Rams vs. Redskins: St. Louis Grades, Notes and Quotes
The St. Louis Rams suffered their first loss of 2015 in a 24-10 defeat to the Washington Redskins.
The Rams were riding high after a Week 1 overtime win against the Seattle Seahawks, but the euphoria from that win has officially vanished. St. Louis arrived in Washington ill prepared and dropped a winnable game, which should be enough to bring the team back to reality.
Typically, when the Rams lose a game, it's the result of self-inflicted errors—turnovers, penalties, blown coverage—but that wasn't necessarily the case this week. This game was a rare instance where the Rams were simply outplayed.
Washington deserves a lot of credit for that. The Redskins entered this game jacked up and hungry, and it was visible in their performance. The St. Louis offense was overwhelmed and never stood a chance.
The St. Louis run game was up against a brick wall, and Nick Foles was under too much pressure to make anything happen in the air. On defense, St. Louis played ferocious at times but gave up a few too many big plays to be effective.
The Rams will regroup and attempt to improve the game plan against the Pittsburgh Steelers next week. As for the Redskins, they'll try to ride this momentum as they take on the New York Giants for Washington's first road game of the year.
Read on for analysis on the Rams' Week 2 loss, including position grades, game notes and quotes.
Position Grades for the Rams
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| Position | Grade |
| QB | D+ |
| RB | D |
| WR | C- |
| TE | C |
| OL | F |
| DL | B |
| LB | D |
| DB | D+ |
| Special Teams | C |
| Coaching | D+ |
Foles wasn't entirely at fault since he was constantly under pressure every snap. Even so, he looked skittish and nervous during the few instances where he had time.
Foles completed just 53.1 percent of his passes for a modest 150 yards—quite a low total considering St. Louis ran the ball just 13 times—and missed wide-open receivers on multiple occasions. He did hit Kenny Britt for a 40-yard touchdown bomb, but that was one of the few positives.
The running backs were very underwhelming. Tre Mason was held to 26 yards on seven attempts and also had a fumble. Benny Cunningham was held to zero yards on one carry. Tavon Austin did have 40 yards and four attempts, but the true running backs were completely outmatched.
At receiver, Jared Cook led the way once again with five catches and 47 yards, but he did have a drop on a key third down. Britt broke free for the long touchdown, but his only other reception was a four-yard grab. Lance Kendricks had a nice 15-yard grab—one of the offense's biggest gains of the first half—but was shut out the rest of the game.
The receivers didn't have much of a chance. Foles was jumpy, and his throws were wild.
The real culprit on offense was the line. Rob Havenstein and Greg Robinson were completely outmatched on the edges, and Foles couldn't get a clean pocket all game. The run blocking was simply pathetic, which is a major concern considering the St. Louis line was specifically built to open lanes.
The defensive line played a nice game. Aaron Donald got a sack and was disruptive as usual. Robert Quinn had a forced fumble, and we even heard newcomer Nick Fairley's name called on several occasions.
St. Louis' weak run defense stemmed from poor play at linebacker. On Alfred Morris' 35-yard run in the first half, James Laurinaitis overshot his path to the ball-carrier and took himself out of the play. Two plays later, he allowed himself to get locked up with a blocker—the result was a 39-yard touchdown run for Matt Jones.
Even Alec Ogletree, who played better than Laurinaitis, hurt St. Louis with a face-mask penalty. Overall, it was just an uninspiring effort by the linebackers.
The secondary had its ups and downs. Janoris Jenkins allowed Ryan Grant to get open for a 35-yard gain. The secondary forced just four incompletions, though that's not totally surprising since Washington mostly utilized short passes. Jenkins also allowed Pierre Garcon to haul in a four-yard touchdown grab.
There were some positive moments. Jenkins had some decent moments in coverage and made nice tackles. Trumaine Johnson broke up a pass and nearly had the pick. Lamarcus Joyner did a great job wrapping up and bringing down receivers. T.J. McDonald also helped out with a fumble recovery.
On special teams, there were no game-changing highlights. Greg Zuerlein had a nice 52-yard field goal, but the Rams also had some penalties.
As far as coaching, the game plan seemed entirely inept. The offensive line had nothing in its toolbox to counter the tough Washington front seven. On defense, coordinator Gregg Williams had no answer for the Redskins' run game and short passes.
No St. Louis unit shined in this game. It was a team loss through and through.
Offensive Line Continues to Be a Major Issue
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The Rams defeated Seattle last week, despite the offensive line's play, not because of it. For six weeks now, including the preseason, the St. Louis offensive line has been helpless.
Foles was sacked twice and hit seven times against Seattle. In this game, he was only sacked once but took six hits and was under pressure on nearly every down.
Yes, it's been mentioned dozens of times that the Rams are currently being weighed down by two rookies on the line and three first-year starters. The lack of experience from the unit has been duly noted.
Still, that's not a good enough excuse.
The New England Patriots have obtained a 2-0 record, including wins over the Buffalo Bills and Pittsburgh Steelers, despite rookie linemen David Andrews, Shaq Mason and Tre' Jackson all receiving heavy playing time. Andrews is an undrafted rookie, and Jackson and Mason are both fourth-round selections.
