Dallas Cowboys vs. St. Louis Rams: Full Report Card Grades for St. Louis
The St. Louis Rams (1-2) suffered a painful 34-31 home loss to the Dallas Cowboys (2-1), and this game will give the Rams a lot to think about as they head into their Week 4 bye.
The Rams appeared to have complete control of the game and were on their way to a convincing victory after securing a 21-0 lead in the first half. It was the most ideal start imaginable for St. Louis, but it didn't last.
The Cowboys managed to put 10 points on the board just before halftime, and Dallas scored 20 total unanswered points before the Rams finally snapped the streak with a fourth-quarter field goal, giving St. Louis a 24-20 lead.
Dallas answered back with two fourth-quarter touchdowns, including a pick-six by linebacker Bruce Carter, which gave it 34 points. St. Louis answered back with a fourth-quarter touchdown of its own, making it a three-point game.
In the final minutes, the St. Louis defense made a stand and got the ball back into the offense's hand with two minutes still on the clock. Rather than marching downfield with a game-winning touchdown drive or going into overtime with a field goal, Rams quarterback Austin Davis threw his second pick of the game.
The Cowboys came back against a 21-point deficit, and it was their biggest comeback in regulation in franchise history.
Rams fans will be forced to wonder...if the Rams can't take advantage of a 21-point lead, will they be able to capitalize on any positive opportunity this season?
It's hard to say. But for now we'll focus on this game. This article will go over this game unit-by-unit and provide a grade for each group.
Quarterback: B+
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Austin Davis was very effective throwing the ball. In his second NFL start, he completed 71.4 percent of his passes with 327 yards and three touchdown passes.
Critics will certainly point out Davis' two interceptions—a pick-six to linebacker Bruce Carter and a pick by Morris Claiborne to win the game for Dallas on the final drive—but it's not fair to read too much into the handful of questionable throws by Davis.
Davis' two touchdown passes in the first half gave the Rams a 21-0 lead. He had a third touchdown pass to Austin Pettis to give the Rams new life in the final quarter, and that would have been Davis' fourth touchdown of the day. He nearly had four touchdowns, but Jared Cook bobbled an easy touchdown that hit him square in the hands.
Two questionable calls by the refs against defensive end Eugene Sims killed the Rams. Cook's dropped touchdown killed the Rams. The secondary allowing Dez Bryant to get wide open for a touchdown killed the Rams. Scott Wells' bad snap that resulted in a turnover killed the Rams.
Davis' bad throws contributed, but he did more good than bad. The Rams decided to put the game squarely on the shoulders of an undrafted third-string quarterback making his second career start, and there's no excuse for that.
The game should have never been put in Davis' hands like that, as mistakes are inevitable for an inexperienced player of his caliber.
It's not that Davis doesn't have accountability, but he played out of his mind in this game. His teammates let him down more than he let them down.
In his first two NFL starts, Davis has been incredible. This loss is not on him.
Running Backs: A-
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The running backs did not produce gaudy stats or carry the Rams to victory, but it's hard to find any critical errors with this group.
Zac Stacy contributed 67 yards on 12 carries, and Benny Cunningham added another 27 yards on nine attempts. Even undrafted rookie Trey Watts, who was inactive the first two weeks, saw some action and did a nice job adding 24 yards on five carries.
Overall, the backs ran with the same intensity that we saw in 2013. Stacy looked a lot like his rookie self, and he appears to be back on track after a sloppy Week 1.
Again, this group didn't do anything remarkable in the game, but the run game was dependable for four quarters.
Wide Receivers/Tight Ends: B+
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The receivers did a nice job overall, but there were some crucial errors that hurt the team.
Brian Quick had another big day in what appears to be a breakout year for the third-year pro. He hauled in just two passes, but he finished the game with 62 yards, including a 51-yard touchdown—his first of the year.
Tight end Jared Cook led the team with seven catches and 75 yards, and even Kenny Britt got involved with five grabs and 69 yards after a quiet first two weeks.
Unfortunately, Cook dropped an easy touchdown pass that hit him directly in the hands. That forced the Rams to settle for a fourth-quarter field goal instead of a much-needed touchdown, and those four points were the difference in the game.
Lance Kendricks also dropped a catchable touchdown pass, but Davis hit Austin Pettis for a four-yard touchdown two plays later.
Quick had a pass-interference penalty that nearly stalled a drive, but he made up for it by scoring his touchdown two plays later. He also had an illegal-formation penalty, but it was offset by a Dallas penalty.
