New Rams quarterback, Same Rams offense; Rams lead 7-3 at half

By Michael Condon | Nov 22, 2015

The St. Louis Rams lead the Baltimore Ravens 7-3 at the half. Case Keenum has been underwhelming, but thanks to a litany of penalties from Baltimore, the Rams maintain the lead. An injured running back, a muffed punt return and countless penally flags have highlight the first half of this defensive battle.

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The Rams introduced Case Keenum as the new starting quarterback after starter Nick Foles lead St. Louis to a 4-5 record, but an offense that ranked 31st in the league. Foles couldn’t seem to get things going and was constantly at the wheel of stalled out drives and a sputtering offense. With Keenum under center things weren’t much different.

St. Louis scored just seven points in the first half, a rushing touchdown from Todd Gurley. The touchdown was set up on a drive when the Rams gained almost 50-yards on a defensive pass interference call on third down. Had it not been for that call, the Rams may very well have been kept scoreless for the half.

Keenum finished up the half 3 of 10 for just 31-yards. He has ben far from the spark that head coach Jeff Fisher was hoping for. Keenum has kept plays alive with his legs and has survived the onslaught of Baltimore pass rushers, but the end result has not equated to a better offense.

The offensive line of the Rams lost yet another able body this afternoon in Andrew Donnal. Donna went down in the second quarter with a knee injury and has been ruled out for the remainder of the game. He was replaced by Demetrius Rhaney. St. Louis has had a very difficult time keeping their line healthy and effective, but it hasn’t had much of an impact on the running game.

Gurley finished the first half with 43 rushing yards on 16 carries and the touchdown. It’s been all Gurley this afternoon as Tre Mason is inactive due to disciplinary actions stemming from earlier in the week. The extra touches haven’t slowed Gurley, as he continues to find holes and gain yards despite the awful blocking in front of him.

Nov 22, 2015; Baltimore, MD, USA; St. Louis Rams middle linebacker James Laurinaitis (55) hits Baltimore Ravens wide receiver Chris Givens (13) during the first quarter at M&T Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports

The Baltimore Ravens look like a team in a downward spiral. Quarterback Joe Flacco is a shell of his former dominant self. Flacco finished the half with 11 completions for 80-yards and an interception. The Rams pressure hasn’t always been there, but it’s obvious the Ravens suffer from the same ailments the Rams do. A poor receiving corps.

Unfortunately, Baltimore running back Justin Forsett left the game in the first quarter with a broken arm and will not return. Prior to the injury, Forsett had broken off a few nice runs including an 18-yarder to pick up a first down. Rams defensive tackle Aaron Donald broke through the line and slammed Forsett to the turf. Forrest’s arm looked to get caught under his body during the play causing the injury.

The Ravens avoided the shutout in the first half with a field goal in the final seconds of the second quarter. The scoring drive was set up on a fumbled punt return from Tavon Austin that was recovered by the Ravens in the red zone. St. Louis has had two punt returners back deep all day in Austin and Wes Welker.

Penalties had hurt both sides with flags coming on almost every play. St. Louis has racked up 30-yards on five penalties, but Baltimore has really slowed their progress sacrificing 107-yards on six flags.

St. Louis needs to find a way to pull out a victory in Baltimore if they hope to keep their playoff hopes alive. A 3-0 record in the NFC West has kept them afloat, but 1-5 against all other opponents has put them in the hole. Flacco and company can play the spoils this afternoon and the quarterback can push his record to 14-2 against NFC opponents with the win.