Extra Points about the Rams' 19-13 win over the Seahawks:

by Bernie M.

Four games into the new season, the Rams aren’t going to be admired for their good looks. Their performances aren’t smooth, refined, or handsome. It’s a team of dirty faces. A team with bruises, abrasions, and blood stains. The Rams will win ugly, if that’s what’s necessary. The Rams often get themselves into trouble, but also can find their way out of the jam. They are laborers. They make plays.

That’s the best way to explain their 2-2 record and competitiveness in all four games. Even in their two losses, the Rams had a chance to win in the fourth quarter. They twice took the lead late at Detroit, but the defense couldn’t make a stop at the end. At Chicago, the Rams were within one score of tying it up with less than 10 minutes remaining, but the offense couldn’t block the Bears’ front four and the situation deteriorated.

The Rams have been outscored 24-9 in the first quarter. They have been outscored 31-20 in the fourth quarter. They have the same number of points (13) as their opponents in the third quarter. The Rams have “won” only one quarter, the second, outscoring foes 36-24. So despite trailing early and fairly often, the Rams are 2-2, and probably should be 3-1.

The Rams hang tough and stay close for several reasons, and we’ll mention a few:

1. This one isn’t quantifiable, but they’re just a lot tougher under Jeff Fisher. Which was the expectation. That’s his rep. He builds tough teams. The Rams have that. It isn’t just a matter of physical play. The Rams are mentally tough. That’s why they’re able to come back from so many deficits.

They were down 7-3 to Detroit, and took the lead twice when trailing the Lions in the fourth quarter. The Rams defeated Washington despite being down 14-3 and 21-6. They fell behind 10-0 at Chicago, and got it to 10-6 before slipping late. Seattle took the opening kickoff and went 80 yards for a 7-0 lead; the Rams didn’t blink. In Seattle, they’re wondering how the Seahawks managed to lose this one 19-13 despite rushing for 179 yards and not allowing a touchdown.

(Well, look at the coach. Fisher won the matchup against Pete Carroll.) But more than anything, opponents have to realize that they’re up against a different kind of animal now when they tangle with St. Louis. The Rams are not the same, old, sorry-sack team that’s been kicked around for years. Not with Fisher coaching them. This is new. We’re not used to seeing such resilience.

2. The Rams defense makes stops: they’re giving up around 349 net yards per game. That’s nothing special; it ranks 14th among 32 teams. The Rams are vulnerable against the run. They rank 26th in yielding 135 yards per game, and 26th in allowing 4.7 yards per rushing attempt. They’ve been barreled over for six rushing TDs. Quarterbacks have completed 64.7 percent of the passes against the Rams defense.

This group limits the damage. It cuts its losses. It makes plays. It puts up resistance. The Rams are 7th in the NFL in stopping opponents on 3rd down, allowing a conversion rate of 31.1 percent.

The Rams lead the NFL with eight interceptions. They’ve been dinged by only two TD passes, which is tied for first. The Rams TD/INT ratio of 0.25 is the best in the league. They’re limiting quarterbacks to a passer rating of 64.2; that’s No. 2 in the league.

And that Rams defense that isn’t so rigid against the run? Yesterday Seattle ran the ball four times on third down and short (0-2 yards). The Rams held them to six yards on the four rushes, and twice prevented a first down.

Fisher always tells his players: don’t look at the scoreboard. Keep playing. Make enough plays, and the scoreboard will change.

3. Sam Bradford makes plays: Really, I’m not trying to cause the Sammy haters to go into convulsions. Bradford’s overall stats are ordinary. The offense is limited. The Rams average 19.8 points per game, 26th in the NFL. They have five TDs from scrimmage, tied for last. They average 311 yards, which is 27th.

So why do I say that Bradford makes plays? Well, because he does. Bradford has been one of the best quarterbacks in third-down situations. He’s been good on third down and longer distances. He’s been effective in the fourth quarter when his team is up by seven or fewer points, or down by seven or fewer points.

Let’s take a look:

• On third down, Bradford has completed 22 of 33 (66.7 percent) with a TD and no interceptions. That completion percentage ranks 7th among starting quarterbacks. His third-down passer rating of 102.2 is also No. 7 among QBs. His percentage of picking up third downs on passing attempts is 51.5, which ranks 4th in the league. Bradford’s yards per passing attempt of 8.27 on third down ranks 6th.

