html

Even though Tre Mason started in San Francisco, his first NFL start, Rams coach Jeff Fisher wouldn’t commit to the rookie running back as his full-time starter.

In other words, running back by committee continues.

“We’re gonna continue with the same thing,” Fisher said Monday. “I can’t tell you who’s starting this week.”

Mason accounted for 19 of the Rams’ 24 carries out of the backfield in Sunday’s 13-10 victory over San Francisco and was in for 69 percent of the Rams’ offensive plays.

Last year’s team rushing leader, Zac Stacy, suited up but did not play. Two weeks ago against Seattle, Stacy was in for just one play on offense.

“Zac has handled things professionally,” Fisher said. “Unfortunately, he didn’t get to play (Sunday). But he will get to play. He’ll get his reps. We have not lost faith or confidence in him. But it’s hard to spread the ball around.”

Fisher said the running back situation remains a week-to-week thing, based in part on scheme and approach.

“Yeah, you guys come out to Arizona, watch the first play, figure out who’s gonna start,” Fisher joked.

On other topics:

_ Fisher said he was still upset over a quick whistle on a Frank Gore fumble that was picked up by linebacker James Laurinaitis and would’ve been returned for a TD. But it was ruled that Gore’s forward progress had been stopped, so it was not a fumble.

_ Fisher said cornerback Trumaine Johnson probably will start this Sunday in Arizona after making his regular-season debut against San Francisco.

_ There’s a chance Janoris Jenkins, who missed the past two games with a knee injury, will return this week.

_ Cornerback Marcus Roberson came out of the San Francisco game with an ankle issue according to Fisher.

On today’s Breakfast with Bernie, the Post-Dispatch’s Bernie Miklasz discusses the Rams upset of the 49ers on Sunday and wonders why the Rams seem more inspired when they play tougher teams. (2:47)

http://www.rams-news.com/bernie-terrific-rams-win-in-san-francisco-video/

Ram Bytes: Welcome back, Gregg Williams
• Bernie Miklasz

http://www.stltoday.com/sports/columns/bernie-miklasz/ram-bytes-welcome-back-gregg-williams/article_25c83b37-6e04-54c1-9d82-17a0595014c2.html

Good afternoon. My initial takeaways from the Rams’ 13-10 win at San Francisco:

1. This was the headline of yesterday’s triumph: Gregg Williams finally made a positive difference. As the acclaimed defensive coordinator began his first full year on the job at Rams Park, we expected an enhanced defense. The Rams’ strength (pass rush) would become even more disruptive. And the weak areas (especially pass defense) would get cleaned up. Williams’ aggressive and innovative uses of blitzes and exotic looks would surely elevate the feisty Rams defense.

Until the conquest of San Francisco, very little went as anticipated. The pass rush got worse, the pass defense was as vulnerable as ever, and the Rams remained vulnerable on outside runs.

Sunday in Santa Clara, Williams and his defense put it all together with a true-impact performance we’d been waiting for. Williams’ designs attacked the 49ers’ interior line, often putting extreme pressure on center Daniel Kilgore and right guard Alex Boone. St. Louis defenders owned that gap for most of the game. The blitzes were more creative. During his time as a Ram we’ve rarely seen middle LB James Laurinaitis so effective in the pass rush; he had a sack and two pressures.

There was just a lot of good stuff on display there. The Rams not only had eight sacks of QB Colin Kaepernick, which was plenty. But they caused discomfort all game, with two other hits and 12 hurries.

Williams clearly made adjustments based on what the Rams saw from the 49ers in the Oct. 13 game at the Edward Jones Dome. According to Nick Wagoner of ESPN, Williams even changed his goal-line defense in response to what he learned from the 49ers in the first meeting, and that was a big reason for the game-ending stop and Kapernick fumble on the final play.

This was the Gregg Williams we were waiting for.

Welcome back, coach.

So many NFL games are determined by tactics. Sunday in Santa Clara, Williams easily got the best of 49ers offensive coordinator Greg Roman.

2. Kapernick told reporters he was convinced that he crossed the goal line on the final play. And he did. One minor problem: he didn’t have the football at the time. Kaepernick’s predictable whining conveniently overlooked a couple of things: (A) stupid play-calling; the 49ers ran three plays down there at the end and didn’t run Frank Gore once. And (B) Kaepernick made an awful throw on second down, forcing WR Michael Crabtree to go low for a catch that prevented him from posting up in the end zone for what should have been an easy TD.

