Sam Bradford Guns Down the Seahawks in Rams 20-3 Win, Moves Team to .500

Other than the Chicago Bears and the Kansas City Chiefs, is there a bigger surprise in the NFL than the St. Louis Rams?

Well, here we are, about to head into week 5 and the Rams are sporting a very unexpected 2-2 record.

Their two losses, to Arizona and Oakland, have been by a combined seven points. A break here or there and they could be undefeated or 3-1. 

Their two wins, against Washington and Seattle, have been by a combined 31 points, which is impressive to say the least.

The Rams face the winless Detroit Lions in week 5 and have a chance to get above .500 for the first time since week 8 of the 2006 season. 

Follow along for Quick Hits from the Rams 20-3 win over the Seahawks. 

Big Ups to the Rams very SPECIAL TEAMS

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ST. LOUIS - OCTOBER 03: Brandon Gibson #11 of the St. Louis Rams is congratulated by teammates Danny Amendola #16,Fendi Onobun #48 and Adam Goldberg #73 after Gibson scored a touchdown in the first half against the Seattle Seahawks on October 3, 2010 at E

Oh how things changed for Leon Washington and the Seahawks special teams since last week against the Chargers. 

Last week's stats for Leon Washington and Golden Tate:

Washington: 4 returns for 253 yards, 2 TD's

Tate: 3 returns for 44 yards

This week's stats:

Washington: 3 returns for 80 yards

Tate: 3 returns for 18 yards

Not only were the Rams able to contain Washington and Tate, P Donnie Jones had four of his seven punts downed inside the 20. 

Josh Brown: 2-2 on FG's from 30 and 31 yards.

Sam Bradford and Mark Clayton Aren't on the Same Page, Same Chapter Though

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ST. LOUIS - OCTOBER 03: Mark Clayton #89 of the St. Louis Rams catches the ball as Kelly Jennings #21 of the Seattle Seahawks on October 3, 2010 at Edward Jones Dome in St. Louis, Missouri. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)

Now you may be a bit surprised by the title of this slide. Please hold onto your anger for a moment. 

Take a look at a few stats for me:

Mark Clayton

Week 1: 16 targets, 10 catches

Week 2: 5 targets, 2 catches

Week 3: 6 targets, 5 catches

Week 4: 14 targets, 5 catches

Total: 41 targets, 22 catches = 53.6%

Bradford and Clayton have been on the same page a tiny bit better than half the time. They need to be better than that. 

Clayton has dropped a few very catchable passes so Bradford is not as much to fault. 

As the season goes on, I expect the two will connect on a more frequent basis. 

Sam Bradford is Better Than Advertised

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ST. LOUIS - OCTOBER 03: Sam Bradford #8 of the St. Louis Rams passes the ball in the first half against the Seattle Seahawks on October 3, 2010 at Edward Jones Dome in St. Louis, Missouri. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)

You say Sam Bradford, I say poise. 

Rookies make mistakes, usually lots of mistakes. 

Bradford's poise in the pocket is perhaps his most impressive attribute. 

When he's faced with pressure, he follows all the rules. 

1. Step up or away from pressure, which keeps the play alive

2. Throw the ball away when needed

3. Take a sack, instead of forcing a bad throw

Against Seattle, Bradford made his biggest mistake so far this season, a red zone interception.

The Rams converted 7 of 16 third downs.

Of the 16 tries, 14 of them were passes and two were runs. 

All seven conversions were on completions by Sam Bradford. 

3rd and 6: 8 yards to Clayton

3rd and 10: 15 yard TD to Gibson

3rd and 5:  9 yards to Gilyard

3rd and 10: 12 yards to Amendola

3rd and 10: 21 yard TD to Darby

3rd and 1: 15 yards to Fells

3rd and 7: 14 yards to Clayton

What's most impressive part is that both Rams TD's were scored on 3rd and long. 

Nothing Offensive About the Rams Defense

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ST. LOUIS - OCTOBER 03: 3: Fred Robbins #98 of the St. Louis Rams sacks Matt Hasselbeck #8 of the Seattle Seahawks on October 3, 2010 at Edward Jones Dome in St. Louis, Missouri. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)

For the first time this season, the Rams were able to get to the QB on a consistent basis. 

James Hall had two sacks, David Vobora had one, and Chris Long and George Selvie split one. 

Along with the four sacks, the Rams defense hit Hasselbeck six times, knocked down seven passes and had an impressive seven tackles for a loss.

The key to stopping Matt Hasselbeck is to not let him beat you with his legs. Don't let him make adjustments in the pocket to keep the play alive.

The defensive box score tells you the Rams defense was behind the line of scrimmage quite a bit.

Prior to the season the biggest concern for the Rams was their defense. 

Through four games, the Rams look to have a top 10 defense that gets better each week. 

Rams Face Tough Opponent in Week 5

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DETROIT - AUGUST 28: Calvin Johnson #81 of the Detroit Lions signals a first down after a second quarter catch during a preseason game against the Cleveland Browns on August 28, 2010 at Ford Field in Detroit, Michigan. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Imag

The Lions are great at getting close to the finish line, but lack the ability to finish and win games. 

Injuries have killed the Lions in 2010. They lost  Stafford in week 1 to a shoulder injury, as well as suffering multiple injuries on defense.

Three of the four Lions losses were by a combined 11 points to very tough opponents in Chicago, Minnesota and Green Bay.

Matt Stafford's availability for the game is unknown.