Rams vs. Ravens: St. Louis Grades, Notes and Quotes
The St. Louis Rams (4-6) fell to the Baltimore Ravens (3-7) by a score of 16-13. It marks the Rams' third consecutive loss and was one of the ugliest losses of the season.
It was the same story we’ve seen in virtually every loss this season. The St. Louis defense played well—well enough to win the game—but the offense was held back by awful quarterback play and an overwhelmed offensive line.
Between Case Keenum’s 46.1 percent completion rate and his horrendous accuracy, he didn’t even belong on the field Sunday. He had some promising flashes during his days with the Houston Texans, but Keenum did not show any promising traits in this game. There was no silver lining.
Rather than making minor strides every week, the St. Louis offense seems to regress. The unit made some noise during Todd Gurley’s initial emergence, but opposing teams have since figured out that Gurley is the only player who must be accounted for. Now, the team is completely helpless on that side of the ball.
Adding to the frustration is the fact that the last two opponents—Chicago, Baltimore—have been highly beatable, yet the Rams have come up short. The team has completely imploded.
Things will get ugly a week from now when the Rams hit the road to tackle the 8-1 Cincinnati Bengals. As for the Ravens, they’ll have an easy week, as they travel to take on the Cleveland Browns a week from now.
For now, read on for more on this game, including grades, takeaways and quotes.
Position Grades for the Rams
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Quarterback: F
As far as an individual quarterback performance, it doesn't get much worse than Keenum's outing Sunday. He didn't belong on the field.
He completed just 12 passes on 26 attempts. Many of his 14 incompletions were wildly inaccurate. On St. Louis' second-to-last offensive play, Keenum failed to hit an open Wes Welker in the gut for a first down—a play that cost St. Louis the game.
It's unclear what the Rams will do moving forward. Going back to Nick Foles next week won't do much good, as he's been just as bad. Perhaps, the Rams will give rookie Sean Mannion a shot to see what he can do.
Running Back: B
Gurley ran hard and had a fairly productive game with 66 yards and a touchdown. The depleted St. Louis offensive line did not help his cause, as Gurley had to fight for every yard.
Unlike last week, when Gurley was held to 12 attempts, the Rams actually gave Gurley a decent number of touches (25). Still, his longest rush of the day went for seven yards, and he had little to work with.
Tavon Austin also got involved with a 16-yard gain on the ground. Austin only had two touches overall, which is completely baffling.
Wide Receiver and Tight End: C
Lance Kendricks had a nice outing with one 13-yard grab and a 30-yard touchdown reception. Jared Cook also got involved with 31 yards on four catches, so it was a decent day for the tight ends.
The wide receivers were quiet, as usual. Kenny Britt and Wes Welker has two catches each for a combined 37 yards. Austin was held to a single five-yard grab.
It's disappointing to see the receivers remain unproductive every week, but Keenum's passes gave them no chance at being successful in this game.
Offensive Line: F
The offensive line had a very rough outing. Backups Andrew Donnal and Cody Wichmann were forced to step in and start, which put the Rams at a major disadvantage.
The run blocking was embarrassing. Gurley did not have a single usable lane all day and was held to moderate pickups. The pass blocking was also sloppy, as Keenum was frequently on the run.
Greg Robinson was the real disappointment. The former No. 2 overall pick was dreadful in this game, as he's been all year. He was flagged for yet another holding penalty and, as the Fox commentator reminded us, he leads all NFL offensive players in penalties.
Courtney Upshaw also completely smoked Robinson on St. Louis' final offensive play, resulting is a sack and a fumble recovery for Baltimore. Robinson managed to lose the game for St. Louis on that play.
So far, the former No. 2 overall pick out of Auburn has been a monumental bust—possibly even more so than Jason Smith and Alex Barron, who Rams fans know well.
Defensive Line: B
Aaron Donald was once again a force up front. He stopped Justin Forsett in the backfield early in the game and broke the running back's arm. Donald also came up with a sack, giving him seven on the year.
