Quick Thoughts On The St. Louis Rams Win Over The Oakland Raiders

Nov 30, 2014; St. Louis, MO, USA; St. Louis Rams running back Tre Mason (27) falls into the end zone for a eight yard touchdown during the second half against the Oakland Raiders at the Edward Jones Dome. St. Louis defeated Oakland 52-0. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-USA TODAY Sports

Even with wins over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Seattle Seahawks, and San Francisco 49ers, many still lamented that the St. Louis Rams did not have a “decisive” win over an opponent on the year. In Week 11, against the Denver Broncos, that changed, with the Rams holding the Super Bowl favorites to a mere seven points in a 22-7 win. However, even then, some pointed to the “absence” of Julius Thomas and Emanuel Sanders as potential rationale for the loss; despite the fact that both started the game healthy against the Rams. Yesterday, nothing was left to question, with the St. Louis Rams absolutely dominating in every facet of the game from the opening snap to the final play of the game. Beating the Raiders is nothing to get excited about… but, beating any team by 52 points and shutting out any NFL offense is an impressive feat. Here are our quick thoughts on that blowout…

1. Only a grizzled Jeff Fisher hater could look at the game yesterday and not be impressed by the job he has done in accumulating talent and changing the “culture” in St. Louis. Less than three years after taking over a Raiders-esque roster, the duo of Les Snead and Jeff Fisher have truly built a borderline contender, even without a quarterback to run to the show. The St. Louis Rams have arguably the deepest defensive line and secondary in the league (particularly on the outside), and have drafted and developed a receiving corps that appears primed and ready to explode with the insertion of a non-backup signal caller. If yesterday didn’t show you how far this team has come in the Fisher era, nothing will…

2. Tip of the hat to Gregg Williams (again) for 1) putting together a brilliant game plan and 2) understanding the importance of a shutout for this young squad. Most coaches would have turned down the heat in the second half with a 38-0 lead. However, understanding that his group needed continue to built chemistry and confidence, Williams reset his focus on shutting out the opposing offense, instead of falling back into prevent and milking the scoreboard. As a result, his unit ended with eight sacks and five turnovers, including a pick-six, and allowed a grand total of 244 yards on 75 offensive plays. At this point, there is very little doubt that Williams was the right choice as the Rams defensive coordinator and even less doubt that the Rams have morphed into a legitimate Top 10 defense in the NFL.

3. Chris Long’s return to the team will certainly be a memorable one, with the long-time Rams vet recording one sack, two defensive stops, and even recovering one of Robert Quinn’s forced fumbles. His defensive line unit recorded seven of the eight sacks on the night, including a three sacks, two forced fumbles, five defensive stops night from the “Mighty” Quinn on the outside. The St. Louis defensive line was arguably the best in the league this season (post-Week 5) without Long. It will be scary to see it once he gets back to his normal form…

4. However, as good as the defensive line was on Sunday, the cornerbacks might have been even better. EJ Gaines is proving to be the steal of the 2014 NFL Draft, playing all 81 defensive snaps against the Oakland Raiders and allowing only 35 yards on seven targets, including a pass deflection and an interception. Not to be outdone, Janoris Jenkins allowed only four total yards on six targets. However, the cream of the secondary crop yesterday was Trumaine Johnson, who allowed only 14 yards on two catches, and managed two interception, including his first career pick-six. The St. Louis Rams currently have three starting-caliber cornerbacks on their roster, with Lamarcus Joyner, Marcus Roberson, and Mark Barron (sort of) to back them up. The rest of this season should be fun to watch.

5. In a special version of “Pro Bowl” watch, make sure to keep an eye out for Aaron Donald and Robert Quinn. Despite a slow start, Quinn is currently only 2.5 sacks out of the Top 5, has the 2nd-most pass deflections among defensive linemen, leads the league in forced fumbles, and ranks Top 10 among 4-3 defensive ends in defensive stops. Aaron Donald, on the other hand, is currently graded as the top interior defensive lineman in the NFL, according to Pro Football Focus. Donald is Top 10 in sacks and hits on the quarterback, ranked No.2 in defensive stops, and is currently graded as the top interior defensive line run defender in the NFL. Both deserve invites to the Pro Bowl. We’ll see if the NFL community is football-intelligent enough to come to that same conclusion.

6. Where do we start on the St. Louis Rams offense? Heading into the game, the Raiders were actually decently ranked in both pass rushing and pass coverage. Yet, Shaun Hill dinked-dunked-and-ran his way to an efficient five scoring drives in the Rams’ opening five possessions, including 100 yards passing in the opening quarter. Hill may not be the long-term solution to St. Louis’ quarterbacking problem, but he is most certainly the best option on the roster. In three games, he has three solid performances against the AFC West, including two wins and one loss that came down to the very last play.

7. You can’t talk about the Rams offense yesterday without mentioning the West Virginia boys. The duo put on a clinic in the opening quarter, combining for over 125 yards from scrimmage, including a touchdown. Bailey improved on a impressive performance last week, catching five passes for 100 yards. Tavon Austin continued to show his versatility in the offense, taking a handful of screens and one end-around handoff for over 10.0 yards per touch.

8. However, neither of those performances hold a light to Tre Mason, who put his name (back) on the map with his 164 yard performance that included a 35-yard touchdown catch-and-run and an even more impressive, nearly record-breaking 89-yard touchdown run. The debate for the “starter” at running back in St. Louis is officially over, if it wasn’t already. It would be surprising if Zac Stacy were on the Rams roster at the start of next season…

9. Johnny Hekker, Johnny Hekker, Johnny Hekker. The St. Louis Rams punter is certainly back in his 2013 Pro Bowl form, and showed off that leg yesterday in the second half. On six attempts, he netted a 41.8 yard average, including allowing only four total return yards. More impressively, he notched three of those six inside the opposing 20 yard line, bringing his total to 25 on the year (T-4th). Hekker is everything you want in a Pro Bow, All-Pro punter.

10. Special shoutout has to go to Ray Ray Armstrong, who continued to help the St. Louis Rams on special teams, even after being cut by Jeff Fisher. We’ll let the Vine do the talking…