3. Not that they went head-to-head on every snap … but one of the real surprises for me yesterday was watching the work of Rams rookie offensive left tackle Greg Robinson against the 49ers’ excellent defensive end Justin Smith. I believe Smith is a future Hall of Famer, and I don’t think there’s a defensive player in the NFL who commands more respect than Smith, the Mizzou football alum. And Robinson held his own in his confrontation with the experienced Smith. In his first NFL start at offensive tackle, Robinson did a commendable job in pass protection and won his share of battles in the run game. According to the grades posted by Pro Football Focus, Smith had the worst game score among 49ers’ defensive players. And Robinson had something to do with that.

4. Rams second-year OLB Alec Ogletree, who has been having a terrible season, easily played his best game of the year. PFF graded Ogletree as the Rams’ best defender yesterday. He had four stops, two QB pressures, and the ‘Niners completed only one of three passes thrown against him. You didn’t see the out-of-position lapses — or the poor angles — that have been routine with Ogletree this season. What we saw yesterday was a good sign; maybe this young talent is starting to get in synch with the Williams defense. Or maybe Williams did a better job in his deployment of Ogletree yesterday.

4a. I also thought safety T.J. McDonald and DT Michael Brockers had their best games of the season in Sunday’s win.

5. Rams rookie cornerback E.J. Gaines played very well against the 49ers. According to PFF, the 49ers targeted Gaines six times and completed three of the passes for only 31 yards. Kaepernick’s passer rating when targeting Gaines was a poor 65.3.

6. Rams defensive end Robert Quinn is making his way up the charts. Quinn has played well all season; until recently he just didn’t have the sacks to show for it. But according to Pro Football Focus, Quinn ranks 8th among NFL defensive ends in pass-rush percentage. (That’s the percentage of pass-rush snaps that result in the defender getting pressure on the QB.) Quinn has five sacks and 28 total pressures. Though off last year’s pace, Quinn is making up ground.

7. On the other side, William Hayes continues to play on as one of the league’s best — but most overlooked — defensive ends. Hayes’ pass-rush percentage ranks fourth among all NFL defensive ends. Hayes has 24 pressures on 166 pass-rush snaps this season. Only three defensive ends have a higher pass-rush percentage than Hayes’ 11.3 pct. Hayes is limping around on an injured foot, and was limited to 33 snaps yesterday. I don’t know what his status will be for Sunday’s game at Arizona. But even though third DE Eugene Sims does a nice job, the Rams need Hayes.

8. Gotta be smarter than that, Tavon Austin.

9. Jerome Boger’s officiating crew has got to be the worst in the NFL.

10. The Rams head to Glendale Sunday to take on the Cardinals. Opening-look question: Why are the Arizona Cardinals 7-1? Head coach Bruce Arians deservedly receives a lot of the credit. But No. 1 on the list is Arizona GM Steve Keim. He’s outstanding. And Keim hired Arians. The Rams interviewed Keim before hiring Les Snead.

10a. The Cardinals’ 7-1 start is the best for the franchise at the beginning of the season since 1974, when coach Don Coryell and his St. Louis football Cardinals also started out 7-1 en route to a 10-4 record and first place in the NFC East.

10b. The Cardinals aren’t a fluke. They’re 14-3 over their last 17 regular-season games.

Thanks for reading …

— Bernie

The Post-Dispatch’s Jim Thomas and CineSport’s Brian Clark recap the Rams’ 13-10 win over the 49ers and discuss how the defensive line finally delivered. (2:56)

http://www.rams-news.com/jim-thomas-defense-leads-rams-over-49ers-video/

Johnson’s return stabilizes Rams’ secondary
• By Jim Thomas

http://www.stltoday.com/sports/football/professional/johnson-s-return-stabilizes-rams-secondary/article_af16f64a-f938-5030-b1cd-99813f92ec90.html

Santa Clara, Calif • It has been more than two months in the making, but cornerback Trumaine Johnson finally saw his first game action since suffering a knee injury Aug. 23 in a preseason game at Cleveland.

With cornerback Janoris Jenkins out with a knee injury, Johnson originally was scheduled to rotate with rookie Marcus Roberson. But after Roberson was burned on a 27-yard touchdown catch by Anquan Boldin early in the second quarter, Johnson ended up playing the majority of the game.

Even with a couple of penalties on the 49ers’ final drive of the game, Johnson’s presence helped stabilize the Rams’ secondary in Sunday’s 13-10 upset victory over San Francisco.

“I was glad to go out there and get my feet wet,” Johnson said. “Technique-wise it wasn’t all the way there, but that comes from practicing.”

After the Rams were lit up for 343 passing yards three weeks ago in St. Louis by Colin Kaepernick, the 49ers’ quarterback was limited to 237 yards Sunday with no gain longer than 27 yards, and was sacked eight times.

Of his two penalties, Johnson said, “It happens. That’s all technique. I can fix that and I will.”

BRITT’S SCORE

The Rams’ only touchdown of the game came with just 64 seconds to play in the first half on a 21-yard touchdown pass from Austin Davis to Kenny Britt.

