Lions vs. Rams: St. Louis Grades, Notes and Quotes
The St. Louis Rams (5-8) showed up on Sunday, handing the Detroit Lions (4-9) a 21-14 loss. After a five-game losing streak, this win was long overdue for St. Louis.
Things started off sloppy in the first half. Case Keenum's completion rate was at just 50 percent, Todd Gurley managed only 13 rushing yards and the only first-half points came off an interception returned for a touchdown by Trumaine Johnson.
The game was shaping up to be another miserable outing for the St. Louis offense, but Gurley had other plans. He exploded in the second half for over 100 yards and a pair of touchdowns, which carried the Rams to victory.
The defense had an excellent first half, holding Detroit to zero points, but the Lions showed some life in the second half. Golden Tate caught a pair of touchdowns and Detroit recovered an onside kick after his second score, making things interesting at the end. In the end, the St. Louis defense came through and secured the victory.
It's too late for the Rams to make a run this season, and probably too late for Jeff Fisher to save his job—barring the unlikely event of the Rams winning out for an 8-8 finish. Still, St. Louis fans at least got to witness one more game of exciting football after a month of incompetence.
For more on this game, including grades, quotes and takeaways, read on.
Position Grades
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Quarterback: C+
Case Keenum did not light up the field, but he was a considerable improvement over the struggling Nick Foles.
Keenum went 14-for-22 for a respectable 63.6 percent completion rate. He only had 124 yards through the air and tossed a pick, but he did make some key second-half completions to help put the game away.
Keenum did the minimum of what the Rams required of him—he completed passes at the right times and wasn't a total liability.
Running Back: A+
All of St. Louis' offensive production centered around Gurley. After a few slow weeks, Gurley reminded us yet again why he's a special player.
After being held to 13 yards on seven carries in the opening half, Gurley exploded after halftime. He picked up over 100 yards on his first seven second-half carries, highlighted by a 49-yard run that set up his first score of the game. Gurley finished with 140 yards on the ground and two touchdowns.
Tre Mason and Benny Cunningham were quiet—21 combined yards on seven carries—but Tavon Austin made a nice impact by adding 40 rushing yards on four carries.
Overall, the rushing attack dominated this game.
Wide Receiver/Tight End: C
The pass-catchers were awfully silent in this game, but they did enough to keep key drives afloat.
Kenny Britt dropped a vital third-down attempt in the first half, but he led the team with 35 yards. Bradley Marquez and Tavon Austin both had 14-yard grabs. Jared Cook and Wes Welker both had 11-yard catches for first downs.
The Rams lack a true playmaker in the passing game, but St. Louis made the best of it this week, even if it wasn't a flashy showing.
Offensive Line: B
Greg Robinson was overwhelmed once again, as he finished with two penalties, including a costly chop block. Even so, the line stepped up this week.
Keenum was only sacked once. His mobility helped him out of certain situations, which made life a little easier for the line, but the group still did decent overall in pass protection.
The run blocking was sloppy to start the game, but things solidified in the second half. The line made some nice holes and allowed Gurley to have success.
Defensive Line: A
The ends didn't make a major impact in the pass rush, but Aaron Donald and Michael Brockers were a handful on the inside.
Donald finished the game with three sacks, giving him 11 total on the year—surpassing his rookie-year total of nine. He also had five total tackles in the game.
Brockers also came through with a sack, as he continues to be a valuable and under-appreciated weapon on defense.
Linebacker: B-
Mark Barron turned in 11 tackles in his safety-linebacker hybrid role. James Laurinaitis tied for second on the team with eight stops.
Overall, the linebackers did a solid job keeping the Detroit run game in check. The group did allow a few big pickups, including an 18-yard run for Joique Bell, but the run game was not a factor overall. Bell led Detroit with only 50 yards on the ground.
Secondary: B+
The Lions had success throwing the ball, but it wasn't nearly as bad as it could have been, given the weapons Detroit has at its disposal.
