Rams move their preseason record to 0-3 with loss to Colts

The St. Louis Rams continued their woeful preseason Saturday night with a 24-14 loss to the Indianapolis Colts. The team still has areas of concern, but the first team stepped up to the plate and finally began to show signs of life.

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Nick Foles put in his best performance of the preseason completing 10 or 11 passes for 128 yards and one touchdown. The touchdown pass went to wide receiver Chris Givens. Givens got loose behind the Indianapolis secondary and was the recipient of a 44-yard pass from Foles for the first touchdown put up by the first team unit in three games. Givens continues to make his argument for becoming a more prominent piece of this offense. Don’t forget, Givens also had an 80-yard receiving touchdown last week against the Titans.

Aug 29, 2015; St. Louis, MO, USA; St. Louis Rams quarterback Nick Foles (5) drops back after the snap against the Indianapolis Colts at the Edward Jones Dome. Mandatory Credit: Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports

It’s no secret at this point head coach Jeff Fisher wants to implement more run plays into his offense in 2015. However, the running game struggled to get things going again on Saturday. Starting running backs mustered a dismal 28-yards on 12 carries. The success of the running game hinges on success of the offensive line which has proven to be a major concern this preseason.

The starting five on the offensive line allowed two sacks of Foles, a handful of other pressure situations and committed two 15-yard facemask penalties. St. Louis chose not to sign any veteran linemen in the offseason and put all their chips on two returning starters, one in their second year, two rookies on the right side and a competition for the center position that leaves quite a bit to be desired. Fisher was criticized for this plan earlier in the year, and rightfully so, but the line needs to come together if the Rams hope to be competitive in 2015.

Penalties continue to plague this team, as they have during the entirety of Fisher’s tenure. Rams’ starters had seven penalties accepted against them for 60-yards in the first half alone. This team needs to address the flying laundry before the season begins.

Game Notes:

Injuries were minimal in Saturday’s matchup. Starting running back Tre Mason left in the first quarter with an apparent right leg injury. he would return to the sideline with the leg wrapped in ice and the injury does not appear to be significant. Starting guard Jamon Brown also left the game in the second quarter with an ankle injury. Brown would not return to the game, but appeared with his ankle taped.

With the injury to Rodger Saffold, Fisher was forced to do some shuffling on the offensive line. Brown shifted to the left side filling the void left by Saffold. Demetrius Rhaney, in competition for the starting center position, moved over to right guard in place of Brown. Speculation says Brown may continue to play the left guard position and Saffold’s turn will put him back at the right guard position. Safely was the teams right guard in 2013. Your starting center was Barrett Jones.

Tuesday, 4:00pm ET. Thats the deadline for reducing player rosters to 75 players. The Rams, and all the other NFL franchises, will need to make some decisions in the coming days. St. Louis will look to wrap up their preseason on a high note as they finish things up Thursday night when they host the Kansas City Chiefs at the Edward Jones Dome.