“I don’t know if it was a blown coverage or what, but our quarterback (Davis) did a great job of executing,” Britt said.

Britt ran a shallow crossing pattern from left to right on the play, and no one from San Francisco picked him up.

“I’m glad that they forgot about me, to tell you the truth,” Britt said. “But it was something we needed.”

It was his second touchdown of the season, and the Rams’ longest pass play of the game. Davis hit Britt in stride, so when he caught the ball his thought process was ‘end zone or bust.’

“If you’re 225 (pounds), 6-3, and you’re running with a full head of steam, the only thought was getting a touchdown, help us out a little bit,” Britt said.

DAVIS’ DAY

Davis threw for only 105 yards, completing 13 of 24 passes, and tossed two interceptions. So Sunday’s performance against the NFL’s second-ranked defense wasn’t one for the scrapbook.

“It doesn’t matter how you do it, or what it looks like, it just matters how the score is at the end,” Davis said. “I think guys did a great job of just staying focused on what we had to do, and getting more points than they did when the final whistle blew.”

SMALLER COMMITTEE

The Rams’ running-back-by-committee approach was reduced by one Sunday. Zac Stacy, the team’s leading rusher a year ago, dressed but did not play. Instead, rookie Tre Mason got his first NFL start and registered a game-high 65 yards rushing on 19 carries.

Benny Cunningham was used more in passing situations, with three catches for 38 yards to go along with four carries for 10 yards. And wide receiver Tavon Austin continues to dabble at running back, carrying twice for 7 yards.

SITTING IT OUT

Joining Jenkins on the Rams’ inactive list: S Maurice Alexander, S Cody Davis, LB Korey Toomer, G-T Brandon Washington, TE Alex Bayer and DE Ethan Westbrooks.

RAM-BLINGS

• The Rams’ patchwork offensive line was awarded a game ball by coach Jeff Fisher after a day in which the 49ers managed only one sack.

• Newly acquired safety Mark Barron had one special teams tackle in his Rams debut.

• DE William Hayes left the game with a foot injury, apparently aggravating the same injury he had last week against Kansas City. Hayes said he wasn’t sure about the severity of the injury.

• Among the San Francisco inactives were LB Patrick Willis and CB Tramaine Brock.

The St. Louis Rams defense had a big day as they sacked San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick eight times in their 13-10 win over the 49ers.

http://www.rams-news.com/all-eight-rams-defensive-sacks-video/

Rapid Reaction: St. Louis Rams
By Nick Wagoner

http://espn.go.com/blog/st-louis-rams/post/_/id/13232/rapid-reaction-st-louis-rams-20

SANTA CLARA, Calif. — A few thoughts on the St. Louis Rams’ 13-10 win against the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday:

What it means: Trying to figure out this Rams team has become an exercise in futility. With the deck seemingly stacked against them entering this game, they rallied and played like the hard-nosed, defense-first team that everyone thought they’d be entering the season. The flip side was an offense that was also what many expected entering the season. Which is to say, futile. But the Rams’ defense came through when it mattered most, recovering a Colin Kaepernick fumble with two seconds left at their own goal line to steal the win. A season that looked to be slipping away now holds at least a little glimmer of hope for the 3-5 Rams.

Stock watch: Down — quarterback Austin Davis. Davis has rarely been the crux of the Rams’ offensive problems this season but this was, by far, his worst start. He threw two terrible interceptions in the first half and missed a wide-open tight end Lance Kendricks in the fourth quarter with a chance to put the game away. Davis has been far from perfect this season but this was obviously not his day. He finished 13-of-24 for 105 yards with a touchdown and two interceptions for a passer rating of 44.6.

Safety situation: Near the end of the first half, Niners kicker Phil Dawson attempted a 55-yard field goal which he left short. Rams receiver Tavon Austin was stationed in the end zone and caught it with an apparent opportunity for a return. But Austin, as he’s done often this season, hesitated and barely made it out of the end zone before being tackled at the goal line. A review gave Austin the benefit of the doubt and the Rams dodged a bullet that would have made it 12-10 at the half. Call it a makeup call for the forward progress ruling that nullified a possible fumble return for a touchdown by Rams linebacker James Laurinaitis.

Game ball: The Rams’ pass rush — The idea of a hashtag referring to the Rams as #SackCity has been something of an on-going joke this season, including in this space. But the group that many expected to see showed up in a big way Sunday afternoon. The Rams, who entered the game with six sacks on the season, finished with eight sacks, including consistent pressure from ends Robert Quinn and William Hayes and tackle Aaron Donald. They even got home on some blitzes, including a sack for Laurinaitis.

What’s next: The Rams finish their three-game road stretch with a trip to NFC West division leading Arizona followed by a home game against the Denver Broncos.