Stafford completed 65.2 percent of his passes for 245 yards. Tate caught a pair of touchdowns in the second half—enough to put heat on the Rams and make things interesting.
Still, Trumaine Johnson's 58-yard touchdown on an interception return was the difference in the game. Not to mention, Calvin Johnson was held to a single 16-yard grab, even though St. Louis' No. 1 corner—Janoris Jenkins—was out of the game.
Not a bad effort for the secondary.
Special Teams: D
The special-teams unit had a few hiccups that nearly cost the Rams big time.
Austin ran a punt back for a touchdown, but it was called back due to a holding penalty by Cunningham. Also, following Detroit's second touchdown, Marquez bobbled the onside-kick attempt and the Lions recovered, which could have cost St. Louis the game.
The Rams were able to overcome the errors on special teams, but it took a lot of luck.
Coaching: B
We witnessed the typical Rams in the first half. The defense was dominant and the offense was embarrassing. Just like the previous five games, most were expecting the defense to eventually wear down and give up points.
The Rams were lucky enough to avoid that by sparking the offense in the second half. New offensive coordinator Rob Boras deserves credit for finding a way to get the ground game rolling. It was an excellent debut for Boras in his new role as coordinator.
As for Fisher and Gregg Williams, the defense played hard for four quarters, so they deserve recognition for that.
Trumaine Johnson Must Be Re-Signed in 2016
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Johnson had an excellent game. Not only did he return an interception for a touchdown, but he was a big part of holding Megatron to a single catch. Johnson leads the team with five interceptions, making him the first Rams player to hit that total since O.J. Atogwe in 2008.
Unfortunately, Johnson is one of many key defensive players who might be gone in 2016. Multiple St. Louis defenders are set to hit free agency this offseason. Johnson, Jenkins, Nick Fairley, Eugene Sims, Will Hayes, Mark Baron and Rodney McLeod are all on that list, according to Spotrac.
It's doubtful St. Louis will retain that entire group. Between Jenkins and Johnson, the Rams must find a way to retain at least one of the two corners.
According to NBC Sports, the Rams were trying to ink Jenkins to an extension, but Jenkins' camp put talks on hold back in October. This tells us that he's betting on himself in order to get the best deal possible, which could price him out of St. Louis.
If the Jenkins talks fail, the Rams can survive with Johnson. 2014 starter E.J. Gaines will be returning next season, so he and Johnson will make a suitable starting duo. Lamarcus Joyner and Marcus Roberson will also provide decent depth, just as they've done this year.
The Rams can't afford to let both veteran corners walk. If Jenkins is unwilling to re-sign, it's good that the Rams can always turn to Johnson.
Aaron Donald Continues to Dominate
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In this week's game preview, I mentioned that Aaron Donald must carry the defense. With several key pieces sidelined—Jenkins, Robert Quinn, T.J. McDonald—the Rams absolutely needed Donald to step up and single-handedly disrupt the backfield.
Donald was able to do just that in this game, which isn't surprising given how dominant he's been for St. Louis.
Donald's three sacks against Detroit were a career high for a single game. He's now the only interior lineman in the league with double-digit sacks, and he's the first defensive tackle to hit 10 or more sacks since Marcell Dareus last season. His 11 sacks are currently the fourth-highest total in the NFL.
The fact that he's been tearing it up without Quinn—who draws plenty of attention and allows Donald to make plays—makes his success even more impressive.
Donald is the No. 1 defensive tackle in the game, according to Pro Football Focus. His overall grade of 65.2 is 12 points ahead of the second-place Geno Atkins.
Out of all the defensive linemen in the NFL—4-3 ends and tackles, 3-4 ends, nose tackles and edge-rushers—Donald's grade of 65.2 is the highest of them all. He even leads J.J. Watt, who's a close second with a grade of 63.9.
