Rams vs. Raiders: Postgame Grades, Notes and Quotes for St. Louis
The St. Louis Rams fell 18-3 on the road to the Oakland Raiders in the 2015 preseason opener.
Preseason games are nothing more than a meaningless spar weeks before the big fight. Even so, fans were surely hoping to see more of a fight from the St. Louis backups. The second- and third-string defense played tough, but the offense was dead in the water—a result all too familiar for the Rams.
Quarterback Nick Foles was sharp in his debut. He hit his receivers for several big plays, but he was pulled from the game after just two drives.
The other player fans are eager to see—first-round draft pick Todd Gurley—did not see any action. He dressed for the game, but the Rams are still allowing him to nurse the knee. It's unlikely we'll see anything from Gurley this preseason.
The notorious St. Louis pass rush took it easy in this game. The Rams finished with zero sacks, while stars Aaron Donald and Robert Quinn appeared to be giving just a half effort before being pulled in the first quarter. Expect the intensity to heat up dramatically in Week 1.
It was an uneventful showing for St. Louis, but this game still provided some helpful insight into the 2015 Rams.
This article will break down the game with position grades, key insights and quotes on the team's performance.
Position Grades for Rams
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| Position | Grade |
| QB | B+ |
| RB | C |
| WR | A |
| TE | A |
| OL | D+ |
| DL | C- |
| LB | C |
| DB | A |
| Special Teams | C+ |
| Coaching | C |
Foles seemed completely comfortable with his new receivers. He completed 60 percent of his passes and hit Tavon Austin and Lance Kendricks for big plays. He flashed some of the potential that made him a Pro Bowler in 2013, and that's exactly what fans wanted to see from him in this game.
Case Keenum played the majority of the game and finished a respectable 12-for-17 with 83 yards. Rookie Sean Mannion had an admirable NFL debut, going 8-for-13 with 53 yards. Austin Davis played only briefly and had just two pass attempts, but expect him to see an increased role in next week's game.
The receivers had a nice rhythm going with the passers. The 35-yard grab by Austin and the 26-yard catch by tight end Kendricks were the highlights, but the lower-level receivers also made some noise. Chris Givens had 36 yards on four grabs and Stedman Bailey had 24 yards on three grabs.
The running backs were less successful.
Malcolm Brown had 18 yards on two carries, including a 12-yard run. Benny Cunningham also shined with 12 yards on three carries. The remaining backs were all limited to a three yards-per-carry average or less. Starter Tre Mason had just six yards on two attempts.
However, it's not fair to put the blame entirely on the backs. They were held back by an underperforming offensive line. The line is young and inexperienced, which was too easy to detect in this game.
The linemen struggled to open lanes and were outmatched in pass protection. The group allowed three sacks and plenty of pressure. Foles was sacked once and took two hits.
The front seven on defense also looked weak, though that appeared to stem from a lack of effort more than anything. The opposing backs moved the ball with little resistance. Oakland back Latavius Murray averaged nearly six yards per carry with six attempts and 35 yards on the ground. The front seven also failed to record a single sack.
On the other hand, the secondary was rather impressive.
Trumaine Johnson and Imoan Claiborne each had a pick. Johnson had a nice pass breakup in the first quarter. Rookie Trovon Reed had a great breakup as well on a two-point conversion attempt.
Between Claiborne and Reed, there might be some interesting competition brewing in the secondary.
Special teams got the job done and didn't surrender any back-breaking plays, but the group still had errors. The punt team had two different penalties on its first punt attempt, and backup kicker Michael Palardy missed a 48-yard field goal.
As for coaching, it was wise of Jeff Fisher to not test his luck by pulling the starters after two drives. There's no need to risk injury weeks before the regular season. The coaches also did a good job at keeping things vanilla and hiding the more advance looks and plays.
Still, the team looked undisciplined with 10 penalties, so that reflects poorly on the coaching staff. That's something Fisher needs to focus on over the next few weeks.
Injuries Continue to Frustrate Rodger Saffold
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Few Rams players get dinged up like veteran left guard Rodger Saffold. It's hard to tell if it's merely bad luck or an issue with frail body structure. Either way, he constantly requires the attention of the training staff.
The Rams didn't even finish the opening drive before Saffold was forced to exit the game with a banged-up shoulder. Jim Thomas of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported that the injury is not serious.
"Told Saffold tweaked his shoulder on that opening drive. Not thought to be anything serious.
— Jim Thomas (@jthom1) August 15, 2015"
Still, it's highly doubtful that this is the end of Saffold's 2015 injury list.
Last season, Saffold suffered from a dislocated shoulder in the preseason and hurt his knee several weeks later, per Nick Wagoner of ESPN.com. He started all 16 games in 2014, but he struggled to stay 100 percent.
Overall, he has missed 20 starts in the last four seasons.
This is quite alarming considering he is by far the most capable and experienced offensive lineman on the roster. The Rams will feature a first-year starter at center, a duo of rookies at right guard and tackle, as well as a raw second-year pro in Greg Robinson at left tackle.
With such a ridiculous amount of inexperience on the line, the Rams absolutely need Saffold to suit up and start every game this season.
Let's hope Saffold's departure was a precaution, rather than a continuation of his usual trend.
Nick Foles and the Aerial Game Are Clicking
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Two offensive drives is not a fair sample size, but it's hard to ignore the immediate chemistry we're seeing between Foles and the receivers.
