Carolina Panthers vs. St. Louis Rams: Sam Bradford Looks To Rebound at Home

In the spirit of Halloween--You want to hear something gross? In the past three games, the Sam Bradford led St. Louis Rams have only managed to score three points in the second half. That's six quarters of football, and only one field goal! 

Much of the problem has been the play calling by offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur. Too often in the later stages of the game, the Rams play predictable football. The offensive game plan contains no element of surprise, no trickery, and no consistency whatsoever. 

*Thanks to Bernie Miklasz for the following stat:

Through seven games-

Rams outscore the opponent 80-62 in the first half of play

Rams are outscored 69-39 in the second half 

To make that stat more telling, let's remove that awful game against Detroit from the equation. The Lions put up 24 in the first half and 20 in the second. The Rams scored six in the first and zero in the second. 

Minus the Lions game:

Rams outscore opponent 74-38 in first half

Rams are outscored 39-49 in the second half

What that should tell you is that Sam Bradford is most comfortable when he is given the freedom to make plays. 

Sam Bradford in the first half:

QB rating: 59.6, 6.44 yards per pass, 7-3 TD-INT ratio

Sam Bradford in the second half:

QB rating: 52.4, 4.90 yards per pass, 2-5 TD-INT ratio

All the signs are there for everyone to see! How many times do the Rams need to blow late leads in order for the offensive thought process to change?

This is not a Super Bowl team. I think we know that much by now. Why not test the squad from here on out? Why not challenge them with creativity? 

The numbers don't lie. Sam Bradford must make plays in order for the offense to put points on the board in the second half. 

The Rams have only Carolina before the bye week. Let the kid loose for 60 minutes against the Panthers. This team needs a blowout win. They need to feel what it's like to move the ball flawlessly. Forgive me if I'm wrong, but no quarterback can flawlessly run an offense by throwing the ball 4.9 yards per attempt. 

Now is the time for Pat Shurmur to remove the governor from the playbook. 

Here are a few offensive keys to the game:

-No more quick slants to Danny Amendola. Twenty-two of his 39 receptions were caught between 1-10 yards from the line of scrimmage and nine more were actually caught at or behind the line of scrimmage. 

Amendola is Bradford's most talented target right now, aside from Steven Jackson. Just because he's vertically challenged doesn't mean he can't be successful running vertical routes.

-If you must pass on first down, gain some yards!

-Use the no huddle

-Call more play action

-Run the draw out of the shotgun. Steven Jackson runs for an average of 4.9 yards in the first half, but only 3.3 in the second. Running out of the gun will allow the blockers more time to create holes for their Pro Bowl tailback.

-Next time Steven Jackson runs for over 10 yards, hurry the offense into position and catch the defense either offsides or out of position.

-If Steven Jackson can't go, there had better be an alternative game plan in place.

On a side note:

I'm all set to interview Hall of Fame running back Eric Dickerson next week. Have any questions for him? I'm taking fan submissions via my Twitter account--@RamsReport.

Let's talk defense down in the comments section. Who is your defensive MVP? What do you think the Rams need to improve on during the bye week? Have offensive or defensive suggestions? Share 'em with your fellow Rams fans!