St. Louis Rams Weekly Roundtable: Rams Crushed in Opener

4. The Rams shut Adrian Peterson down, limiting him to 75 yards on 21 carries, and Matt Cassel only threw for 175 yards. How on Earth did they get blown out at home?

Sep 7, 2014; St. Louis, MO, USA; Minnesota Vikings running back Adrian Peterson (28) carries the ball against the St. Louis Rams during the first half at the Edward Jones Dome. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-USA TODAY Sports

Nathan K.: As has been the case in the past, the St. Louis Rams lost the ‘field position’ game last Sunday, marred by a missed field goal, some ill-timed turnovers, and one major lapse on defense. On a positive note, those are all things that can (and should) improve as the season progresses. If not, the Rams will continue to struggle.

Blaine G.: Four numbers–13, 121, 102, and 14. The Rams had 13 penalties for 121 yards, that’s free yardage for the Vikings. Although Peterson was stopped for 75 yards, Cordarrelle Patterson had 102 yards rushing including the touchdown that basically put the nail in the Rams’ coffin. The Rams also turned the ball over twice which turned into 14 points for the Vikings. When you allow those things to happen, the outcome isn’t going to be pretty.

Anthony K.: That’s actually a great question, if I may say so! I think Nate and Blaine have the right idea–the Rams missed a field goal, turned the ball over twice leading to 14 points for the Vikings, they committed 13 penalties for 121 yards, AND they allowed RECEIVER Cordarrelle Patterson to RUSH for 102 yards. If you had to come up with a list of how NOT to play football as a team–all of those things would show up on that list. If the Rams had simply played a mistake-free game–a staple of Jeff Fisher-coached teams–they very easily could have won a game in which they were blown out 34-6. That’s the difference between winning and losing in the NFL.