Rams deplorable offensive effort leads to Week 3 loss

Sep 27, 2015; St. Louis, MO, USA; St. Louis Rams running back Todd Gurley (30) carries the ball in his first NFL game as Pittsburgh Steelers strong safety Will Allen (20) defends during the first half at the Edward Jones Dome. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-USA TODAY Sports

The St. Louis Rams had multiple opportunities on Sunday to take their second win of the season against the Pittsburgh Steelers. Unfortunately, in a style seen all to often by the Rams faithful, the offense struggled to produce and the valiant effort by the defense came up short. A game that saw only one touchdown scored ended up with surprising results for both teams. With the loss, St. Louis moves to 1-2 on the season.

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This game started off poorly for the Rams, and even though they showed signs of life at times, never truly got into the game plan. Quarterback Nick Foles was at the helm of a struggling offense most of the afternoon. He finished the afternoon 19 of 28 fro 181 yards, no touchdowns and one interception. Foles looked to get better as the game wore on, but faced a lot of pressure from the Pittsburgh defensive line. Another unspectacular day for a quarterback the Rams expected much more from.

Pittsburgh on the other hand, would come out of the gate flying and Ben Roethlisberger would start the game 7 for 7 finding Antonio Brown on five of those occasions. Brown set an NFL record with his 34th consecutive game with at least five catches and 50 receiving yards, and he did so in the first quarter. Roethlisberger would not finish the afternoon though as a late sack by Rams safety Mark Barron would bring the big quarterback down with a left knee injury. He needed plenty of help to get off the field and was eventually carted to the locker room.

After opening the season with a 34 point showing against Seattle, the Rams have earned just 16 points in their last two games.

The second headline of the afternoon belonged to the running backs. Two running backs making their 2015 debuts. St. Louis rookie Todd Gurley saw action on six carries, but could only muster nine yards. It was certainly a disappointing day for the young back, but no one expected him to come in and light the scoreboard up. Gurley looked stronger and more comfortable as the game went on and we should see his work load increase as the season continues.

Le’Veon Bell also returned for the Steelers. Bell was far more productive with 19 carries, 62 yards and a touchdown. The touchdown would prove to be the only one of the game, but the failed two-point conversion that followed kept the Rams within striking distance for much of the afternoon. Bell would add 70 receiving yards on 7 catches and became a security blanket for back up quarterback Michael Vick.

Next: Different season, same Rams