Rams Riding A Mile High

Before I get to what could be some very big news, let’s take a quick look at yesterday’s win and how the keys to the game panned out for the Rams.

Who Are These Guys? – The Rams defense did a nice job stopping the Broncos for about 2 1/2 quarters, and that allowed them to build the big lead. Obviously, the first drive of the game was ugly, and the fourth quarter was awful until the last drive, but overall I was happy with the effort. Brandon Lloyd put up some solid numbers (4 rec, 76 yds, 2 TD), but most of that came in the fourth. They kept him bottled up nicely before those big plays.

Mile High Effect – I don’t think the altitude had much effect on the game, although the defense did look a little slow late in the game. I think most of that is probably because we had a big lead, and they stepped up on the last drive, so it’s all good. The team was prepared, and they finished it off.

It’s Sam’s Time – I’m not one to toot my own horn (beep…beep), but Sam Bradford had a monster showing and the best game of his young career. He wasn’t under a ton of pressure throughout the game, and Denver’s secondary was pretty awful. Still, I had a feeling he was going to go off, and if it wasn’t for his play, we would not have won the game. Thank you Mr. Bradford.

There has been plenty of sunshine and rainbows over the last few days, but I still have some concerns from this game. First, this team needs to learn how to put opponents away when they get a lead. We have had several decent-sized leads disintegrate in the second half, and it almost happened again. I like that we finally finished one off, but it shouldn’t get to that point. Also, I still wish the team would be less conservative when they get a lead. I’m not saying thrown bombs downfield on every play, but you can’t have three consecutive three-and-outs in the second half when you are trying to seal a win. Find a way to get a first down or two. I don’t think that’s too much to ask.

Now on to the big news. Adam Schefter of ESPN is reporting that San Francisco running back Frank Gore broke his hip in tonight’s win over the Cardinals and is done for the season. I don’t think I’m alone in thinking that the Niners are the biggest threat to us winning the division at this point, so this could have a major impact on the rest of the season. Brian Westbrook played well after Gore went out tonight, but he certainly isn’t the same threat.

In Rams injury news, TE Michael Hoomanawanui has a high ankle sprain and is expected to miss at least one month of action. It seems like every time he starts to get going, he’s back on the training table. Obviously this is bad, but it’s just a chance for other guys to step up. The good news is that we are fairly deep at the position with Billy Bajema and Daniel Fells, but it still hurts.