St. Louis Rams vs. Philadelphia: Full Report Card Grades for St. Louis
The St. Louis Rams (1-3) suffered a 34-28 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles (4-1), but the Rams made it an exciting game despite a sloppy start.
The Rams hurt themselves with numerous turnovers. Fumbles by Austin Davis and Zac Stacy both resulted in Philadelphia touchdowns, and a blocked Johnny Hekker punt gave the Eagles their first touchdown of the game.
The Eagles led 34-7 in the second half, and the game was looking like a blowout, but Austin Davis and the Rams never gave up and made an admirable comeback.
The Rams fought back in the final quarter to make it a 34-28 game, and the offense got the ball back with two minutes on the clock. Davis drove the offense to midfield, but two dropped passes stalled the drive and lost the game.
Had the Rams finished the drive with a touchdown, it would have been the biggest comeback victory in regulation in NFL history.
The Rams blew a winnable game and moral victories mean nothing in the NFL, but the Rams deserve some recognition for that effort.
This article will look at St. Louis' inspiring performance one position at a time and give each group a grade. The grade will be based on performance, stats and consistency.
Quarterback: A
1 of 8
Davis had some not-so-great moments throughout the game, but he woke up in the second half and reminded fans why he was named the starter.
Davis' 59.2 percent completion percentage was lower than what he's capable of. He also slid short of the first-down marker early in the game and threw a few risky passes, but those mistakes can be overlooked considering this was just his third NFL start.
The positives definitely outweigh those negatives. Davis had three touchdown passes, a career-high 375 yards and led an excellent offensive surge late in the game that nearly led to a comeback win.
Davis was also under major pressure most of the game. His fumble was the result of awful blindside protection rather than sloppy quarterback play, but he thrived regardless of the bad protection.
The Rams have found a gem in Davis. The gunslinger is fun to watch and has finally made the St. Louis offense exciting.
It'll be interesting to see how the Rams handle the quarterback situation once Sam Bradford returns from injury in 2015. At this point, Davis is making a strong case as the team' long-term answer at the position.
Running Back: C
2 of 8
The running backs had a fairly solid game, but the Rams needed a better effort from this group.
Stacy was held to just 3.7 yards per carry and was held to just 42 yards on the game. He also coughed up a crucial fumble that the Eagles turned into a touchdown, and that was the difference in the game.
The No. 2 back, Benny Cunningham, had a better game, with 47 yards and a 6.7 yards per carry average. He also added a much-needed score on a 14-yard touchdown run.
Trey Watts had just two carries for six yards, but he did add an 11-yard run in the red zone that set up a touchdown.
There were some positives from this group, but the backs did not move the chains with enough consistency, and the fumble was a major error that likely lost the game for St. Louis.
Wide Receiver/Tight End: B
3 of 8
The receivers were excellent in this game and really contributed to Davis' monster numbers.
In his third NFL season, Brian Quick is continuing to have a breakout year. He had 87 yards in this game and grabbed two touchdowns for the Rams. With 322 yards on the year (already a career high), Quick is on pace for a 1,200-yard campaign.
Kenny Britt, who was quiet early in the year, also had a big day, with 68 yards and a score. He's beginning to find his groove and contribute consistently on offense.
The tight ends also had a decent showing. Jared Cook added 44 yards on four catches, and Lance Kendricks added a 22-yard grab.
The grade suffers due to Austin Pettis' two drops on the final drive of the game. The second drop was a tough catch to make, but both passes should have been receptions. The Rams had a chance to create a historic comeback, but Pettis stalled the drive.
Overall, it was still a great day for the receivers.
.jpg?w=256 "Colts Jaguars Football")
Offensive Line: D
4 of 8
This group deserved an "F" grade if you only look at the first three quarters, but the offensive line did muster a better showing in the final quarter.
