Tre Mason Returns to Earth as Rams Offense Sputters in Loss to Cardinals

It has only been two weeks since St. Louis Rams running back Tre Mason's monster performance against the Oakland Raiders, where he rushed for 117 yards and caught the ball for another 47 and scored three total touchdowns. 

But Mason and the Rams offense weren't nearly as productive Thursday night against the Arizona Cardinals, with just a pair of field goals to their name on the scoreboard.

Mason rushed for just 33 yards, held to a paltry 2.5 yards per attempt. He didn't catch any balls out of the backfield. 

It was a noticeable dip from his more illustrious recent performances. 

Game	Rush Att.	Rush Yds.	Yds./Att.	Rec.	Rec. Yds.	TDs
Week 11 @ DEN	29	113	3.9	1	1	0
Week 12 @ SD	16	62	3.9	1	26	0
Week 13 vs. OAK	14	117	8.4	3	47	3
Week 14 @ WSH	20	66	3.3	0	0	0
Week 15 vs. ARI	13	33	2.5	0	0	0

His 2.5 yards per attempt is the fewest Mason has averaged in any game so far this season, though his 13 carries were close to his average per game on the season prior to Thursday (15.8).

It wasn't for lack of use that Mason struggled against the Cardinals, but rather an ineffective offensive line and a Cardinals run defense that was ranked sixth in the league heading into the matchup, allowing just 92.1 yards on the ground per game. 

The Rams totaled 69 rushing yards against Arizona. 

Mason was due for a dip after his astronomical performance against Oakland, but it didn't need to be this low. St. Louis' offensive line was a hindrance to his efforts Thursday, unable to hold blocks and open lanes. Pro Football Focus (subscription required) currently ranks the Rams line 20th in the league in run-blocking, and it looked even lower against Arizona.

Of course, Mason didn't help his own cause when he coughed up the ball on the Rams' own 19-yard line with two minutes remaining in the first quarter. The error led to Arizona's first points of the night, and the Rams were lucky that it was for only three and not six. 

Mason wasn't relegated to the bench after his fumble, but it may partly explain why Benny Cunningham played 34 snaps to Mason's 31, per the count of Pro Football Focus analyst Nathan Jahnke. 

The Rams' play selection also had a direct influence on how quiet their run game was Thursday. Offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer executed a game plan that included 39 passing attempts by Shaun Hill, but only 20 rushing attempts split among Mason, Stedman Bailey, Hill, Tavon Austin and Cunningham. 

For a team built on the power run—a team that drafted Greg Robinson in order to boost its power running game—it was a curious way to go. 

Looking forward, St. Louis has now officially been eliminated from the playoffs and has the New York Giants and Seattle Seahawks remaining on the schedule. Now is the time to plan for next season and play with personnel groupings and offensive game plans to be used in 2015, and so the Rams should prioritize the run under Mason while they consider what their quarterback situation will look like next season.

He may not score three touchdowns in a single game again, especially against Seattle, but Mason has proven he can be a cornerstone of this offense in future years. The future just looked further away than ever on Thursday night.