St. Louis' offensive line is inexperienced but has more raw talent than the New England unit. Robinson is a second-year pro and a former No. 2 overall draft pick. By now, he should be flashing the signs of greatness and athleticism that made him such a high pick, but he has failed to do so.
Havenstein is a second-round rookie, and Jamon Brown was selected in the third round. Sure, any rookie lineman is expected to make errors. However, it's inexcusable for high draft picks to appear totally useless in pass protection. It's one thing to make a mental error on occasion, but appearing completely inept is quite different.
It's unclear if the issue is with the players, the coaching or the fact that the general manager reached in the draft to fill a need.
Either way, the issues up front have to be worked out, or else this team will go nowhere. The talent on defense will always go to waste if the offense fails to score on a weekly basis.
Linebackers Were Outmatched
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James Laurinaitis certainly stood out in 2009 when the Rams were a one-win team, and the roster's overall level of talent was deplorable.
Now that the defense' overall quality of talent has improved, his presence is far less impressive.
Laurinaitis was the primary culprit on Morris' 35-yard run and Jones' 39-yard touchdown. He's not a very physical player, either. He fails to make stops at, or behind, the line of scrimmage and too frequently allows the ball-carrier to pick up extra yards.
That's not to say he doesn't have value. He's very solid in coverage and has a reputation as a smart football player. He quarterbacks the defense and ensures every player is where they need to be.
In this game, Laurinaitis' smarts and leadership skills did not outweigh his weak play against the run. The linebackers' questionable play hurt St. Louis in this game, and the defense will continue to suffer if it's not fixed.
When the next offseason rolls around, St. Louis will have to evaluate the position and make a decision. The front office must decide if intelligent play is really more valuable than making plays.
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Inconsistency Has Been St. Louis' Biggest Hurdle
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The Rams were favorites in this game, but somehow they allowed it to slip away. The outcome would have been a mild surprise, if not for the fact this has been St. Louis' problem for years.
St. Louis is one of the most inconsistent teams in football. The Rams are capable of quality wins but have a terrible habit of dropping winnable games. It's the primary reason why the team can't take the next step, despite appearing competitive.
One of the primary 2015 goals is to shed that reputation, but this loss proves that it's still an issue. There's no excuse for appearing flat and out of sync against Washington right after a big win over Seattle.
A lot of it is due to inexperience. According to Philly.com, the Rams have the NFL's youngest team. However, this has been the issue for four seasons now. The excuse is getting old.
At some point, the coaches have to be held responsible for not properly preparing the team on a weekly basis. It's too early to sound the alarms, but this early-season loss is a sign that we might be in for more of the same.
Jim Thomas on Washington Running Back Matt Jones
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"Some Rams defenders said they were surprised by Washington rookie running back Matt Jones."—Jim Thomas of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch via Twitter.
There's no doubt Washington rookie Matt Jones had an excellent performance at the running back position. It was one of this game's biggest surprises.
Jones carried the ball 19 times for 123 yards for an average of 6.5 yards per carry. He also added three catches and 23 yards as a receiver, giving him 146 yards from scrimmage on the day.
He did have the fumble Quinn forced, but it was still a remarkable showing. The fact he posted such gaudy numbers against a tough St. Louis front only adds to the intrigue.
The third-round rookie out of Florida only ran a 4.61-second 40-yard dash at the NFL Scouting Combine, but he appeared much faster in pads. His strength and ability to shed tackles also stood out in this game.
Morris is a very solid running back for Washington. With Jones added to the mix, it appears the Redskins have a very formidable one-two punch.
If you're looking for a last-minute upgrade at running back for your fantasy team, Jones is worth a look.
Jeff Fisher on the Offense
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"We didn't have any opportunites. We couldn't put a drive together."—Rams head coach Jeff Fisher, per the postgame news conference.
Jeff Fisher mentioned in his postgame interview that the Rams lacked opportunities.
That's the truth. Most of the offensive drives appeared dead in the water. The run lanes did not exist, the aerial game was not in sync and the quarterback was constantly under heavy pressure.
The Washington defense deserves enormous credit for its performance. The unit barely gave an inch for four quarters, and St. Louis opportunities did not exist. It's true the Rams' offense is nothing special, but even so, the group was expected to put up more of a fight in this game.
The Rams did not turn the ball over once. There were some flags, but penalties were not St. Louis' primary issue in this game.
In other words, this performance was not self-inflicted. The Rams simply got beat in every aspect.
Nick Foles on Moving Forward
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"We'll learn from this and move forward."—Rams quarterback Nick Foles, per the postgame press conference.
It was an ugly Rams loss, but it was also a learning opportunity.
This was a chance for the young players to learn that no NFL opponent should be overlooked. It doesn't matter that the Rams just beat the defending NFC champions in Week 1. At this level, every game is a challenge, and there are no easy wins.
If that's the lesson the St. Louis players take from this game, then perhaps the team can use this early blow to its benefit.
It's still very early in the year, and there's plenty of football to be played. The Rams must regroup, refocus, lose the overconfidence and focus on the next opponent.
The Rams have enough overall talent to compete against any NFL team. If the players can realize that and stay focused, 2015 has the potential to be a good year, despite this loss.
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