Davis had Eagles defenders all over him for most of the game. Jake Long allowed a blindside defender to drill Davis, resulting in a fumble and touchdown for Philadelphia. Considering how easily the Eagles were penetrating the line, it's miraculous that Davis didn't take more fumble-forcing hits from the blindside.
The run blocking was also sloppy, and Stacy was held under four yards a carry. The Rams faced far too many 2nd-and-8 situations instead of 2nd-and-5, and that's a direct result of the terrible run blocking.
The line did solidify in the final quarter, which allowed the passing game to excel. However, Davis still felt decent pressure during the final drives—he was simply able to overcome it.
Defensive Line: D+
5 of 8
The defensive line did a decent job containing LeSean McCoy, but this group is still drastically under-performing.
McCoy was held to just 3.4 yards per carry, but that's probably more of a testament to McCoy's personal struggles this season rather than St. Louis' stout defensive play.
Once again, the Rams failed to record a single sack. This was the third sackless game for the Rams this season, and the team has just one sack on the year.
Robert Quinn, who was a Defensive Player of the Year candidate last year with 19 sacks, has zero sacks on the year. His four-game drought is the longest of his career.
For a team that has featured an elite pass rush the last two seasons, it's totally unacceptable that this group is ranked 32nd in sacks in the NFL. Something has to change. There's no good excuse for an extremely talented group of pass rusher to be contained like this.
Linebacker: C+
6 of 8
The linebackers had a pretty impressive showing against the Philadelphia run game.
The Rams allowed a 100-yard rusher in each of the first three games, and poor play by the linebackers was one of the reasons for that. The group rebounded this game and held Philadelphia's top rusher, McCoy, to 81 yards.
McCoy's 81 yards is a season high for the struggling running back, so it's not a total victory for the run defense. However, it's a good start.
We also saw Alec Ogletree force a fumble against McCoy, and that was a nice momentum changer for the Rams.
If the linebackers can build on this performance, the group will do just fine for the remainder of the year.
Secondary: B
7 of 8
The secondary had few mental lapses and held up admirably against Philadelphia's fast-paced passing attack.
The 24-yard touchdown to Jeremy Maclin was the only clear screwup in coverage. The secondary allowed just two passes for longer than 20 yards, so the group did an excellent job containing big plays.
The cornerbacks had just one penalty on the afternoon—an illegal contact call against Janoris Jenkins—but the flag had no negative consequences. The Eagles did not score any points on that drive.
The safeties just had one penalty as well. T.J. McDonald had a needless pass interference penalty that aided the Eagles on a touchdown drive. However, McDonald made up for it with a solid third-down tackle against Darren Sproles during Philadelphia's final drive. The tackle forced a punt and put the ball back in the offense's hands, which gave the Rams a shot at the win.
Rookie E.J. Gaines had his first career interception on a deep pass intended for Maclin, and he also had a fumble recovery. The sixth-round pick from the 2014 draft is turning out to be a complete steal.
Despite the loss, it was a promising day for the defensive backs. The Rams entered the game with the third-ranked pass defense in the NFL, and this game continued that trend.
Special Teams: F
8 of 8
The special teams unit was brutal in this game, and the play from this group greatly contributed to the loss.
The most frustrating mistake was the blocked punt to open the game. The offense stalled deep in St. Louis territory on the first drive of the game, and poor blocking allowed the Eagles to break through the line and block Hekker's punt. Philadelphia recovered for a touchdown.
Ray-Ray Armstrong also had an unnecessary roughness penalty during punt coverage. The needless 15-yard penalty gave Philadelphia the ball at midfield and resulted in an easy field goal. But it's not a total surprise—Armstrong is easily one of the most undisciplined special teams players in the league and apparently incapable of learning from mistakes.
On the same play, the Rams punt coverage team allowed Sproles to run back a 23-yard punt return. Armstrong's penalty was just a nice bonus.
The Rams have to get better on special teams. The group was dreadful in this game.
.jpg?w=480 "Colts Jaguars Football")
.png?w=480)
