Will Chris Long miss significant time? Randy Karraker and D’Marco Farr discusses it with ESPN Rams Insider Nick Wagoner, along with all the other concerns with the Rams. Who will start at QB if Hill can’t go? Is there a problem with Greg the Leg? (9:43)

http://www.rams-news.com/nick-wagoner-reviews-the-rams-loss-to-the-vikings-radio-interview/

101ESPN’s Anthony Stalter and Chris Duncan react to Rams’ season opener: “This was a loss and a failure at all levels”.

http://www.rams-news.com/stalter-duncan-this-was-a-loss-and-a-failure-at-all-levels-radio-interview/

W2W4 revisited: St. Louis Rams
By Nick Wagoner

http://espn.go.com/blog/st-louis-rams/post/_/id/11440/w2w4-revisited-st-louis-rams-4

ST. LOUIS — Looking back at three things to watch from the St. Louis Rams’ 34-6 loss Sunday afternoon to the Minnesota Vikings:

1. How’s Hill?: Shaun Hill’s first start as quarterback for the Rams lasted all of one half before he departed with what coach Jeff Fisher called a quadriceps injury in his leg. But Hill didn’t have much success before departing for the afternoon. He finished 8-of-13 for 81 yards with no touchdowns and a brutal interception that led to Minnesota’s first touchdown and a 13-point deficit the Rams would not overcome. His passer rating was 47.3 for the day. Hill spent the second half standing on the sideline and deferred to Fisher for an injury update before saying he expects to be ready for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers next week. The Rams offense as a whole was ineffective so not all the blame should fall on Hill or backup Austin Davis, but he didn’t do much to alleviate concerns about whether he’s up to the task.

2. On the corner: As expected, rookie E.J. Gaines made the start at cornerback in place of injured Trumaine Johnson (knee). Gaines had ups and downs, including a pass breakup early in the game as he finished with three tackles and the two passes defended. The Rams mostly trusted Janoris Jenkins to handle man coverage on the opposite side and provided extra help for Gaines. He did get beat by Greg Jennings for a touchdown though he had decent coverage on the play. All things considered, Gained fared OK but the Vikings did a good job of getting the ball out quick to negate the Rams’ pass rush.

3. Containing Peterson: Much was made this week of the Rams’ efforts to stop running back Adrian Peterson — and rightfully so — but it wasn’t a Peterson that burned them so much as a Patterson. The Rams mostly did solid work against Peterson, holding him to 75 yards on 21 carries, an average of just 3.6 yards per attempt. But with Peterson working between the tackles, the Vikings took advantage around the edge with receiver Cordarrelle Patterson running jet sweeps. Patterson posted 102 yards on three carries, including a 67-yard touchdown run. It doesn’t matter who gets the yards or how they come, if the Rams can’t stop the run, it’s going to wipe out any advantage their talented pass rush might give them. Minnesota finished with 186 yards on 30 carries, an average of 6.2 yards per attempt.

The Rams opened their season with a 34-6 drubbing at the hands of the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday. The St. Louis Post-Dispatch’s Bryan Burwell reports from the Edward Jones Dome. (3:23)

http://www.rams-news.com/burwell-rams-fall-in-forgettable-opener-video/

Rams reporter Casey Phillips chats with St. Louis Rams defensive back E.J. Gaines following the game against the Vikings.

http://www.rams-news.com/one-on-one-with-rams-cb-e-j-gaines-video/

Rams reporter Casey Phillips chats with St. Louis Rams defensive tackle Aaron Donald following the game against the Vikings.

http://www.rams-news.com/rams-dt-aaron-donald-post-game-comments-video/

Rams’ Quick has career game vs. Vikings
By Nate Latsch

http://stl.scout.com/story/1443460-rams-quick-has-career-game-vs-vikings

ST. LOUIS — There weren’t many bright spots for the Rams in their 34-6 season-opening loss to the visiting Vikings on Sunday, but wide receiver Brian Quick’s career game was certainly one of them.
Quick led the Rams with seven catches for 99 yards, both career highs, but it turned out to be bittersweet for the third-year wideout because of the disappointing final result.

“We lost and that’s not good,” Quick said. “We’re a team and my yards and individual effort doesn’t matter after that, after a loss, but I’m going come out and give them all and I’m going come and practice and get better for next week.”

The Rams will be hoping to see more similar performances from the Appalachian State product this season. Quick’s strong game on Sunday was the kind of impact many have been waiting for.

