St. Louis Rams Still Floundering Behind Poor Offensive Line

On the St. Louis Rams’ third play from scrimmage Monday night quarterback Austin Davis connected with tight end Jared Cook for a 39-yard gain. Another eight plays later they scored a touchdown, taking a quick lead over the San Francisco 49ers.

It wasn’t supposed to be easy like that, even with the 49ers’ defensive injuries. An undrafted quarterback should look frantic and afraid against these Niners. But there was Davis early, squirting out from the pocket and comfortably finding open receivers.

Another touchdown came two Rams drives later, and this time Davis needed only four plays following a turnover. A 14-point lead over a division opponent, all in a quarter when this unknown quarterback savior until a few weeks ago threw for 92 yards.

There was fleeting hope that this time, this night and this game was when he would receive consistent protection and be effective for an entire four quarters. Not just the first quarter or last, or something in the vast space between. A complete game.

And then it was gone.

In the remaining three quarters of an eventual 31-17 loss, the Rams scored three points. That kind of collapse on offense means the game will usually end badly, as the Rams already discovered in Week 3. That's when they had a 21-0 lead midway in the second quarter but were then held scoreless until the fourth quarter as the Dallas Cowboys rallied to win.

Winning often requires sustaining a rhythm on offense. Winning the game in a second half that started with the Rams holding a four-point lead doesn’t look like this:

	Time of possession	First Downs
First Half	20:35	12
Second Half	10:47	7

After their second touchdown the Rams punted on seven straight drives. The best drive during that stretch gained a mere 29 yards. They also whiffed on six consecutive third-down conversion attempts in the second half, with their quarterback often desperately trying to remain in an upright position.

Poor protection has been a common problem throughout the early days of the Austin Davis era. He was sacked five times Monday night, bringing his total to 15 over six games. Davis is being sacked once every 13.3 dropbacks, which is painful volume for a quarterback who’s now logged three straight games with at least 40 pass attempts.

Entering Monday 49ers outside linebacker Dan Skuta didn’t have a sack this season, and over a five-year career and 77 games he had all of 0.5 sacks to his name. Half a sack, that’s it.

Tonight? He sacked Davis twice on the same Rams drive, one resulting in a fumble.

Skuta fitted Jake Long for a clown suit, and did so repeatedly. It wasn’t a good look for a tackle who was already struggling prior to Week 6.

Over the Rams’ previous four games Long had given up 10 quarterback hurries and two sacks, according to Pro Football Focus (subscription required). That includes five QB hurries just last week, and it comes after a 2013 season when Long was responsible for his quarterback getting sacked six times.

There’s hope, and it came in the form of rookie guard (and future tackle) Greg Robinson tonight, as he made his first NFL start. He’ll soon be the anchor keeping Rams quarterback X of the future healthy and in one working piece. For now he’s learning and still developing at the professional level.

The problem for Davis and the Rams offense as a whole is that while Robinson’s star rises, Long’s could be declining quickly. It's a less than ideal situation for an inexperienced quarterback who’s displayed plenty of brilliance but is still learning too.

For his part head coach Jeff Fisher supported Davis, because that’s what head coaches do (until they don’t). During his postgame press conference Fisher said he’s pleased with what Davis is doing, saying “he’s our guy and he’s going to learn from this.”

That’s always the goal, and certainly Austin shoulders some burden for this loss after completing just 50 percent of his passes. That rate has steadily fallen from 75.9 in Week 2, to 71.4 in Week 3, 59.2 in Week 5 and now this. But learning becomes difficult when you’re planted often and forced to closely examine field turf.

Somehow the Rams were within a touchdown late in the fourth quarter with the ball and a chance to drive the field and tie the game. That finish didn’t feel real or deserved, much like their start.