St. Louis Rams Week 11 Report Card: Grading Every Unit

The St. Louis Rams played a terrible football game in Week 11 against the Seattle Seahawks, losing 24-7.  The Rams' offense was anemic, their special teams play was awful, and their defense was fighting an uphill battle all day long.

The Rams are the worst team in the NFC West, which is also the worst division in football. 

The Rams' roster has been depleted by injuries.  According to FOX broadcaster Tim Ryan, 20 percent of the Rams' roster has been injured and was not available for the game against Seattle.  Many of those players are out for the season. 

When you are a team short on talent, you need all hands on deck.  The Rams are short on talent, and the injuries have finally taken full effect. 

It's one thing to lose to Baltimore or Green Bay.  The Rams can't even beat Arizona or Seattle.

Here are the grades for each unit from the Rams' Week 11 game vs. Seattle...

Quarterback

Sam Bradford is getting worse.  I know his O-Line is terrible.  I know he lost Danny Amendola and Greg Salas.  I know he didn't have much offensive talent around him before those guys got injured.  I know he is getting zero help from his tight ends, a QB's best friend.

None of that matters anymore.

Sam Bradford should be playing better than this.  He is playing afraid.  He is playing to avoid mistakes instead of aggressively trying to make plays. 

Sam Bradford was 20-for-40 for 181 yards, one touchdown, and one interception.  He also lost two fumbles, and was sacked five times.  Bradford's QB Rating was a paltry 60.5...60.5!!! 

If it's possible, Bradford played worse than his numbers would indicate.  He just checked down all day long, throwing short of the first down marker even on third-and-long plays. 

I think Bradford is regressing because he has had his butt kissed for too long now.  It's always been somebody else's fault: the receivers, the O-Line, the coaching.  Bradford is not getting coached hard.  He needs a little Mike Ditka-Jim McMahon treatment. 

Sam Bradford played awful. 

GRADE: F

Running Back

First of all, we never saw Cadillac Williams or Jerious Norwood.  So much for the Rams having depth at the running back position.

Steven Jackson had his worst game in weeks, running for 42 yards on 15 carries (2.8 ypc).  He also caught three passes for 19 yards, but overall Jackson was shut down by the Seahawks' D.  I'll give Jackson a little bit of a break, because the Rams' O-Line is just decimated right now.

It was obvious that the Seahawks game plan was, "Stop Steven Jackson, and make Sam Bradford try to beat you."  That game plan is going to work every time, because right now Sam Bradford looks like he would have a hard time beating the Missouri Tigers.

GRADE: D+

Receivers and Tight Ends

Brandon Lloyd had five catches for 67 yards and a touchdown, on a play where the Seahawks' corner tripped.  Other than that one big play, he was basically shut down.  Brandon Gibson chipped in four catches for 37 yards, mostly working the short to intermediate passes over the middle. 

Mark Clayton had three catches for 26 yards, and was basically a non-factor.  Austin Pettis had two catches for 12 yards.  You get the point.  The Rams' receivers were underwhelming. 

If the Rams' wide receivers were underwhelming, then the tight ends were down right pathetic.  What happened to Lance Kendricks?  I thought this guy was going to be a player.  I kept waiting, and hoping, and predicting that this guy was going to break loose. 

It never happened. I'm starting to wonder if it is going to happen.

I'll give the receivers a little bit of a break because Bradford was worse than they were today. 

GRADE: D

Offensive Line

Jason Smith is still hurting, and might be out for the year.  Roger Saffold tore a pectoral muscle, and is most probably out for the year.  Starting center Jason Brown was benched by the coaches.

Add it up, and the Rams have two starters and three backups on the O-Line.  So what are we supposed to expect out of these guys?  Several of them are straight off the practice squad.

Since these are not even NFL caliber players, I'm not even giving them a grade.

GRADE: INCOMPLETE

Defensive Line

Howie's boy is a pretty dang good football player.  Robert Quinn continues to impress.  I like the way the D-Line is playing.  If they could play with the lead, and just pin their ears back (like the New Orleans game), this group could really wreak some havoc. 

They even held Marshawn Lynch to only 88 yards rushing on 27 carries (3.3 ypc).  It's pretty amazing what they are doing with street free agents playing in the secondary.

GRADE: B+

Linebackers

James Lauranaitis had 13 tackles and played hard.  He has Chris Chamberlain flanking him, and Chamberlain has played really well since being inserted into the starting lineup.  Chamberlain had four tackles and an interception. 

Unfortunately, the other linebackers—I'm looking at you Brady Poppinga—just took the day off.

I think the Rams need a major upgrade in talent at the linebacker position.  If you put in a couple of good players beside Lauranaitis, there is no telling how good he could be.

GRADE: B

Secondary

Darian Stewart had eight tackles, a sack, and two tackles for loss.  Quintin Mickell had his best day as a Ram, picking off Tavaris Jackson in the first quarter, and he also was credited with six tackles. 

The Rams look like they have a couple of keepers at the safety position.

The Rams' injury problems at cornerback have been well documented.  Justin King, a solid nickel or dime corner, has been forced to cover the opposing number one receiver all year.  He didn't embarrass himself today, but he did get called for a costly pass interference penalty. 

All in all, I've been really pleased with our secondary.  They have no doubt been helped by the pass rush, but the way the backup to the backup to the backup has stepped in has been awesome. 

The secondary is playing well enough for the Rams to win.

GRADE: C+

Special Teams

The Rams' D was fighting an uphill battle all day because (1) Sam Bradford and the offense would go three-and-out, and (2) punter Donnie Jones would kick a line drive to Leon Washington, which is not a good idea.

Of course, Jones leg was probably worn out because he punted 10 times!

The Rams' punt return game was, once again, non existent.  Austin Pettis returned three punts for 23 yards, but the good news is he did call for a fair catch when necessary. 

Robert Quinn blocked his second punt of the season, setting the Rams' offense up with great field position.  Of course, they just went three-and-out and were forced to punt, again.

When your offense is as bad as the Rams is, you need every advantage you can get.  Today, the special teams unit let the Rams' defense down.

GRADE: D+

Coaching

I'm not going to get into Spags' career record, or "is Spags on the hot seat?"

Somebody else is going to have to write that article.

At this point, Spags is going to have to get with his coaching staff and figure out something on offense that liberates QB Sam Bradford.  Because there is no way that owner Stan Kroenke is going to watch his franchise QB of the future continue to get beat to a pulp and regress as a passer.

Right now, Bradford has the "Marc Bulger deer in the headlights" look.  We quickly forget, but Bulger was an All Pro passer.  He had talent around him, he had time to throw, and he put up great numbers.

Eventually, as the talent around him eroded, and the hits kept coming, Bulger became a shell of the QB he used to be.  How can this be happening to Sam Bradford in Year Two of his career?

I understand the Rams' secondary and offensive line has been decimated by injuries.  I am aware that the Rams' front office has whiffed in the draft, especially when drafting wide receivers.  So all of the Rams' problems aren't Spags' fault. 

If nothing else, Steve Spagnulo has to answer for Bradford's development, or lack thereof.

For that reason alone, I have to give Spags an F.  This offense is terrible.

GRADE: F