Britt contributed an offensive holding penalty, which hurt the Rams during their first drive in the fourth quarter. Britt also came up short on a deep ball by Davis. It was a tough play, but one that probably could have been made.
There were a lot of positives from this group, but there's still room for improvement with the penalties and dropped balls.
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Offensive Line: B-
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The Rams offensive line appeared to have a solid outing after struggling the last two weeks, but there were errors as well.
The line did not allow a single sack and did not commit a single penalty throughout the game. It deserves credit for that, but the group also made two horrible mistakes that cost the Rams the football game.
The biggest negative was obviously Scott Wells' bad snap during St. Louis' final drive of the first half. The Rams were in Dallas territory looking to close the half with a touchdown or field goal, which would have given St. Louis either a 17- or 21-point lead at the half. Instead, the Cowboys turned the mistake into a field goal and made it a two-score game at half.
The line also failed to get any push when the Rams went for it on 4th-and-inches in the second half. Rather than converting and going on to score, the Rams gave the ball right back to Dallas and walked away with no points. It was yet another mistake by the offensive line that could have been the difference in the game.
Those two plays were so harmful and so easily avoidable, and it cost the Rams big time. However, the zero sacks and penalties deserve recognition.
Defensive Line: D
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Excuses have been made for Robert Quinn throughout the first two weeks of the season. He is frequently held by opposing offensive lines, and those penalties are rarely called. That has prevented him from making plays.
However, it's time to address what's on the mind of every St. Louis fan. Quinn, a Defensive Player of the Year candidate last year, has been virtually invisible this season. The lack of game-changing plays by No. 94 has probably been the biggest disappointment of the year so far.
Quinn has created pressure at times, but he has gone three weeks without a sack—making this his longest drought since his rookie year in 2011—and his run defense has also suffered.
The St. Louis defense as a whole—a group that laughably nicknamed itself "Sack City" this past offseason—has just one sack on the year.
The Rams and Indianapolis Colts entered Week 3 tied for last in sacks with one each. Indianapolis recorded four sacks against the Jacksonville Jaguars, so Sack City is now officially last in the NFL in sacks after failing to sack Tony Romo even once.
We can now officially alter the nickname to Sackless City, as the Rams have yet to record a sack at home this year.
It would be easy to overlook St. Louis' lack of sacks if the run defense was topnotch, but that isn't the case either, not even close. DeMarco Murray finished with 100 yards, so the Rams have now allowed a 100-yard rusher in every game this season.
For the amount of money, talent and draft picks invested in this group, saying that the unit is a disappointment is a understatement. In reality, it has been a total and complete disaster, and the front four is slowly making a case for being the most overrated group in St. Louis sports history.
Linebackers: C
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The linebackers made some positive plays that helped the team, but it was a questionable performance overall.
Alec Ogletree forced a fumble against Murray in the opening quarter that was recovered by safety Cody Davis. The turnover gave the ball back to the offense and set up Quick's 51-yard touchdown.
Also, Jo-Lonn Dunbar made a key stop during a 3rd-and-1 situation. Dunbar shot into the backfield and tackled Murray for a five-yard loss, forcing Dallas to settle for a field goal in the third quarter.
The group allowed Murray to reach 100 yards rushing, and the overall run defense was lacking, but the unit made some positive plays as well.
Secondary: D
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Tony Romo didn't light up the sky with 217 yards, but the St. Louis secondary had plenty of errors.
Rookie Lamarcus Joyner had a terrible pass-interference penalty in the end zone that allowed Dallas to advance 26 yards to the 1-yard line, which, of course, ended in a touchdown.
Janoris Jenkins also had a pass-interference penalty that advanced the Cowboys 23 yards, and his mistake led to a Dallas touchdown as well. Jenkins also came close to wiping out the defense's fumble recovery in the first half after tripping the ball-carrier, but the refs missed the call.
The secondary also allowed Dez Bryant to get wide open for a 68-yard touchdown. Who knows how Dallas' best receiver was not accounted for, but it was an obvious and costly mistake.
Jenkins returned an interception for a touchdown in the first half, but that one play was one of the only positives from this group.
Special Teams: C
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Special teams was far from special for the Rams in this game.
Jenkins had a holding on a punt return during Dallas' final drive of the half. Rather than giving the offense the ball with decent field position, Jenkins decided that knocking the offense back 10 yards would be more convenient.
Joyner also had a holding penalty on a punt return, and it was just a bad day for that unit overall. The Rams had just one yard on punt returns during the game.
As for kicking, Greg Zuerlein made his one field-goal attempt, but that's pretty much the only positive from this group.
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