The 25 year old was a second-round draft pick (No. 33 overall) back in 2012, the first draft for the Jeff Fisher/Les Snead regime, but until Sunday had failed to make much of a mark during his NFL career.

The 6-foot-3, 218-pounder had 11 catches for 156 yards and two touchdowns as a rookie in 2012 and then had 18 receptions for 302 yards and two touchdowns a year ago.

Before Sunday’s breakout game, Quick’s career best efforts were three catches against the 49ers on Dec. 1, 2013, and 97 yards receiving (on two catches) against the Panthers on Oct. 20, 2013 — the game that quarterback Sam Bradford suffered his season-ending ACL injury.

Quick earned praise from Rams offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer for his improved play during OTAs.

“I’ll tell you what, probably the most improved player I’ve seen is Brian Quick,” Schottenheimer said then. “He’s doing a great job. Another guy that we’re giving an opportunity to. He’s competing for playing time. He’s made the most of his opportunities. He started today. Again, just moving guys around, in and out of the lineup, trying to create competition and he’s stepped up and again — like Kenny (Britt) — and made a lot of big plays for us.”

When told of Schottenheimer’s commendation, Quick said he was honored to see his work get noticed. He said he felt more comfortable with the offense and that, because he wasn’t thinking on the field, he could play faster and be more physical.

He had high expectations for his third season.

“Man, I’m going to go out there and I’m going to try to kill it,” Quick said during OTAs. “Make sure we go to the playoffs. Whatever we have to do, whatever I have to do, I’m going to give it my all. That’s my goal, just put it all on the field and give it all. Lay it all on the line for the coaches, especially for Coach Fish, and Les Snead. Just make sure everything is crisp and make sure they have confidence in me to go out there.”

Quick’s strong play continued during training camp and the preseason. He had a 41-yard catch in the second preseason game against the Packers and then caught four passes for 47 yards and a touchdown against Cleveland the next week.

But for all his success during OTAs, training camp and the preseason, there were still questions about whether Quick would be able to step up and contribute when the games began to count during the regular season.

On Sunday, Quick showed that he is indeed making progress.

“I just have to build on today and get better, for my team,” Quick said. “We have to get a win next week and I’m going to come to practice this week and I’m going to work and I’m going to do whatever I can.”

Rams fall flat in opener
• By Jim Thomas

http://www.stltoday.com/sports/football/professional/rams-fall-flat-in-opener/article_6d502baa-2da0-5bf8-be20-b1fa5d4fd0c5.html

It has been nearly seven weeks since the Rams gathered in Earth City for the start of training camp. Over 40-plus days, there were countless hours spent in the meeting room, on the practice field, studying the playbook, getting ready for this moment — the season opener against Minnesota.

And what was the sum of all that preparation Sunday at the Edward Jones Dome?

A 34-6 embarrassment against the Vikings. It matched the worst loss in a home season opener in Rams franchise history. One must go all the way back to the inaugural season of Rams football, 1937, when the franchise was based in Cleveland, to find an opener this bad at home.

That would be coach Hugo Bezdek’s Rams squad, which lost to Detroit 28-0 that day in Cleveland, with the 28-point margin of defeat matched only by Sunday’s disaster.

“We didn’t play very well today,” coach Jeff Fisher said in the understatement of the day. “I wasn’t anticipating that.”

Who was?

One of the most penalized teams in football a year ago, the Rams were in midseason form Sunday, with 13 for 121 yards. They paid so much attention to Adrian Peterson, they forgot about Cordarrelle Patterson.

The get outkicked, outcoached and outclassed by a Minnesota team coming off a 5-10-1 season and breaking in a new head coach in Mike Zimmer.

By the start of the second half, the Rams were down to Austin Davis at quarterback, who was No. 4 on the depth chart for much of the preseason. No disrespect to Davis, but that hardly ever is a good thing.

“This is the exact opposite of our expectations,” guard Rodger Saffold said. “Period, point blank. And the thing that makes it most frustrating is that we had some of the best practices that we’ve ever had the last three days. Nobody was unprepared. Nobody didn’t communicate. Nobody was out there just making mistakes (on purpose).”

Nonetheless, there were a lot of people out there making mistakes.

Working backwards:

• Davis’ pass over the middle with 3 minutes, 18 seconds remaining in the game was intercepted and returned 81 yards for a touchdown by Harrison Smith, giving Minnesota a 34-3 lead. Davis led tight end Jared Cook with his throw; trouble was, Cook slowed down and settled into an opening in the Minnesota coverage.

