St. Louis Rams defense picks off Aaron Rodgers twice; trail at the half, 14-10
The St. Louis Rams defense continues to shine as they picked off Aaron Rodgers not once, but twice in the first half as they find themselves trailing the Packers 14-10. A slow start, a few drops and a key pick-six from the Packers helps them maintain their lead at the half, but the Rams began to show some signs of life late in the second quarter.
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The St. Louis offensive line has been anything but consistent this year, and have flirted with danger all afternoon. Failing to open holes for running back Todd Gurley and, more importantly, failing to provide adequate protection for quarterback Nick Foles has lead to some missed opportunities. Foles started the game 2 for 9 with 27 passing yards and two interceptions. One of those was pick six by Quinten Rollins who would run it back 45-yards untouched to put Green Bay up 14-0 at the time.
However, Gurley would eventually find time and space and racked up 64-yards on 17 carries in the first half. Most of that damage was done on the Rams first scoring drive of the game where the Rams ran the ball eight of nine plays. The drive ended in a touch-pass to wide receiver Tavon Austin who would score on a blown coverage assignment by Green Bay to cut the lead in half. It’s clear that Gurley is now the feature back of this offense and is feeling no ill effects of his torn ACL suffered last November.
Oct 11, 2015; Green Bay, WI, USA; Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers (12) rushes with the football during the first quarter against the St. Louis Rams at Lambeau Field. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports
Foles has produced when he has been called upon, but has struggled under pressure all day. Only 6 of 16 for 31 yards after 30 minutes of play, including two interceptions. He did have the touch pass to Austin for the score to help redeem himself, but the offensive line has left him out to dry all day long. Dropped passes form tight end Jared Cook, Kenny Britt and Stedman Bailey have note helped the cause either.
Unfortunately, St. Louis did not escape the first half unscathed. Both defensive end Chris Long and wide receiver Kenny Britt left the half early due to injuries. Long suffered a knee-to-knee hit late in the second quarter, but was able to walk off to the locker room on his own. Britt looked to have injured his right hand on a blocking assignment just a few minutes after Long went down. Britt also left under his own power.
The Rams defense has once again kept their struggling offense in this game. They have limited Aaron Rodgers to just ten completions for 109-yards. He has one touchdown, that he threw on the teams opening possession , and two interceptions. The interceptions from Rodgers are the first in almost 600 pass attempts at home for the stellar QB.
The Packers muscular running game has also been limited. Eddie Lacy has seen just six carries for nine yards. James Starks hasn’t faired much better with three carries for 11-yards. Rodgers leads Green Bay in the rushing column with 36-yards on six carries.
For the first time all season long, the Rams are leading in the time of possession battle at the half. The Rams have possessed the ball for just over 17 minutes, leaving the Packers only 12 minutes and change to work with. However, penalties have reared their ugly head once again, limiting some momentum for St. Louis. The Rams have racked up seven flags and surrendered 35-yards because of it, including their league leading eighth false start. Adjustments need to be made.
All-in-all, St. Louis limited the fierce Packers offense and score enough to keep things close. Green Bay will receive the second-half kick off as the Rams look to connive their dominant defensive stretch and give Foles and company a few more opportunities.