Minnesota Vikings vs. St. Louis Rams: Full Report Card Grades for St. Louis
The St. Louis Rams (0-1) suffered a demoralizing 34-6 home-opener loss against the Minnesota Vikings (1-0) at the Edward Jones Dome on Sunday.
The Rams offense was the culprit in this embarrassing performance. Whether it was pass protection or run blocking, the offensive line was totally dominated in every facet. At no point in this game did the Rams offense even resemble an NFL-caliber unit.
This was a troubling performance for Rams fans and a rude awakening for the team. If this game is an accurate representation of what the Rams are capable of, it's going to be a very long season in St. Louis.
This article will break down the performance of each St. Louis unit and provide a letter grade. As you can already guess, the grades won't be pretty.
Quarterback: D
1 of 8
Shaun Hill quarterbacked the first half of the game and was held out of the second half with an injury. The Rams replaced Hill with third-year pro Austin Davis, who entered camp as the team's No. 3 passer.
The passing game was very anemic, but there were some positives. Hill and Davis combined for a respectable 66.6 percent completion rate with 273 yards, but those numbers did little to help the team.
Hill and Davis both had interceptions, including Davis' pick-six in the final quarter, so the grade has to suffer. Having said that, sloppy play from the offensive line didn't give the quarterbacks a chance.
Running Back: C-
2 of 8
Despite the terrible and inconsistent run blocking up front, the St. Louis backs did not have a terrible performance.
Zac Stacy and Benny Cunningham both hit four yards per carry on average. The two backs had just 16 carries in the game but managed to combine for 64 total yards on the ground.
The Rams backs did not run with the same tenacity we saw a year ago, but they came out all right considering the run lanes were small and almost nonexistent.
Wide Receiver/Tight Ends: C-
3 of 8
Brian Quick was able to prove that his emergence was not merely a preseason fluke. He had seven receptions for 99 yards and showed Rams fans that he could possibly be the real deal.
Tight end Jared Cook also had a decent showing with 56 yards on four catches, and second-year pro Tavon Austin added 34 yards.
However, the receivers made ridiculous penalties that cost the team greatly. Chris Givens had an obvious push-off that drew a flag. Quick had a facemask, and Cook drew a penalty as well. These boneheaded moves kill the overall grade.
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Offensive Line: F
4 of 8
The offensive line was easily the most overwhelmed and pathetic group to step onto the field during this game. The performance this group put forth was nothing short of a total disaster.
Davin Joseph was tossed around like he was nothing, and he simply looked like a player who doesn't belong on an NFL field. Making matters worse is that Joseph started at guard over No. 2 overall draft pick Greg Robinson.
I don't know which is worse—that the coaches benched Robinson for Joseph, or that the team used a No. 2 pick on a player who can't beat a lackluster player for a starting job. It's hard to say.
The O-line primarily faced a mere four-man rush from the Vikings defense, and even that was too much for it to handle. Those four defenders got pressure immediately. At first glance, you would think the Vikings were rushing 11 players on every play.
Also, the unit seemed to draw at least one penalty every drive. This group had zero discipline.
Joseph, Jake Long and Scott Wells are all former Pro Bowlers. The fact that a group with so much talent can appear so mediocre is mind-boggling.
Inevitably, changes will be made before Week 2. Certain players will lose their starting jobs over this game, as they should.
Defensive Line: C
5 of 8
The defensive line got solid pressure and penetration at times, and the group contained Adrian Peterson for the most part—he finished with a modest 75 rushing yards.
Cordarrelle Patterson's 102 rushing yards had more to do with poor secondary tackling, as well as the linebackers' inability to secure the outside edges. It wasn't necessarily a defensive line issue.
If you watch tape from this game, it's clear that the defensive line was one of the few capable units for the Rams.
Linebacker: D
6 of 8
The linebackers were sloppy when it came to securing the edge on outside runs, and the tackling was poor.
Alec Ogletree and Jo-Lonn Dunbar each had half a sack, but that was primarily due to the defensive line making things happen up front.
The linebackers were not a total catastrophe throughout the game, but the group struggled to contain the Vikings and contributed to the loss.
Secondary: F
7 of 8
Janoris Jenkins appeared to be the only capable player in the secondary from this game, and rookie E.J. Gaines had his moments as well. But overall, this group was horrible.
The tackling, particularly on Patterson's 67-yard touchdown, was simply terrible. Vikings players were getting extra yards on almost every touch, and the lack of physicality from this unit is not what you'd expect from a Jeff Fisher team.
The coverage was also horrendous. The Vikings seemed to have no problem securing a clutch completion in every single key situation, and the secondary made a very mediocre Matt Cassel look like a Pro Bowl passer.
It's frightening to think what a real quarterback will be able to do against this unit.
Special Teams: D
8 of 8
After the offense and defense completely choked in every way imaginable, you would think that at least the special teams unit would provide the silver lining.
Guess again.
Tavon Austin muffed two punt returns—the same guy the Rams traded into the top 10 to grab during the 2013 draft, when they could have saved a second-round pick by staying put and selecting Patterson, who manage to slaughter the Rams in this game.
Greg Zuerlein missed an early 52-yard field goal. That's not exactly a chip shot, but the distance is easily in Zuerlein's range. At the time, the Rams were in desperate need of those points, and that field goal could have affected the overall momentum of the game.
Although, other than the top-10 draft pick who couldn't catch a punt and a kicker who left valuable points on the board, the special teams unit was pretty good.
On the bright side, the coverage teams didn't give up any return touchdowns to Patterson. Buy hey, there's always next week.
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