• Less than five minutes earlier, on fourth and 4 from the St. Louis 42, one of the Rams’ special teams core players — Chase Reynolds — was flagged for roughing the punter.

The resulting first down set the Vikings up at the St. Louis 28, and they were in the end zone three plays later on a 7-yard pass from quarterback Matt Cassel to tight end Kyle Rudolph, who beat free safety Rodney McLeod on the play.

• With the Rams still within striking distance, trailing 13-3 late in the third quarter, Patterson — the second-year wide receiver — lined up in the backfield, took a handoff to his right, cut back to the middle, then zigged and zagged his way 67 yards for a TD.

Five Rams missed tackles on the play, which gave Minnesota a 20-3 lead.

• Near the end of the first half, Rams starting quarterback Shaun Hill threw into double coverage for Cook, only to have Vikes cornerback Josh Robinson make an athletic leaping interception and come down with his feet in-bounds with 1:09 to play.

When savvy veteran Greg Jennings got behind rookie E.J. Gaines in the back right corner of the end zone three plays later for a TD, Minnesota took a 13-0 lead into the locker room at the half.

Before the Hill interception, Fisher said, “This game was taking on the appearance of a 13-10 type of game. … And then obviously things just slipped away there.”

Or as defensive tackle Michael Brockers put it, it was more like an avalanche.

“Nobody saw this coming,” Brockers said. “It was like a snowball going downfield. It just kept rolling on …”

Until it crushed the Rams.

That interception turned out to be the last pass of the day for Hill, who started in place of Sam Bradford, who’s out for the year with a knee injury. Davis took over to start the second half after the team announced that Hill had a thigh injury.

Fisher said the injury took place on the series before the interception and stiffened up on Hill. With that in mind, Hill was asked if that had any effect on the throw that resulted in the INT.

“No reason to make any excuses, that’s for sure,” Hill said. “The leg’s a long ways from the head. That’s a play I should’ve done something different.”

Hill said he should’ve thrown the ball away.

Two years ago in St. Louis, Peterson rushed for 212 yards, including runs of 82 and 52 yards. The Rams fared much better this time, holding him to 75 yards and 3.6 yards a carry.

But Patterson killed them with 102 yards on just three carries. Besides that 67-yard touchdown run, a pair of first-quarter “jet” sweeps by Patterson helped set up the game’s initial points, on a pair of Blair Walsh field goals.

“Yeah, I think our focus was on stopping Adrian Peterson, and when you’ve got a guy like that, he’s gonna get most of the attention,” Brockers said. “We just kinda forgot about Patterson, even though he’s a great player. We looked at him (during the week’s preparation). Great speed. Good with the ball. Good vision.”

Then he added, shaking his head, “I don’t know.”

The Rams didn’t have many answers Sunday but must put their frustrations aside and get ready for a Week 2 matchup with Tampa Bay.

“Frustration is putting it lightly,” defensive end Chris Long said. “I know everybody watching it was frustrated. You can multiply that by about 10, 100 — whatever you want to do. That’s how frustrated people are in this locker room.”

No more frustrated than the crowd of 55,919 at the Dome, who have borne the brunt of 10 straight non-winning seasons, who are faced with the prospect of their team being free to relocate after this season and paid hard-earned money to watch Sunday’s non-performance.

Now that’s frustration.

By the end of the game, it was difficult to discern who was louder — the boos from Rams fans or the chants of “Let’s go Vikings!” by Minnesota fans.

“That’s their right (to boo),” Long said. “They paid money for their tickets and they didn’t get their money’s worth. So that’s their prerogative. We’re just gonna come back and work hard.”

ESPN’s Jim Basquil and Ron Jaworski break down the Vikings’ win over the Rams. (1:58)

http://www.rams-news.com/espn-sunday-blitz-vikings-rams-recap-video/

Rams embarrassed by Vikings 34-6
• By Jim Thomas

http://www.stltoday.com/sports/football/professional/rams-embarrassed-by-vikings/article_23c2ce3b-3328-5e04-ba63-fe19931ef47a.html

If you wanted to pick the worst possible way to open a season, it would be difficult to top the performance put on by the Rams on Sunday at the Edward Jones Dome.

They committed silly penalties. Couldn’t stop the run. Got outplayed on special teams. And couldn’t really do anything on offense. Seven weeks of build-up led to one of the worst Rams season openers in years — an embarrassing 34-6 loss to Minnesota to open 2014.

