Despite poor passing game, Rams lead the Browns 10-3 at the half

It has been all St. Louis Rams defense so far as they lead the Cleveland Browns 10-3 at halftime. The Rams opened the game with consecutive defensive takeaways that lead to points each time. The first was a forced fumble by cornerback Janoris Jenkins followed up by a scoop and score from safety Rodney McCleod to put the Rams up 7-0. On the Browns next possession, St. Louis defensive end William Hayes forced the fumble from quarterback Josh McCown and the Rams would turn it into three more points to put the lead at 10.

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Now, at the half the Rams lead the Browns 10-3, but once again missed opportunities will continue to haunt the St. Louis offense. Quarterback Nick Foles has been all over the field with his throws and the team has yet to convert a third down, now 0 for 5 on the afternoon. Tight end Jared Cook also coughed up a fumble on a first-down catch and run in the red-zone. In fairness to Foles the offensive line is allowing Cleveland defenders to have their way up front and has lead to less than ideal situations for the Rams offense.

Oct 25, 2015; St. Louis, MO, USA; St. Louis Rams free safety Rodney McLeod (23) celebrates after returning a fumble for a 20 yard touchdown against the Cleveland Browns during the first half at the Edward Jones Dome. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-USA TODAY Sports

Foles is now 7 of 14 for 64-yards on the day. Across the field McCown has been almost perfect completing 13 of his 16 pass attempts for 98-yards. This seems to be the trend in St. Louis this season. Allow opposing quarterbacks to throw underneath for short gains all game long, but keep a tight lid on the opposing offense and not allow big plays. Limiting the Browns to just three points in the first half lends some merit to the strategy.

Rookie running back Todd Gurley is playing for the firs time all season with out his knee brace and has started to settle in. Gurley started slow once again this week going late into the first quarter with a negative number in his total yards column, but finished the half strong with ac couple of nice runs and a couple of catches. He now has 76 total yards on nine rushes and two catches. Look for Gurley to play a bigger role in the second half.

The highlight of the first half, as it has been all season long, is this dominant Rams defense. Taking the fumble in for a touchdown early, forcing a mother fumble from McCown and putting up two more sacks has kept them in this game. Mark Barron has slid down into the linebacker position to help with the loss of Alec Ogletree and has continued his big hitting ways. Jenkins and Trumaine Johnson have been flying all over the field and have contained both wide receiver Travis Benjamin and tight end Gary Barnidge through two quarters. The two have totaled less than 60 receiving yards.

The Rams need to step up on offense and start making plays. The defense has carried them through this game so far as they have in the past. The offensive line will need to tighten up an allow Foles more time to complete throws down field. If the offense can get in sync St. Louis should be able to seal this game up.