Austin Davis Can Prove He’s The Guy On Monday Night

By Blaine Grisak | Oct 11, 2014

When Austin Davis started the second game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, many didnt know what to expect. Little did we know he would lead the team on a game winning drive and then give the team shots to win against two top ten teams in the Dallas Cowboys and Philadelphia Eagles.

Davis is only 1-2 as a starter with the Rams this season, but you could argue that if Jared Cook makes the touchdown catch in the end zone t that Cowboys and if Austin Pettis catches one of the two balls thrown his way on the final drive against the Eagles that would have given the Rams a first down, Davis very well could be 3-0.

The third year quarterback has been spectacular through three starts. In fact he is the only Rams quarterback since Kurt Warner in the 2000-2001 season to throw for 300 yards, three touchdowns, and no interceptions in back to back weeks.

Coming into the season, Sam Bradford was the guy and was supposed to break out in 2014 and finally show that he could get the job done. The fan base had excitement. However, when Bradford went down with a torn ACL for the second straight season and it was realized that Shaun Hill would be the starter, all that excitement was lost.

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Although Davis is 1-2 and the team is 1-3, that excitement is back. The Rams may not make the playoffs, but with Davis, they sure are fun to watch. The Rams aren’t losing because of the quarterback and the offense looks as good as it has in a long time.

The St. Louis Rams have settled on Davis as the starting quarterback for the 2014 campaign in the absence of Bradford, but Davis is making a strong case for 2015 and beyond. Obviously, it’s too early to prop Davis up too much after just three NFL starts, but his stellar performance over that stretch begs the question if he is in fact the guy for this team moving forward.

That may be a bit of a stretch, but it’s not impossible. Davis has played well against the Buccaneers, Cowboys, and Eagles, but the Rams have yet to face a defense as daunting as San Francisco’s second-ranked unit.

The Niners enter Monday night’s matchup fourth in the league in pass defense, allowing just 205.6 yards per game in the air, and fifth in run defense. This will be a big step up for Davis and the Rams it might be the biggest leap considering the teams hasn’t played against a defense as physical and talented as San Francisco.

Winning games in the NFL is one thing, but winning games against a division rival that the Rams have historically struggled against is a whole different animal.

Last season Bradford and Clemens passed for 202 and 218 yards against the 49ers in two lopsided losses. If Davis comes in, plays well, and leads the Rams to victory against a division rival that the Rams are just 2-7-1 against in their past ten meetings, it would say a lot about the third year quarterback. All the talk about Brett Hundley, Marcus Mariota, and Jameis Winston coming to St. Louis would be put to rest.

Austin Davis has made a strong impression in his first three starts and is slowly making a case as the team’s starting quarterback moving forward. A win on Monday night would be another point in his favor and could be enough to win over the fan base and the coaching staff.