While it’s a travesty that SJ39 isn’t named, the list actually isn’t bad. Larry Fitzgerald is at the top, followed closely by Patrick Willis, Justin Smith, and Vernon Davis. I don’t have any huge problems here, although if I was making the list Willis would be far and away my number one overall. I think Laurinaitis is about where I expected him to be, and I was pleasantly surprised that Long is finally getting some recognition for how good of a player he has become. Maybe I’m crazy here, but Steven Jackson should be on the list over guys like Russell Okung (8) who was injured for much of his rookie season, and Mike Iupati (10) who is a guard, just to name a few. I’m going to put it in your hands. Check out the poll on the side of the page to rank where you think Jackson belongs in the scope of this division. We will see what the Rams nation thinks of SJ39 and if ESPN isn’t giving him the respect he deserves.

Better The Second Time Around – The Niners might have been better the first time these teams played, but it was obvious who the better team was on Sunday. The Rams could have easily won this game by 20 or more, and the Niners had nothing in the way of offense all day. Their one offensive TD was a fluke mistake by Troy Smith that accidentally went to Michael Crabtree when it was intended for Vernon Davis.

Ground Attack – As I said before, the Niners did nothing offensively. I was more impressed with Anthony Dixon than Brian Westbrook, but neither was effective. The fact that they had no passing game to speak of was part of it, but the defense just did a really nice job all around.

Growing Up – It looked like Sam Bradford might have hit the rookie wall in December, but he looked like a veteran on Sunday against a pretty good defense. This guy is super special, and the sky’s the limit for him moving forward. Danario Alexander had a big game, and a young Rams team that didn’t look like they could handle the spotlight in the previous two games really showed up against the Niners.

The not making a prediction worked out, so I think it’s obvious that I won’t be making one this week against the Seahawks. You don’t want to mess with the football Gods before a huge game like this.

My mood is significantly improved today, so let’s look at the Rams loss to the Niners on Sunday. First, let’s see how my keys to the game shaped up.

Heisman Showdown – As I was watching the end of Sunday’s game, I finally realized what it is about Troy Smith that made me nervous. The guy is a winner. He did it in college, and he did it again on Sunday. He might not be the best passer or the greatest decision-maker, but when the game is on the line, he finds a way to get it done. On the Rams’ side, Sam Bradford was very good yet again. As has been the case for most of the season, Bradford looked the best in the no huddle two-minute drill, and I really wish the team would look into running more of that kind of offense. When they open it up a bit and put the ball in Sam’s hands, the offense moves.

Road Woes – Nothing really needs to be said here. For the second road game in a row, the Rams were in position to win a game and failed to do so. You can’t consider yourself a contender for anything if you give games away on the road. It’s as simple as that.

Bye-Bye – This category was actually heavily in favor of the Rams. The Niners had a week off to get everything on the same page, and they continuously shot themselves in the foot. There was little doubt that the Rams were the more prepared and disciplined team, but they didn’t take advantage of the Niners’ mistakes.

Big Targets – I said in my preview post that this was the key that scared me the most, and it was just as bad as I feared. Michael Crabtree and Vernon Davis are both supremely talented, and they proved it on Sunday. Davis had several big plays negated by penalties, and Crabtree had a couple of huge catches, especially on the late fourth quarter drive. We don’t have playmakers in the receiving game like these two guys, and it was evident.

I feel like I need to discuss some positives from this game, and after I calmed down a bit, I realized it really wasn’t all bad. First, Steven Jackson just proved how good and how tough he is. The man has pins in his finger, and he still stepped up, made some big catches, and ran the ball extremely well. He is a gamer, and I hope Rams fans realize how lucky they are to have a guy like this. Also, the punting game was outstanding. Donnie Jones was on all day, and he and the coverage team didn’t allow a return all day. Finally, the Rams defense held the Niners to 0-for-11 on third down. That is awfully impressive, although the 3rd-and-22 and 4th-and-18 sequence that cost us the game should be factored into that as well.

My final thought is that the pass interference call on OJ Atogwe in overtime was complete B.S. There’s no way that ball was catchable, and it’s unfortunate when a call like that impacts the game.