The Rams are obviously building a run-first attack. That will eventually be the focus of the offense, but it'll take time for the young running backs and linemen to get acclimated. As I've pointed out in the past, the veterans of this Rams offense—Foles, Lance Kendricks, Jared Cook, Kenny Britt, Brian Quick—are all part of the passing game, so that's the group St. Louis will depend on early in the season.
The chemistry between these veterans was visible in tonight's game.
Foles hit veteran tight end Lance Kendricks for 26 yards on the first play from scrimmage. He hit Tavon Austin on a quick pass the very next play, and he took it 35 yards into the red zone. The drive ended with an incomplete jump ball in the end zone—Cook nearly made the grab.
Foles also hit Kenny Britt for an eight-yard gain the following drive. Overall, he was 3-for-5 for 69 yards. Not too bad for a new quarterback in his preseason debut.
However, it's important to remember that St. Louis' offense can be misleading. Last year, the Rams averaged the fourth-most points in the first quarter in the NFL (5.9). The team had a notorious habit of getting off to a fast start only to falter after the defense made its adjustments.
Since it's only the preseason, we can't tell if that early-game success was just more of the same or a sign of greater things to come.
Either way, it was nice to see Foles clicking with his new teammates. His performance this year is the single most important factor when it comes to St. Louis' playoff hopes.
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Penalties Still an Issue for Rams
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Last season, the Rams finished with the third-most penalties in the league (123). It has been a team trademark ever since Fisher's arrival in 2012. The team's aggressive style frequently gets out of hand, resulting in a total lack of discipline.
If the Rams want to take the next step and compete for the playoffs, the penalties must end immediately.
St. Louis' performance against the Raiders produced more of the same. What's worse is that it wasn't low-level players committing these errors—it came from starters and key role players.
Starting left tackle Greg Robinson was flagged for holding during the second drive. After that drive, the punt team was called for delay of game, followed by a Rodney McLeod holding call immediately after.
During the Raiders' second drive of the game, starting Rams cornerback Trumaine Johnson drew a flag for defensive holding.
Jared Cook should have been called for a push-off in the end zone at the end of the opening drive, but the refs missed it. Cook struggled with flags last season, amassing six total penalties.
It was déjà vu. Frustrated fans watched helplessly last season as an undisciplined Rams team constantly sabotaged itself on a weekly basis. Tonight, it appeared we were watching the exact same mess.
It's never a good idea to get overly worked up after one preseason performance. But given Fisher's history, it's easy to assume that this problem is here to stay.
The Rams have to take drastic action to fix the penalties. If not, it could spoil the 2015 season.
Jamon Brown on Preparation
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"I think we (were) really prepared going into the game. I think what we see day-in and day-out really helped us." -Jamon Brown in his post-game interview, per the Fox broadcast.
The Rams drafted five rookie linemen, including supplemental draft pick Isaiah Battle. Not to mention, Robinson is only a second-year player.
The team has an enormous amount of youth on the offensive line. Without a doubt, the unit could very well be the demise of this team if it fails to take great strides. An offense cannot compete if the run lanes are small and pass protection is non-existent.
Fortunately, the Rams have a great advantage—an all-world defensive line—to help fix that.
These young and raw blockers have the opportunity to face off against Pro-Bowl caliber defenders every day at practice. That's an incredible perk that will undoubtedly have the group ready for game day.
As long as these rookies keep getting better against stars such as Donald and Quinn, it will make the real opponents seem far less intimidating.
This was a rough first game for the offensive linemen, but expect to see tangible improvements on a weekly basis.
Marshall Faulk on Competition
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"They need to not declare who's starting and who's playing. They [need to] make [the receivers] earn their playing time. And I think that will change what we see on the field." -Marshall Faulk, via the Fox broadcast.
Hall of Famer Marshall Faulk understands the importance of competition and creating an environment where the best athletes play on Sundays.
The Rams lack star power at the wide receiver position. There's no decorated veteran or fan-favorite superstar on the roster. There's no top-tier player who's automatically entitled to playing time. There's only a talented but inexperienced group of pass-catchers who each have something to offer.
There's been talk of Kenny Britt and Brian Quick battling for the No. 1 receiver spot. The truth is, it's a wide-open race—not a two-man show.
The receivers had a solid showing tonight. Even Chris Givens—a guy written off by many—stepped up and led the team with a respectable 36-yard performance in limited playing time.
That tells us that nothing is settled at this position. As Faulk mentioned, the team needs to create an environment of pure competition. Players will play based on their current production, rather than expectations based on last season.
The Rams have a talented group of receivers. It's just a matter of finding the correct combination.
Andrew Siciliano on the Rams' Overall Effort
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"Jeff Fisher wanted his team ready and fresh to play the Cowboys." -Andrew Siciliano, via the Fox broadcast.
This quote pretty much sums it up.
For those who are disappointed or discouraged from tonight's performance, keep in mind that the team has a long upcoming week. The team will travel to Oxnard, California, this week for two scrimmage-style practices against the Dallas Cowboys. The Rams will then face the Tennessee Titans on Sunday, August 23, for Week 2 of the preseason.
Two scrimmages and a game in one week takes a lot of energy. Fisher was wisely conservative with his starters against Oakland. The players also tuned down the effort, which was particularly visible on the defensive side of the ball.
Come Week 1 against the Seattle Seahawks, the energy will be enormous compared to any meaningless exhibition game. You can count on that.
The preseason is what it is: Practice with cameras.
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