St. Louis Rams vs. Philadelphia Eagles: What I Liked, What I Didn’t Like

Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports

At the risk of using sporting clichés, the Rams-Eagles confrontation last Sunday was a true game of two halves for the blue-and-gold. A hapless first-half performance led to a brave but unsuccessful second-half comeback attempt that fell short of the Rams’ second win of the season. Unfortunately, those early miscues proved too costly, but the Rams – led by their newly anointed starting quarterback – demonstrated how well they can play when everything clicks into place…and the opposing defense backs down.

What I Liked…

The Comeback Attempt     Breakdowns. Turnovers. Mistakes. Penalties. Blown opportunities. A lopsided score. Sound familiar? However, this latest episode of the St Louis Rams soap opera had a unique twist where the team showed a spirit rarely seen over the past decade. Down 34-7, many would have expected the Rams to roll over and die quietly. Instead, they put up a fight. Austin Davis led the team to three scores, while the defense finally turned up to stop the Eagles from moving. Suddenly, there was hope, and it seemed as if the Rams would be defying history. Unfortunately, their final drive petered out after a couple of drops, but, for a second at least, Rams Nation held its bated breath and did something they had not done in a long time: believe. Yes, the Rams should never been in such a deep hole in the first place, but the guts, fight and maturity shown in this attempt will do this young team wonders in the future.

The Second-Half Austin Davis      Many Rams fans breathed a sigh of relief when Head Coach Jeff Fisher announced that Davis would be starting against Philadelphia. After a win against Tampa Bay and an impressive performance against Dallas, hopes were high for the third-year undrafted free agent. In the second half, Davis showed outstanding poise and leadership, throwing three touchdown passes with no interceptions. Again, his passes were spread out – ten receivers joined in the fray. The result was the most yardage by a Rams quarterback since the days of Marc Bulger. Davis was ably helped by his receivers – particularly new fan favorite Brian Quick – but he showed good mobility and a willingness to throw downfield. Yes, the Eagles defense were in softer coverage, but Davis energized Rams Nation in a manner which Sam Bradford never did, going a step further towards establishing himself as the team’s quarterback for the long-term future.

J. Gaines With Greg Robinson on the bench and Tre Mason in street clothes, one could not be blamed for feeling that the 2014 rookie classes has produced poor returns so far. Aaron Donald is a dominant force on the defensive line, and some of the undrafted rookies – Trey Watts, Ethan Westbrooks – are playing well, but, otherwise, it has been a disappointing yield. And while the sight of Lamarcus Joyner committing penalties and making mistakes on his coverage is a cause for frustration, it is encouraging to see E. J. Gaines emerge as one of the leading lights in the secondary. Gaines recovered a fumble and snared an eyebrow-raising interception (with four tackles and two passes defended) and is making big plays in the defensive backfield. Yes, he did allow a few passes, but the youngster is displaying significant potential. Ironically, with a focused Janoris Jenkins, a healthy Trumaine Johnson, a rapidly-improving T. J. McDonald, as well as Gaines, the Rams could find themselves with one of the strongest young secondaries in the League.

What I Didn’t Like…

The Pass Protection           Many things went wrong in the first half, but much of that had to do with poor pass protection. With a young quarterback behind center, it was imperative that the offensive line – on paper, one of the team’s strengths – built a solid wall and gave Davis time. This did not happen. Repeatedly. Davis found himself under increasing pressure, and this revealed his weaknesses. He was sacked four times, and the total could have been more had the Eagles defense not wound down in the second half. While Joe Barksdale is anchoring the right side of the line, Jake Long has been particularly poor. The nadir of Long’s game was allowing a sack that caused a fumble. With an opportunity to recover the ball, Long somehow failed to gain control. The ball was recovered by Philadelphia’s Cedric Thornton, who returned it for the touchdown that made all the difference at the end. And the worst thing? The second overall pick remained on the bench…

The First-Half Austin Davis          Hindered by this leaky offensive line, by a running game that did not get going until later in the game, and by questionable play-calling that placed great responsibility on such inexperienced shoulders, Austin Davis’ first-half performance almost had fans calling for Shaun Hill (almost!). Davis looked flustered under pressure and confused at the defensive schemes. He over-threw his receivers and, at one point, had three completions on nine attempts. While he threw no picks, he coughed up the ball twice as the Eagles’ pass rush unloaded on him. It looked as if Davis had finally cracked and the fairy tale was reaching a sad end. Luckily, in another example of this man’s intangible qualities, he put this behind him and gave his team a chance of winning. Davis should emerge from this a better quarterback.

Turnovers    The turnover battle between both teams was a draw, each team giving possession away on three occasions. Davis’ two fumbles were supplemented by Stacy’s one, while Michael Brockers added to Gaines’ two takeaways. The difference, however, was what each team did with these reversals. While both Brockers’ recovery and Gaines’ interception both led to touchdowns, the latter’s recovery in turn led to Davis’ first fumble. The Eagles also scored twice from takeaways (one directly by the defense), but they also scored in a play which could be termed a turnover: the infamous punt block. A breakdown in protection saw the Eagles’ special teams unit scored yet another touchdown, one which set the tone for most of the game and had the Rams playing catch up from the start. Turnovers must lead to points, and more opportunism would have given the Rams the win.

A few other thoughts and observations…

The Rams offense both outgained and outscored the Eagles’…is it time to swap Davin Joseph for Greg Robinson?…Welcome to Sack City – Population: 1…Brian Quick – all is forgiven!…Ray Ray Armstrong – a penalty too many…this young receiving corps is quite under-rated, in my opinion…the three-headed running monster is working well…