Michael Brockers was also solid in the middle and made some stops, but the St. Louis ends were very quiet. Robert Quinn was inactive and Chris Long's snap count is being limited, so the Rams had to settle with backups, who held their own but failed to make a huge impact.
Linebackers: C
The linebackers failed to stop the run early on, just as they did against Chicago. They left plenty of wide-open gaps, and Baltimore capitalized in the first half.
Justin Forsett started the game with 26 yards on four carries—6.5 yards per carry—but the Baltimore run game died down after Forsett left the game, which was a lucky break for the Rams.
The linebackers tightened up as the game went on and avoided another disastrous performance.
Secondary: C
The secondary definitely had some positives from this game. Janoris Jenkins was shut down in coverage, as he's been all year. The defensive backs also had some nice breakups in coverage.
Even so, coverage could have been tighter. Joe Flacco shredded the secondary for 299 yards and a touchdown, while tight end Crockett Gilmore had a big afternoon with 101 yards on five catches.
Also, the number of missed tackles was astronomical. The defensive backs seemed totally unwilling to wrap up in this game, which resulted in lots of needless extra yards.
Special Teams: F
Special teams were absolutely miserable in this game. The Rams have to get these units straightened out this week.
Greg Zuerlein missed a potential game-winning 51-yard kick, but the wind was rough in Baltimore. He also had an extra point blocked.
Austin also muffed a punt as a returner, which Baltimore was able to recover. It gave the Ravens an easy field goal.
Coaching: F
There are few positive things to say about the coaching staff in this game. Jeff Fisher trotted out a backup quarterback who clearly wasn't ready to play. The whole team seems out of its element and ill-prepared. The mistakes were plentiful.
At this point, the coaching staff is fighting for job security. If these issues don't get straightened out immediately, Fisher will once again find himself unemployed.
Quarterback Remains St. Louis' Top Need
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The St. Louis Rams added three new quarterbacks to the roster this past offseason, but that did little to help the franchise's long-term comfort at the position.
Nick Foles was a dud during his nine-game stint as the starter. He finished with just seven touchdowns and six picks while completing just 56.6 percent of his passes. He might be a viable No. 2 moving forward, but the offense is rudderless with him under center.
It only took one game to see that Keenum is not cut out for a starting gig either. With just 136 passing yards through the air and horrible accuracy, it'd be a mild shock if he's still under center a week from now.
The Rams could give the rookie Mannion a shot, but his preseason performance inspired little confidence. He had a combined 45.9 percent completion rate in the final two games.
With so little to be excited about on the current roster, St. Louis will have to address the issue in the offseason.
Sam Bradford is the only starter available in free agency next year, but as Rams fans know, he has issues with consistency and production. That means St. Louis will likely turn to the draft, where someone like Michigan State's Connor Cook could be available.
Marc Bulger was this team's last real quarterback, and it's no coincidence the Rams have failed to hit .500 since his downfall. The Rams are going nowhere until the quarterback position is properly addressed.
Fisher Has to Be on the Hot Seat
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Jeff Fisher's hiring immediately turned St. Louis into a competitive team following his 7-8-1 debut season in 2012. Since then, the progress has been flat.
The team's competitive edge will only satisfy fans for so long. Sooner or later, tough losses aren't enough. This franchise needs a winning season and a playoff appearance, but it appears the 2015 Rams will once again fall short.
What's troubling is that roster's overall talent level has improved, yet the results remain the same. The team has multiple Pro Bowl-caliber players at its disposal—Aaron Donald, Janoris Jenkins, Robert Quinn, Todd Gurley—along with many high-end role players. It's more than enough talent to get the job done, but it's just not happening.
That's entirely on the coaching staff. The team is sloppy, inconsistent and fails to execute, which has cost the Rams multiple wins this season.
It's hard to say where the Rams go from here. On one hand, no one wants to lose the nastiness Fisher and Gregg Williams have instilled on defense. At the same time, the coaches are clueless on offense, and that cannot continue.
One scenario might call for the Rams handcuffing Fisher this season. So far, Fisher has had free reign with the team, but perhaps it's time to limit his control over the offense. If the Rams bring in a promising offensive mind to take total control over the offense, that could do the trick.
