The Rams need to limit big plays against Arizona to avoid 1-3 start

The St. Louis Rams will travel to Arizona toady to take on the NFC West leading Arizona Cardinals. The Cardinals are putting up some big numbers though three weeks including scores of 31, 48 and 47. Quarterback Carson Palmer is looking fresh and feeling no ill effects of injuries suffered late in 2014. The Rams on the other hand have averaged only eight points per game over the last two weeks and will need to find more creative ways to get into the end zone should they hope to avoid a 1-3 start.

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As we mentioned earlier, Palmer is off to a very hot start in 2015 having already accumulated 803 passing yards and nine touchdowns. A big part of his success is the long ball. Palmer and his wide receivers have completed 14 passing plays of over 20 yards. They are also averaging 14.3 yards per passing play. Tack on 207 yards after the catch as a team, and you have a recipe for 126 points through three weeks.

Sep 27, 2015; Glendale, AZ, USA; Arizona Cardinals quarterback Carson Palmer (3) against the San Francisco 49ers at University of Phoenix Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

However, St. Louis has done a good job of limiting big plays from their opponents. Most of that is credited to the dominant front four of Chris Long, Aaron Donald, Michael Brockers and Robert Quinn. A line that already has 13 sacks will continue to dial up the pressure in hopes of getting to Palmer before he has an opportunity to throw down field. Forcing the Cardinals to slowly work their way down field on short yardage plays can help limit the damage on the scoreboard.

The Rams defensive line limited the big play ability of Ben Roethlisberger just last week. They managed to turn a team averaging almost 14 yards per passing attempt into a team that averaged less than 7. That of course comes at a price, and that price is a higher completion percentage. Shorter passes tend to have a much higher success rate. Roethlisberger threw an incompletion on just four occasions last week, and St. Louis has allowed opposing quarterbacks to enjoy an 81.6 percent completion rate.

Of course, all of this is meaningless if the Rams cannot score themselves. After promises of a new and improved running game have fallen well short of expectations, it’s high time to start throwing the ball downfield.

In Week 1, the Rams had eight plays of 20+ yards. Over the last two weeks, they have only had three such plays. With the return of wide receiver Brian Quick, and what looks to be the re-emergence of Kenny Britt, quarterback Nick Foles will have no excuse for not passing down field.

There is an inherent risk passing long against the Cardinals, who boast Patrick Peterson and Tyron Mathieu on the outside, but with the Arizona run defense allowing a stingy 3.4 yards per carry, the Rams may not have a choice.

Special teams will also need to play a role in Sunday’s game. As it stands the special teams unit for the Rams has one touchdown on the year, a punt return from Tavon Austin in Week 1, and while it may be unfair to ask for a touchdown a week, or even every other week, that’s the position the team finds themselves in now. The St. Louis offense has all but stalled out and they need help from other parts of the team to get it going again. Putting the offense in good field position, or better yet, scoring so they don’t have to, makes things a lot easier.