St. Louis Rams: 5 Keys to Their Loss vs. the Seahawks

Up until this 2011 season, the St. Louis Rams (2-11) have not been on Monday Night Football since their 42-27 loss to the Chicago Bears in 2006. 

That five-year drought finally ended during their Week 2 Monday night loss to the New York Giants and they just wrapped up their second Monday night appearance of the season against the Seattle Seahawks. 

Unfortunately for the Rams and their fans, there's a chance it could be five more years before the NFL makes the mistake of putting them back on Monday Night Football. 

The Rams 30-13 loss to Seattle was anything but entertainment.

The St. Louis offense was so pathetic that it took them six consecutive shots from Seattle's 1-yard line to finally get their only touchdown of the game. 

It was nothing new for the Rams; it has been the same story all season—the defense is fine for the most part, but they fall apart later in the game after being worn out due to an offense that's completely incapable of maintaining a drive. 

And with that, here are the keys to the Rams' prime-time loss...

Quarterback Play

Sam Bradford was terribly inaccurate throughout the game and looked to be very uncomfortable in the offense. 

Bradford missed the Rams' game against San Francisco a week ago with a high ankle sprain, so he was questionable for the game to begin with. 

It's clear that he never should have forced himself back into the lineup as he finished 12-for-29 with 193 yards and an interception. 

The Rams have a 2-11 record, so it's somewhat admirable that Bradford is still forcing himself into the lineup and playing through the pain, but at this point, there's little to gain by keeping the future of the franchise in harm's way. 

Inconsistent Run Blocking

Steven Jackson had some promising runs throughout the game, but most of the credit should go to Jackson himself rather than the offensive line. 

Jackson found some decent holes, but the run lanes were hardly opened with any consistency whatsoever. 

Jackson finished with 20 carries for 63 yards on the game (3.2 yards per carry), but it should have been a much more productive game if only he was running behind a competent line. 

The Rams need to take a serious look at their offensive line going into the offseason. Fans should expect to see some new faces among the front five in 2012. 

Poor Pass Blocking

Steven Jackson is not the only one who suffered at the hands of the offensive line—Sam Bradford paid the price as well. 

Bradford made plenty of questionable plays throughout the game, so the blame can't be placed solely on the line. 

However, the line gave him no chance whatsoever to get into a groove and find rhythm with the receivers.

Bradford was sacked three times against Seattle and has been sacked 36 times on the season, which is the second most among quarterbacks in the NFL despite missing three games due to injury. 

Special Teams Play

The Rams special teams unit did not show up to play for Monday Night Football. 

Kickoff coverage gave up returns of 37 and 54 yards. They also gave up a 17-yard punt return to Leon Washington. 

The biggest killer, however, was when Seattle blocked the punt in the first quarter while the Rams were stuck deep into their own territory. Seattle was able to take the blocked punt back for a touchdown. 

Red-Zone Offense

The Rams had two different instances throughout the game where pass interference penalties in the end zone brought the ball to Seattle's 1-yard line. 

First Instance

1st-and-Goal: Direct snap to Steven Jackson, no gain

2nd-and-Goal: Incomplete pass, 10-yard intentional grounding penalty

3rd-and-Goal: Incomplete pass from Seattle's 11-yard line

4th-and-Goal: 29-yard field goal

Second Instance

1st-and-Goal: Cadillac Williams run, no gain

2nd-and-Goal: Quarterback keeper, no gain

3rd-and-Goal: Incomplete pass, taunting penalty results in a first down

1st-and-Goal: Shotgun, incomplete pass

2nd-and-Goal: Shotgun, incomplete pass

3rd-and-Goal: Steven Jackson run, touchdown

On the second instance, Steven Jackson wasn't even in the game for the first two attempts. On the second play, they called a quarterback keeper despite Sam Bradford's sprained ankle. 

Out of six shots from the 1-yard line during the second instance, Steven Jackson's number was called only once. 

That, ladies and gentleman, is called inept coaching.