The player Donald is frequently compared to is Warren Sapp, but even that's not necessarily true. Sapp had 12 sacks in his first two years, but Donald already has 19 and isn't even done yet. He's been the better pass-rusher so far.
Watt, Atkins and Darrelle Revis will get plenty of attention for the Defensive Player of the Year award. All three of those players have more name recognition than Donald. Since the award is a popularity contest, Donald will likely get snubbed.
Even so, it's not hard to argue that Donald is the best defensive player in the game.
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Todd Gurley Is the Key to Winning
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There was a common theme during St. Louis' five-game losing streak. In each game, Gurley was held under 100 yards rushing. The offensive line gave him virtually no chance to succeed.
It's no coincidence that St. Louis snapped its losing streak on the back of Gurley's 140 rushing yards. The Rams have a 4-1 record when Gurley exceeds 100 yards. The Rams average just 10.8 points per game when Gurley is held under 100 yards rushing, but that average jumps to 21.2 when he's over.
St. Louis' formula for success is pretty clear. When Gurley gets going, the Rams win football games.
St. Louis must use every resource to build up the offense this offseason and create an ideal environment for Gurley. That might involve bringing in more linemen, but it could also mean finding a new quarterback and receivers. If the Rams develop the passing game, teams will no longer have the luxury of zeroing in on Gurley.
If Gurley can stay healthy, he'll eventually do for St. Louis what Adrian Peterson did for the Vikings. He'll turn the Rams into a playoff contender.
Jim Thomas on Gurley's Possible Injury
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"Todd Gurley wasn't in the game at the end. Said he banged his knee, but doesn't sound like anything serious." -Jim Thomas of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
On Gurley's final run of the game, he was brought down and sent to the sidelines. When Gurley did not return on offense at the very end, fans grew concerned that there was a possible injury.
Thankfully, Thomas reported, via Twitter, that the running back banged his knee but it's not believed to be serious.
Gurley had a late-season ACL tear during his final season with Georgia, which is why he didn't take over the starting role until Week 4. Due to that injury, St. Louis fans are understandably nervous every time Gurley touches the football. He hasn't had any issues this year, but that fear still lingers.
Luckily, Gurley should be fine and back in the lineup against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers this Thursday.
Jeff Fisher on St. Louis Sticking with Its Run-First Game Plan
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"We stuck with it. And that was our intention after half time." -Jeff Fisher, per the post-game press conference.
Gurley was limited to just nine rushing attempts in each of the last two games. Considering he's an elite weapon on a struggling offense—perhaps the only player capable of igniting the offense—that's completely unacceptable.
It's part of the reason St. Louis fell into a five-game losing streak. The team kept falling behind by the second half, so the Rams abandoned the run and increased the number of pass attempts. Since the Rams have the most inept aerial attack in the league, it's not surprising that it didn't work out.
This week, the Rams didn't back away from the run late in the game. The Rams ran the ball 15 times in 23 plays during the second half, including nine carries for Gurley. Of Gurley's 140 rushing yards, 127 of those yards and both touchdowns came in the second half. Had St. Louis abandoned the run, Detroit would have sealed the win with ease.
We need to see more of a dedication toward the run moving forward—no more backing off the game plan due to fear.
Jim Thomas on St. Louis' Locker Room Vibe
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"As might be expected the locker room vibe was one of great relief after 1st win for Rams since Nov 1." -Jim Thomas of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, via Twitter.
After five straight losses, including three blowouts, things have been very grim at Rams Park. There's not a team in the NFL that needed a win worse than the Rams.
It was the first win since November 1. During that five-week stretch, it appeared that the team had completely given up. The Rams appeared so inept that losing out the final four games seemed like a very real possibility.
This win won't do much to save the 2015 season—it's far too late for that—but it tells us a lot about these players. The team had hit rock bottom, yet the players were able to demonstrate resilience and fight back.
If we can see more of that fight down the road, there's a lot of promise for 2016 and beyond.
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