Rams offense continues to struggle; trail at the half in Cincy

The St. Louis Rams plugged Nick Foles back into the starting quarterback position but it didn’t seem to matter as the the Rams continued to struggle on offense in the first half. Foles finished the half on a very poor note throwing an interception as St. Louis was driving. Foles was 11 or 16 for 86-yards and that interception to end the half. Andy Dalton on the other hand has been on point. Dalton was 14 of 18 for 145-yards and two touchdowns.

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St. Louis now trails 17-7.

The Rams offense, out side of running back Todd Gurley, is a one man show in wide receiver Tavon Austin. Austin compiled 81 all-purpose yards in the first half, including the teams only touchdown. He was the set up and and delivered the goods on the drive that started with his 60-yard run out of the wild cat formation. He would finish things up on a 5-yard rush for the score that, at the time, would bring the Rams within three points.

Nov 29, 2015; Cincinnati, OH, USA; Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Marvin Jones (82) runs the ball against St. Louis Rams cornerback Janoris Jenkins (21) in the first half at Paul Brown Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark Zerof-USA TODAY Sports

A huge part of why St. Louis struggles to get anything going is their offensive line. The Rams started the fourth different combination of offensive lineman today in the last five games. Injuries had plagued the Rams along the line all year long and the inexperience is allowing opposing teams to have their way up front. It’s been very tough sledding for Gurley, Foles and the entire St. Louis back field.

The defense, while still the silver lining in this contest, has had their fair share of troubles today. Blown coverages and poor tackling has lead to some big plays for the opposition. Early in the first quarter Janoris Jenkins blew a coverage leaving the all-pro A.J. Green wide open in the end zone for the Bengals first score of the game. Cincinnati would find pay dirt a little later on when Dalton found tight end Tyler Eifert up the seem for his NFL leading 12th touchdown reception. Marcus Roberson looked very confused on the play and ended up covering nobody as Eifert rumbled into the end zone.

The Rams had just six first downs in the first half, one of which came on penalty. However, they are noticeably better on third-down plays converting on 3 of 6 opportunities in the half. St. Louis has run almost as many plays as the Bengals, 27 to 34, but have been outgunned dramatically by the tune of 227 to 165 total yards.

St. Louis will need to find a way to create offensive chances in the second half. Gurley has just 12-yards on six carries, and the next best receiver on the day is Kenny Britt with three catches for 31-yards. The defense needs to tighten up and reduce mistakes in the backfield. Up front, they have limited the Bengals ground attack, but have failed to get pressure on Dalton. The Rams have their work cut out for them in Cincinnati, but trail by only 10.