Any time you start a season with your third-string quarterback in there to start the second half, you’re in trouble. Such was the case Sunday. Quarterback Sam Bradford obviously is out for the season with a knee injury. His replacement, Shaun Hill, was done by halftime with a thigh injury. So that left Austin Davis in charge when the Rams started the third quarter down 13-0.

For the most part, the defense did its part in the first half, keeping Adrian Peterson in check and making quarterback Matt Cassel throw the ball downfield at his own risk.

But the Rams’ offense was basically non-existent in the first half. Yes, Brian Quick established himself with several early catches, but he also took the Rams out of a scoring opportunity, being called for a facemask penalty for getting his hand in the grill of Vikings cornerback Captain Munnerlyn after a 21-yard catch.

The 15-yard penalty midway through the second quarter backed the Rams up to the Minnesota 46. They appeared to get the first down back a couple of plays later on a 14-yard catch by Chris Givens. But Givens was called for offensive pass interference — overall, the Rams were flagged 13 times for 121 yards — so the play was called back from what would’ve been the Minnesota 27 to the Rams’ 49.

The result was a punt.

Wide receiver Cordarrelle Patterson was the Vikings’ top runner in the first quarter, doing his damage on the “jet” sweep, plays where the wide receiver goes in motion and then takes the handoff as he passes the quarterback in motion.

A 13-yard gain on a jet sweep by Patterson, coupled with a dubious roughing the passer call against Robert Quinn by referee Ed Hochuli helped the Vikings take a 3-0 lead on a 52-yard field goal by Blair Walsh.

The Rams missed a chance to tie the game on their second possession when Jeff Zuerlein’s 50-yard field goal sailed wide left with 1:09 to play in the first quarter.

Facing a fourth-and-1 from the Minnesota 31, Fisher opted for a field goal instead of going for it. Taking over at their 40 after the miss, the Vikings needed only one play to get in Walsh’s range — a 23-yard jet sweep by Patterson, who was aided by two missed tackles by the Rams on the play.

The result was a 46-yard field goal by Walsh and a 6-0 Minnesota lead 44 seconds into the second quarter. The Rams’ defense kept Minnesota in check for much of the second quarter, but after taking over at their 25 with 1:38 to go in the half, a scrambling Shaun Hill — running to his right — threw into double-coverage towards the right sideline.

Vikings cornerback Josh Robinson made an athletic, leaping interception, keeping his feet in-bounds as he came down.

Minnesota took over on the St. Louis 35 with 1:09 to play in the half. This time the Vikings didn’t settle for a field goal. On second-and-1 from the St. Louis 8, veteran Greg Jennings got behind rookie E.J. Gaines for a touchdown on a throw from Matt Cassel and a 13-0 lead with 21 seconds left in the half.

Austin Davis took over in the third quarter at quarterback, replacing starter Hill, who left with a thigh injury. Davis led the Rams to a 56-yard field goal drive, cutting the lead to 13-3. But the Rams had to punt after their second possession of the half.

Patterson applied a dagger on the very next play after the Rams’ punted. Lining up in the backfield, Patterson did his best Peterson impression by taking a handoff to the right, cutting back towards the middle and then zigging and zagging his way to the end zone for a 67-yard TD.

Rams defenders fell like bowling pins along the way. No less than five Rams had a chance to bring Patterson down on the play and whiffed on tackle attempts.

The Rams couldn’t recover from that, as feeble as their offense was Sunday. Davis had trouble getting the ball out quickly, and the Vikings’ front four could ignore the run and just head upfield in the direction of the quarterback.

A roughing the punter penalty by Chase Reynolds in the fourth quarter set up Minnesota for yet another touchdown, on a seven-yard pass from Cassel to tight end Kyle Rudolph, who beat free safety Rodney McLeod. That made it 27-3 Minnesota, with 6:27 to play.

But wait, it gets worse. The Rams were down near the red zone, threatening to finally reach the end zone, when safety Harrison Smith stepped in front of a Davis pass and returned an interception 81 yards for a TD. Davis led tight end Jared Cook on the play, but Cook settled in the middle, giving Smith the opportunity.

So with Smith’s “pick 6” it was 34-3 Vikings and hard to tell which was louder — boos from the Rams’ fans or shouts of “Let’s go Vikings” by the Minnesota faithful on hand.

Here are the updates posted by Joe Lyons of the Post-Dispatch during the game:

The visiting Minnesota Vikings capitalized on Rams’ mistakes and cruised to a 34-6 victory over the Rams Sunday at the Edward Jones Dome.

