St. Louis Rams Grade Report: The First Four Games

Offense

QB: Austin Davis 

Who would have thought 2 months ago that Austin Davis would end up being the starting quarterback for the St. Louis Rams and if he continues to play well, would have a chance at keeping the starting role moving forward. I know I didnt. A lot of people doubted Davis and he has proved those doubters wrong. For a third year quarterback who has spent his career on the practice squad it’s hard not to give him a high grade. After all he was the first Rams quarterback since Kurt Warner in 2000 to throw for over 300-yards and three touchdowns in back to back weeks.

Grade: A

RBs: Zac Stacy,  Benny Cunningham, and Trey Watts

The St. Louis Rams have gotten a lot of good value out of their running backs. Stacy was a 5th round pick while Cunningham and Watts are both undrafted. These three have become quite a tandem that all bring something different to the table. The St. Louis Rams have the 19th run offense in the league with 109-yards per game. Stacy has yet to hit 100 yards this season and has only had 15 carries once this season; the Rams won that game. This group needs to do a better job at getting going early in games to take some of the pressure off Davis.

Grade: B-

WRs: Brian Quick, Kenny Britt, Tavon Austin, Stedman Bailey, Austin Pettis, and Chris Givens

Another big surprise this season has been Brian Quick. The third year receiver has the ninth most yards per game and has the seventh most yards per reception among receivers with 20 or more catches. Britt has started to make plays over the past couple of weeks as well. However, Austin has been injured and has only five catches this season. Pettis dropped two key passes against the Eagles and Givens was inactive.

Grade: B

TEs: Lance Kendricks and Jared Cook

The Rams tight ends although they make plays, they also make mental errors in big moments. Cook had a big touchdown drop against the Cowboys and then shoved Austin Davis on the sideline. Kendricks on the other hand seems to rack up pre-snap penalties. They have each made their fair share of plays, but they could use some improvement.

Grade: C

OL: Jake Long, Rodger Saffold, Scott Wells, Davin Joseph, and Joe Barksdale

Where to even begin with this group…Joe Barksdale and Rodger Saffold have both played well this season, as for the other three, there is plenty of room to improve. Joseph shouldn’t even be starting, Long doesn’t show a lot of resemblance of the Pro Bowler that he once was, and Scott Wells doesn’t know how to snap a ball. There is a lot of improvement to be made here and until they are made Davis will continue to be one of the most hit quarterbacks in the NFL.

Grade: D

Overall Offensive Grade: C+