St. Louis Rams vs. Kansas City Chiefs: Full Report Card Grades for St. Louis
The St. Louis Rams (2-5) suffered a 34-7 loss to the intrastate-rival Kansas City Chiefs (4-3).
The Rams are now 0-6 against their intrastate rivals since relocating from Los Angeles to St. Louis in 1995. This was also Jeff Fisher's first loss against Andy Reid in five matchups.
St. Louis got off to a roaring start in the opening quarter. The offense went 65 yards in six plays for an opening-drive touchdown, and it appeared the Rams were going to be in sync for this game. That turned out to be far from the case.
The Chiefs completely dominated the final three quarters. The Rams had no answer for the Kansas City rushing attack, and the Chiefs went on to produce 34 unanswered points following St. Louis' opening score.
It was a nightmare performance for the Rams, who were hoping to pick up some momentum following last week's win over the Seattle Seahawks. And things won't get any easier—the San Francisco 49ers, Arizona Cardinals, Denver Broncos and San Diego Chargers are up next, in that order.
This article will outline St. Louis' performance against Kansas City, providing a grade to each unit based on production, stats and consistency.
Quarterback: C-
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Austin Davis had one of his worst outings since taking over the starting job in St. Louis, but the lack of protection gave him almost no chance.
Davis was on fire during the opening drive when he marched the offense downfield for the team's only touchdown, but that rhythm vanished almost instantly following that drive.
Davis was constantly scrambling for his life and trying to throw on the run. The disruptions at the line of scrimmage completely obliterated the offense's chemistry and prevented Davis from getting in sync with the receiver.
The offensive line is not responsible for all of Davis' struggles, however. Davis made a dangerous throw down the field that was picked off, and that's on him. It was a terrible decision that tipped the momentum early in the game.
Davis looks like a potential long-term answer at quarterback at times, but this game will undoubtedly inject doubt in the minds of St. Louis fans.
Running Back: C+
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The run game was painfully unproductive, but that's primarily due to the lack of run lanes created by the offensive line.
Tre Mason led the group with 32 yards on seven carries, giving him a respectable 4.5 yards-per-carry average. His lack of carries in this game was a little baffling, but he did excellent overall. The rookie is really establishing himself as the primary back.
Benny Cunningham also had a decent outing with 27 yards on four carries, for a 6.7 yards-per-carry average.
Cunningham and Mason had good averages, but the backs were incapable of picking up good yardage in first- and second-down situations, and that's what killed the St. Louis offense.
With just 18 combined carries among the St. Louis backs, the Rams need to show more of a commitment to the run game moving forward. After the Rams gave up the lead, offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer abondoned the run, and it hurt the team.
Wide Receiver/Tight End: C-
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The receivers are one of the toughest groups to analyze from this game. Davis was under so much duress that few receivers had a chance shine.
Kenny Britt had a nice 43-yard grab on the opening drive—his longest catch of the year—and that set up St. Louis' only score of the game. Lance Kendricks caught a short touchdown pass, and that was a nice reception as well.
It's disappointing that the receivers were unable to improvise and bail out Davis when he was under heavy pressure, and that's likely the biggest disappointment from this group.
The group had no clear blemishes, but no one stepped up to be the game-changer either.
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Offensive Line: F
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The offensive line was painful to watch in this game. The group deserves a break, since starters Jake Long, Rodger Saffold and Scott Wells all exited the game, presumably with injuries, but it was still an awful performance.
Davis was constantly under pressure, especially in the second half. The Chiefs racked up seven sacks, and the offense had no chance to produce anything meaningful as a result. The backs had also had little room to run, and that hurt the offense's rhythm.
The line has been much better in recent weeks, but this was a giant step backward. The Rams better hope the injuries to the starters are not serious, or else things will get ugly against the 49ers next week.
Defensive Line: C
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On the bright side, the defensive line is finally starting to tap into its powerful pass-rush talent. The group sacked Russell Wilson three times last week, and Robert Quinn had two sacks in a single drive against Kansas City.
Additionally, rookie Aaron Donald—the No. 13 overall draft pick—continues to make a name for himself. He had some great tackles behind the line of scrimmage and continues to be a force on the defensive line.
The defensive line's run defense suffered in this game, and that's the reason for the mediocre grade. The group got little help from the rest of the defense, but this unit has to get better at stuffing runs at the line of scrimmage.
Linebackers: F
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The linebackers were simply awful in this game, and former first-round pick Alec Ogletree continues to disappoint after a dreadful performance last week against the Seattle Seahawks.
Ogletree was flagged for two unnecessary-roughness penalties, and his run defense continues to be suspect.
In fact, all the St. Louis linebackers were overwhelmed by the Kansas City rushing attack. They were incapable of meeting the ball-carrier at the line of scrimmage, and the group made far too many tackles down the field.
Secondary: D
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The secondary deserves somewhat of a handicap for this game, as injuries forced the Rams to field three rookies at cornerback for this game.
However, rookie or not, these guys are still NFL players. Allowing Alex Smith to complete over 87 percent of his passes is ridiculous.
The Chiefs moved the ball at ease through the air, and the Kansas City backs had no problem breaking tackles after reaching the second level.
The Rams need Janoris Jenkins and Trumaine Johnson back in uniform as soon as possible. Both players were ruled as inactive for the game due to injuries, per Adam Schefter of ESPN.
Special Teams: F
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Greg Zuerlein failed to secure a 10-point lead for the Rams after missing an easy 38-yard field goal—a mere chip shot considering Zuerlein's unbelievable leg strength.
However, Zuerlein's miss doesn't compare to the kickoff coverage team, allowing Knile Davis to run back a touchdown to open the second half.
These two plays really altered the momentum of the game. Had it not been for these hiccups on special teams, it likely would have been a close one until the end.
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