It was a triumphant start for new Minnesota head coach Mike Rimmer, 58, who was making his head coaching debut after spending the previous 20 seasons as an NFL assistant coach. Rimmer, who was born in Peoria, Ill, played football at Illinois State and got his coaching start under got his coaching start as a part-time defensive assistant under Warren Powers at the University of Missouri in 1979.

The Vikings continued to pull away, taking advantage of a roughing-the-kicker penalty in the fourth quarter. With 6:27 to play, Matt Cassel hooked up with tight end Kyle Rudolph on a 7-yard touchdown pass that pushed the visitors’ advantage to 27-3.

The touchdown, which came four players after the penalty, was set up by a 22-yard strike from Cassel to another tight end, Rhett Ellison.

The Vikings’ defense joined in the scoring fun with about 3 minutes to play when safety Harrison Smith picked off a pass and returned it 81 yards to make it 34-3 with 2:57 to play.

The Rams’ final drive, which reached the Minnesota 16 on a 27-yard pass from Austin Davis to Chris Givens, stalled thanks to a holding call and a bad snap as Greg Zuerlein closed out the game’s scoring with a 46-yard field goal with 1:36 to play

VIKINGS UP 20-3 WITH 15 MINUTES TO PLAY

The Vikings added to their lead late in the third quarter, thanks to second-year wideout Cordarrelle Patterson. On a first-down play from his own 33, he took an end-around to the right, cut back a couple of times and broke a handful of tackles en route to a 67-yard touchdown run that made it 20-3 with 1:54 to play in the third quarter.

Defensive end Chris Long suffered an ankle injury in the third quarter. His return is questionable.

With Austin Davis at quarterback _ Shaun Hill has a thigh injury and is questionable to return _ the Rams picked up their first points of the 2014 season when Greg Zuerlein booted a 56-yard field goal with 10:11 to play in the third quarter.

The drive, which featured a 26-yard pass from Davis to tight end Jared Cook.

Early second-half update: Austin Davis took over at quarterback for the Rams on their first series of the third quarter.

Rams reported that starter Shaun Hill has a thigh injury. His return is questionable.

Davis drove the Rams into Minnesota territory; when the drive stalled, Greg Zuerlein kicked a 56-yard field goal that cut the Vikings’ lead to 13-3.

HALFTIME UPDATE

The Vikings took advantage of a late turnover to add to their lead and take a 13-0 advantage to halftime.

On a Shaun Hill pass into double-coverage intended for tight end Jared Cook, Minnesota’s Josh Robinson made an acrobatic interception near the Rams’ bench at the St. Louis 35.

Four plays later, Matt Cassel found Greg Jennings in the back of the end zone for a 8-yard touchdown that made it 13-0 21 seconds to play before halftime.

Some halftime stats of note: Hill has complete 8 of 13 passes for 81 yards with one interception. Benny Cunningham (3 carries, 13 yards) and Zac Stacy (4 yards, 13 yards) lead the way on the ground. Brian Quick has four catches for 70 yards.

Matt Cassel has completed 10 of 16 passes for 105 yards and a touchdown. Greg Jennings has 4 catches for 48 yards and a touchdown. Adrian Peterson has rushed 11 times for 39 yards.

The Vikings have 180 net yards (85 rushing, 95 passing) to the Rams’ 109 (34 rushing, 75 passing).

VIKINGS UP 6-0 EARLY IN SECOND QUARTER

The Vikings grabbed the lead on the game’s first drive, moving 56 yards on 11 plays and coming away with a 52-yard field goal from Blair Walsh with 9:37 to play in the opening quarter. The drive reached the Rams’ 25-yard line _ thanks to a very questionable roughing-the-passer call _ but the Rams defense stepped up. Second-year safety T.J. McDonald came up with a pair of key stops, forcing the Vikings to setting for the field goal.

After the teams traded punts, the Rams put together a solid drive that stalled in Vikings’ territory when a Shaun Hill-to-Brian Quick pass play came up a yard short. Greg Zuerlein followed with a 50-yard field goal try with just over a minute to play in the opening quarter. But the kick sailed wide to the left.

The Vikings added to their lead in the opening minute of the second half, getting a 46-yard field goal from Walsh. The key play on the drive was a 23-yard run by wideout Cordarrelle Patterson.

RAMS, VIKINGS KICK OFF 2014 SEASON

The Rams kick off the 2014 NFL season today at the Edward Jones Dome, hosting the Minnesota Vikings in a noon contest.

The Rams were 7-9 a year ago and finished 1-3 in the preseason. The Vikings finished 5-10-1 a year ago and cleaned out, bringing in highly respected and longtime defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer to take over. Minnesota went 4-0 in the preseason.

