LA Rams defense stops playing, gets to work dismantling Cards offense

Have the LA Rams Fired Raheem Morris yet?  And yet, we’re beginning to see the method to the madness, aren’t we? In one-half of football, the LA Rams defense has not only held the Arizona Cardinals offense to 40 yards but the game has been played a majority of the time in the Cards’ half of the football field.

The LA Rams offense is doing okay.  They’ve run the ball 22 times for 94 yards, with one a one-yard quarterback sneak by QB Matthew Stafford for a touchdown. That’s allowed Matthew Stafford to get comfy by throwing just six of nine passes for 93 yards and a touchdown too. 14 points out of the offense.  A pretty slow day at the office.

But the Rams’ defense? Well now, that’s a different story. In eight drives, the Arizona Cardinals have gained just 40 yards. Well into the second quarter, the Arizona Cardinals high octane offense was in minus yardage territory. All season long, fans have disparaged this defense to death. If there was a single statistic that did not shine in a game, someone used that to launch another volley of “Fire Raheem Morris” into social media.

And that’s all it took.

The Rams are up in this one:

Halftime score

Thanks to a pick-six by defensive back David Long Jr., the Rams defense has outscored the Cardinals offense by a score of 7 to 0. The LA Rams have two sacks in this one and two interceptions. Long had one, backup defensive lineman Marquise Copeland had another interception on a tipped ball while still being engaged by an offensive lineman.

What is the difference?  We’ve said it before.

When the Rams run the football, great things happen with this team. Of course, the Rams cannot let up. They cannot take their foot off the pedal. After all, this is win or go home. There are no points awarded for civility or nobility.

The LA Rams have a 21 point lead. But the Rams know how this goes. It’s a 60-minute regulation game. Now, the team has to finish this one out strong and healthy.