• Against Seattle, Bradford converted a 3rd and 14, and two 3rd and 13s. When Bradford faced a third and 11+ yards through the first four games, he’s completed all three passing attempts and secured a first down each time. His passer rating in that situation is 118.8. Quarterbacks don’t have great success on 3rd down needing between 8 and 10 yards. In those instances Bradford has completed 8 of 10, and his first-down conversion rate of 50 percent ranks No. 8 among

• In the 4th quarter and the Rams are leading by 7 points or fewer or trailing by 7 points or fewer, Bradford has completed 17 of 27 with two TDs and an interception. In this category, his passer rating of 97.6 ranks 10th in the league. And he’s converted third downs at a rate of 55.6 percent; that’s No. 2 among passers.

Yes, we’d all like to see more touchdowns, fewer field goals. We’d like to see more big plays, and fewer catches for short yardage. We’d like to see better red zone success. Absolutely. But until the Rams develop more playmakers, it’s positive to have your quarterback making plays that move the chains and set up the rookie kicker for field goals.

4. Greg the Leg: Zuerlein is 12 for 12 in his field goal attempts, but we aren’t talking about a lot of putts or chip shots. Of the 12 FGs, seven have been for 46 yards or longer. The rookie already has kicked field goals of 56, 58 and 60 yards. The Rams’ single-season franchise record for most field goals of 50+ yards is six, held by three players. (Tony Zendejas, Jeff Wilkins, Josh Brown.) So Zuerlein only needs four more FGs of 50+ to set a record.

Needless to say, young "GeeZy" has become an extraordinary weapon for Fisher and the Rams. As we’ve discussed, the Rams are not a touchdown machine. Getting into the end zone will be a challenge. But you still need to score as many points as possible, and now the Rams have a kicker with remarkable range, which sets up more FG chances. Now when the Rams move past the 50-yard line, they’ve entered Zuerlein’s range. What used to be a fourth-down punt may become a FG attempt instead. Not many kickers are game-changers, but Zuerlein seems to be one. I don’t think the Rams win yesterday with four blasts from Kid Dynamite.

Rising & Falling in St. Louis

Rising in Stock - Rams D

The Rams are putting together a terrific defensive unit.

Janoris Jenkins and Cortland Finnegan are quickly emerging as one of the best cornerback duos in the NFL. Chris Long and Robert Quinn are both sacking the opposing QB with regularity from their defensive end spots. James Laurinaitis is one of the best middle linebackers in the business.

When Michael Brockers (No. 14 overall pick in the 2012 draft) returns from a high ankle sprain to team up with fellow defensive tackle Kendall Langford, the Rams defense should be even better.

That's a scary thought for opponents.

The Rams' D kept this game close. They held the Bears to 274 total yards for the game. A deeper look reveals the Bears only gained 80 yards in the second half - and only four yards in the third quarter - against the Rams' stingy defense.

Stock Going Down - Rams O-Line

Sam Bradford got sacked six times. The Rams' rushing attack was so impotent that they only attempted 15 runs by the running backs.

The Rams' offensive line gotdominated.

If you don't think the Rams are drafting a left tackle this April, you're crazy.

Stock Going Down - Sam Bradford

Sam Bradford has been sacked 11 times through the first three games of the season. That means he is on pace to get sacked 59 times this season, assuming he stays healthy all 16 games.

Same old offensive line, same old Rams.

Sam Bradford is a good player. He proved that last week. The difference between last week and this week was the Redskins lost two starting defensive pass rushers—Adam Cariker and Bryan Orakpo.

So, the Rams' O Line didn't have to face an elite pass-rusher and they did okay.

This week, against an elite pass rush (the Bears' D is clearly one of the best in the NFL), the Rams' offensive line showed that the game plan has to be adjusted. The Rams simply can't afford to leave their tackles one on one against edge pass rushers.

So I'm putting Bradford in my "stock down" section simply because he is on pace to get sacked so many times this season, and that would be the third season in a row he took that kind of beating.

This is a recipe for how you ruin a good young QB.

Stock Going Down - Brian Shottenheimer

If I were running the St. Louis Rams—and let me be clear, I'm not—this would have been my sit down talk with Rams' offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer before the season started:

"Brian, you know we were 2-14 last year, right? We're coming off of the worst 5-year stretch in the history of the NFL, so we're basically starting at ground zero here. What I'm trying to tell you is, nobody expects you to lead this team to the Super Bowl this season, okay.

Now Brian, we spent the No. 1 overall pick on Sam Bradford back in 2010. We think Bradford is going to be special. We think he's going to be so good that we traded 'the RG3 pick' to the Redskins last year. The thing is, Bradford has taken a beating since we drafted him, mainly because we drafted Jason Smith—who was supposed to be our franchise left tackle—the year before we drafted Sam.