In a series that dates back to 1961, the Vikings hold a 24-16-2 lead, with each team scoring 939 points. Since the Rams moved to St. Louis, the teams have split eight games, with the Rams taking the lone postseason win., a 49-37 decision her in the 1999 divisional round.

The Vikings, who have won three of the last four meetings, blew past the Rams 36-22 in the teams’ last meeting, in December 2012. In that one, after being held to eight yards on his first eight carries, Minnesota’s Adrian Peterson gutted (his word) the Rams for an 82-yard touchdown and went on to rush for 212 yards on 24 carries.

As expected, Mizzou’s E.J. Gaines will get the start at cornerback. He was a sixth-round draft pick in May who has impressed defensive coordinator Gregg Williams with his cool demeanor and short memory.

• RAMS TALK: GDT vs. Vikings

Rams’ inactives are quarterback Case Keenum, running back Tre Mason, safety Maurice Alexander (Eureka High), tight end Alex Bayer, defensive lineman Ethan Westbrooks,, starting cornerback Trumaine Johnson (knee) and center Barrett Jones (back) for the Rams.

That means the team’s No. 3 pick (Mason) and No. 4 pick (Alexander) are not dressed. And, of course, the No. 2 overall pick, offensive lineman Greg Robinson is dressed and not starting.

For the Vikings, the inactives are quarterback Christian Ponder, cornerback Shawn Prater, guard David Yankey, tight end MarQueis Gray, fullback Zach Line (ankle) and linebackers Brandon Watts (knee) and Michael Mauti (foot) for the Vikings.

The Rams are in all blue; the Vikings are in white jerseys and purple pants.

PREGAME ENTERTAINMENT

The Rams will honor Pro Football Hall of Fame defensive back Aeneas Williams today. Williams, who was inducted in August, will also serve as an honorary captain and participate in the coin toss.

Blake Leeper, a U.S. Paralympic athlete who won silver and bronze medals at the 2012 Paralympic Games in London, will be running the Rams’ flag across the field to start the game. Leeper, know as the American Bladerunner, began competing internationally in 2009. He is a bilateral below-the-knee amputee who has been using prosthetics since the age of nine.

The National Anthem will be sung by former Rams cheerleader Tess Boyer. An Edwardsville High graduate, Boyer was a top-10 finalist on The Voice.

Rapid Reaction: St. Louis Rams

By Nick Wagoner

http://espn.go.com/blog/st-louis-rams/post/_/id/11389/rapid-reaction-st-louis-rams-13

ST. LOUIS — A few thoughts on the St. Louis Rams’ 34-6 loss to the Minnesota Vikings at the Edward Jones Dome.

What it means: Put simply, it could be a really long season in St. Louis. Without starting quarterback Sam Bradford (out for the season with a torn ACL in his left knee), the offense sputtered to levels commensurate with some of the team’s leanest years in St. Louis. The defense was on the field too much and the penalty issues of the past two years remain. Starting the season with a loss at home to what looked to be a beatable opponent doesn’t bode well for a team that faces the league’s third-toughest schedule (based on last year’s results).

Stock watch: Down — the offense. Nobody expected fireworks from this group, but for a group that was supposed to provide power running and opportunities to get chunks of yards on play-action, this was about as discouraging a performance as you’ll find. Shaun Hill left at halftime with a thigh injury and Austin Davis took over, but neither had much success behind an offensive line offering little protection and a run game mostly stuck in the mud. This unit finished with 318 yards, most of which came in garbage time.

Quarterback quandary: Hill got off to a good start with a 23-yard completion on the first offensive play of the game, but it got no better from there. His interception to Vikings cornerback Josh Robinson at the end of the first half was abysmal, and it allowed the Vikings to score the game’s first touchdown. That 13-0 halftime hole was far too much to overcome with or without Hill, who was replaced by Davis. Davis got some game experience and managed some completions with the game out of hand but had nothing more than a pair of field goals to show for it.

Game ball: Receiver Brian Quick. Pickings were incredibly slim here anyway, regardless of which side of the ball you look at. But he was the lone bright spot on the offense, carrying his strong preseason into the opening regular-season game and finishing with seven catches for 99 yards. The third-year wideout at least flashed the promise of better things ahead, which is more than can be said for most of the offense.

What’s next: Things don’t get much easier for the Rams next week as they travel to what should be a hot and humid Tampa, Florida, to take on the Bucs.