Rams-49ers: Offensively Inept St .Louis Punchless Against San Francisco

There is bad football, and then there is bad football.

Against the San Francisco 49ers Sunday, the St. Louis Rams were the epitome of offensive ineptitude.

The Rams were held to 177 yards with only 10 first downs in the 35-0 defeat. It’s the second time in four games the Rams have been shut out.

They're averaging an NFL-worst six points per game.

Besides a very good San Francisco defense, the Rams were also held in check by their own play.

Seemingly, every time the Rams went forward, a penalty would bring them back.

The Rams set the stage for the mistake-riddled afternoon on the opening kickoff.

Danny Amendola returned the kick 94 yards to the San Francisco 2, but a holding penalty on Anthony Smith negated the runback.

The Rams repeatedly hurt themselves with penalties, which put them in third-and-long situations for most of the game.

Kyle Boller, starting at quarterback for the injured Marc Bulger, looked bad on the opening possession, missing open receivers in the three-and-out drive.

His inaccuracy continued the entire game, finishing 13-of-24 for 108 yards and a third-quarter interception, which San Francisco linebacker Patrick Willis returned for a score. The play gave the Niners a 21-0 lead.

The Rams' offensive incompetence negated a good defensive showing.

Defensive end C.J. Ah You, linebacker Larry Grant, defensive ends James Hall and Leonard Little, and safety O.J. Atogwe all played well. Grant, Little, Hall and Ah You each recorded a sack for the defense, which wore down late as the offensive was just 5-of-16 in third-down conversions.

The 49ers did not score an offensive touchdown until there was 7:03 remaining in the third when Shaun Hill hit tight end Vernon Davis for a 15-yard score. Davis got between linebacker James Laurinaitis and safety Anthony Smith to snare the high pass.

Smith struggled mightily in the game, getting beat more than once in coverage following the holding call on the opening kickoff.

The Rams were also flagged for the second time this season for having 12 men on the field. How does this happen to an NFL team?

Neither team had productive days from their special teams units. The kickers had a hard time with the swirling winds inside Candlestick Park.

St. Louis punter Donnie Brown, after consistently averaging better than 50 yards per punt in the first three games, averaged just 43.6 yards on eight punts Sunday. San Francisco’s Andy Lee punted seven times for a 43.6-yard average, with five punts inside the St. Louis 20.

Both placekickers missed field goals, which leads us to this little fun fact: Since the Rams made Josh Brown the highest-paid kicker in the NFL last year, he ranks 26th in field goal percentage.

The St. Louis special teams unit was just abysmal the entire game. A punt return miscue resulted in the game’s first score.

Amendola did not yell for Quincy Butler to get out of the way of a short punt. The ball struck Butler’s right leg and went into the end zone where the Niners fell on it for a touchdown. Mistakes like that just scream of a poorly prepared team with little talent.

Some questioned how the 49ers would score points without Frank Gore in the lineup, but thanks to a stellar defense led by Willis, the Niners scored three non-offensive touchdowns. Willis finished with five tackles, 2 1/2 sacks and the interception.

The Rams did get the ball in Steven Jackson’s hands 26 times, but St. Louis’ best player managed just 79 yards on 23 carries. He also caught three balls for only six yards.

Still, there were some questionable personnel decisions, like why was Samkon Gado in on third-and-short to get the carry? On Gado’s only carry of the game, he lost a yard, which led to the missed 51-yard field goal attempt.

Starting offensive tackle Alex Barron was also benched in favor of John Greco, who later was flagged for being ineligibly downfield on a 10-yard screen pass to Jackson, which would have picked up a first down.

There really aren’t any positives to point to in this game as the Rams fall to 0-4. With Minnesota, Jacksonville, and Indianapolis up next, a win does not appear to be on the horizon.

This article is also featured on the Rams official NFL.com blog site: http://blogblitz.nfl.com/st-louis-rams