Storm The Cassel – Matt Cassel didn’t have a monster day or anything (15-29, 184 yds, 1 TD, 1 INT), but he made a couple of big throws when his team needed them. I didn’t feel like the Rams got to him enough, and I don’t really remember an instance of somebody on our defense really nailing him to the ground. It seemed like Sam Bradford had somebody in his face every time he dropped back, but Cassel had too much time.

Thunder And Lightning – Obviously the tandem of Jamaal Charles and Thomas Jones put the hurting on the Rams defense. Charles had 126 yards and a score, and Jones finished with 62 yards and a touchdown of his own. I will say the defense did a better job against Jones than I expected (22 carries), but Charles was pretty dynamic all day. It’s tough to keep those guys under wraps all day, but you can’t give up close to 200 yards on the ground and expect to win.

Something’s Different – It’s hard for me to say whether or not the shortcomings of the offense were directly related to the Chiefs 3-4 defense, but it was difficult to watch for most of the game. After the first drive of the game, the offense was pretty much nonexistent until the fourth quarter. Between the penalties and dropped passes, it was not something I want to see again.

Home Field Advantage – There were plenty of Chiefs fans in the Dome, but I don’t think that had anything to do with the game. There were more open seats than I anticipated, which was a disappointment, but the crowd was a nonfactor. I was really hoping the Dome would be rocking, but that wasn’t the case.

I think we have gone over the trainwreck that was yesterday’s game enough at this point. So let’s just put this one behind us and look forward. This team is still in a great position to win the division, but if they dwell on this game, it won’t happen. On the injury front, Chris Long has a bruised left thigh, and Britt Miller is done for the year with a torn ACL. Ken Darby and Illini Mike are both hoping to practice this week, so things are improving on that front.

It was a nice vacation week for the Rams, but it’s time to get back to work in preparation for the San Francisco 49ers. The team was back on the practice field today, and it looks like the bye week did the team some good. First, offensive tackle Jason Smith has been fully cleared from his concussion, and he will be good to go this week in San Fran. Regardless of what you might think about Smith, he is of vital importance to this team, and they will be much better with him back in the fold. Also, Ron Bartell practiced today while dealing with shoulder and thigh issues. He was limited, but he was at least able to do some work, so that’s good news.

In less encouraging but still not terrible news, Danario Alexander, James Butler, Fendi Onobun, and Britt Miller were all unable to go today. The good news here is that all players are being called day-to-day by the team, so they might be able to go this weekend. Alexander has been doing some running, and it seems possible that he could be able to play on Sunday. It would be a pretty quick turnaround after the knee surgery, but we will watch his progress closely. I have a gut feeling that Butler will play, but it will depend how he feels as the week goes on. As far as Onobun and Miller go, I wouldn’t be shocked if we didn’t see either one of them.

On the enemy front, we know that former Heisman Trophy winner Troy Smith will start under center this weekend. I’m not really sure how I feel about this. I mean, this guy isn’t a Pro Bowler by any means, but for some reason he makes me nervous. The Rams will have to be prepared for him to get out of the pocket, and I really hope he doesn’t hurt us with his feet. CB Nate Clements was limited in practice with an ankle, but he is expected to go. TE Vernon Davis was full-go, so we will have to deal with him, unfortunately.