The other option is to fire Fisher and start over. In this scenario, it's important for the Rams to find a coach willing to keep the same defensive system in tact, as that unit is the heart of the team.
Either way, Fisher has to be questioning his job security.
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Todd Gurley Reminds Rams Fans of Another Tragic Story
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Gurley carried the ball 25 times in this game and hit nothing but brick walls. Somehow, he still managed to finish with 66 yards and a touchdown.
Gurley's attempt to carry the offense with little to no support from his teammates surely reminds fans of another recent St. Louis back—a former first-round pick named Steven Jackson.
Jackson was a wrecking ball early in his career and broke out in 2006—his third year—with 2,334 yards from scrimmage and 16 touchdowns. At the time, he appeared to be the future of the Rams offense with a bright future ahead.
Jackson did achieve some personal accomplishments. He ended his career with a remarkable 11,388 total rushing yards and 77 touchdowns. Still, he was stuck on a miserable team for a decade and saw just one playoff game in 11 seasons—which came during his 2004 rookie season.
After Sunday's disastrous performance, it's hard to not be fearful that Gurley will experience the same outcome.
As of now, Gurley looks to be the next great NFL back and the center of St. Louis' offense for years to come. Unfortunately, a great back can only carry an offense so far. Without a quarterback or competent receivers, there's nothing stopping teams from focusing in on Gurley every play.
St. Louis needs to straighten out the quarterback position and passing game very soon, or, else, history will repeat itself.
Jim Thomas on St. Louis' Fumbles
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"Ravens recovered four lost fumbles by Rams, which tied a Baltimore franchise record."—Jim Thomas of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch via Twitter.
The Rams lost four fumbles in this game and a muffed punt. It was a major reason for the loss, as those five errors resulted in 13 easy points for the Ravens.
Austin juggled the punt and allowed Baltimore to recover, resulting in a field goal. Gurley coughed up a ball after being stuffed in the backfield, resulting in a Baltimore touchdown. Finally, on St. Louis' last play from scrimmage, Robinson whiffed on a block that allowed Keenum to be drilled. He fumbled the ball, and Baltimore scored the game-winning field goal.
The ball security was an absolute embarrassment. The Rams seem to get more and more undisciplined as the season progresses.
It's hard to win when the team can't depend on its three key offensive players to secure the football. Ball security will be a major emphasis at practice this week.
Jeff Fisher on the Loss
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"That was a hard one. One of the hardest I've been around since I've been here."—Jeff Fisher, via the post-game press conference.
It says a lot that this loss was more soul-crushing than last week's 37-13 blowout loss to the Bears. It's certainly understandable why that is.
For one, this was a winnable game. It took a missed St. Louis field goal at the end, along with a Keenum fumble on the next drive to finally lose the game. Baltimore was rolling over, so losing this game was difficult to accomplish. It required a level of incompetence only a team in the midst of an implosion can provide.
Second, this gives the Rams six losses. If a 10-6 record is the minimum to make the playoffs, this game pretty much put a fork in the Rams. Unless a six-game win steak is achieved—next to impossible—that's it for the 2015 team.
On top of that, Fisher is surely beginning to feel the heat after these last three losses. Reality is setting in, which makes this loss hard for him to withstand.
Unless Fisher can spark a major fire this week, it looks as though the team has given up.
Jim Thomas on the Offense
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"Rams managed a paltry 213 yards and just 3.8 yards per play against league's 20th-ranked defense."—Thomas of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch via Twitter.
The offense is not just appearing flat against good defensive opponents. The team is incapable of producing yards and points against any team.
As Thomas mentions, the Rams averaged just 3.8 yards per play against the NFL's 20th-ranked defense. Last week, St. Louis mustered just 276 yards and 13 points against the struggling Chicago Bears.
The St. Louis offense strikes zero fear in any defensive unit. Until the line starts opening lanes for Gurley and the quarterback starts converting third downs with his arm, that will remain the case.
It's the same story every week, and the Rams will go nowhere until the offense is fixed.
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