So Brian, what I'm basically saying is, our O Line is awful. They're just flat out terrible. We signed Scott Wells as a free agent and Harvey Dahl is pretty good, but other than that, we have a bunch of question marks up and down this offensive line. Even if we stay 100 percent healthy—which is not going to happen—you're going to have to keep extra blockers in there to help protect Sam.

So Brian, here are my goals for our 'non Super Bowl winning offense' in 2012:

1) Protect Sam Bradford

2) Protect Sam Bradford

3) Protect Sam Bradford

Brian, I don't care how you do it, just protect Sam Bradford. Keep a fullback in to block. Keep an extra tight end in to block. Play six offensive lineman at the same time. Ask the cheerleaders to help block. Get the vendors to try to trip somebody. Run the ball on every single play—literally—if that is what it takes to keep Sam Bradford healthy.

Because we're not going to win the Super Bowl this year, but with all these extra picks coming, we're going to be really, really good in a couple of years, assuming Bradford isn't afraid of his own shadow by that point. So keep him healthy.

One more thing...try to play that Quick kid we drafted No. 33 overall out of Appalachian State. Because, you know, Sam needs all the help he can get. "

Rams Won't Be Denied in Comeback Win

by Nick Wagoner

Time and again in Sunday’s home opener against the Redskins, the Rams found themselves facing some kind of hardship.

Be it a game-opening fumble that became a Washington touchdown, an apparent back-breaking interception in the end zone, an injury to a key player or debilitating penalty after debilitating penalty, you could name a malady and the Rams faced it.

In the past, any sign of trouble, let alone the large pile mounting on the Rams’ sideline Sunday would have been enough to break their will. But the past is the past and the Rams are no longer interested in worrying about something that happened 12 seconds ago, let alone 12 months.

The result was a scintillating come-from-behind 31-28 win over the Redskins at the Edward Jones Dome. The Rams evened their record at 1-1 while Washington fell to the same mark.

“It’s a completely different swagger,” running back Steven Jackson said. “It’s just amazing. I know it’s only week 2 and we’re 1-1 but it’s just a whole different atmosphere. I can’t thank Coach Jeff Fisher enough for what he’s done and what he’s doing with us.”

What Fisher and his coaching staff have done in a short time in St. Louis is instill an attitude in the league’s youngest team that won’t allow them to back down from any challenge. The familiar refrain of next play has taken on new meaning.

Witness what happened at the end of Sunday’s victory. After coming up a play short of snatching a stunning win in Detroit last weekend, the Rams bemoaned the fact that they just didn’t get the job done when the chance presented itself.

In one week, the lessons learned from that game were evident on the field. With the ball at Washington’s 41 and the clock running down, backDaryl Richardson, who replaced an injured Jackson in the first half, coughed up a fumble that the Redskins recovered.

Instead of the ball and a chance to run out the clock and win the game, suddenly Washington had new life. An opponent with the ball and a chance to drive for a winning touchdown in the final moments, sound familiar?

The Redskins quickly moved into Rams territory. On third-and-8, Washington quarterback Robert Griffin III fired to receiver Josh Morgan in the right flat. Morgan was tackled for a gain of 7, a yard short of the first down by cornerbackCortland Finnegan.

Finnegan, long known for his ability to agitate opponents, apparently pushed Morgan past his breaking point as the two became entangled after the play. Morgan took exception to Finnegan’s antics and fired the ball at the corner.

Out came a flag and a 15-yard penalty that forced Washington’s Billy Cundiff to try a 62-yard field goal to tie it. He wasn’t close and the Rams had sealed a win.

“It’s one of those things I guess he was just fired up and he didn’t make the right decision,” Finnegan said. “It was a chippy game all game. It’s a physical game on both sides and both defenses didn’t want to break. We were bending at times. Credit us for making a play at the end.”

Indeed, it was a chippy game that seemed to have very little in the way of control from the officials. In all, 18 flags were thrown and of those 18, six were of the 15-yard variety for unsportsmanlike conduct or unnecessary roughness.

Linebacker Jo-Lonn Dunbar, himself a player who specializes in feisty, said it was important for the Rams to stay under control.

“I learned from a coach one time ‘Get to the edge and never hurt the team,’” Dunbar said. “You can get to the edge, look over the edge but never hurt the time. You can get to the line, just don’t cross it.”

That the Rams were even in position to pull off the late win seemed amazing enough considering what the way things started. On the first play from scrimmage, receiver Danny Amendola lost a fumble that cornerback Josh Wilson returned 30 yards for a touchdown and a 7-0 Washington lead.

Quarterback Sam Bradford didn’t hesitate to go back to Amendola, who responded with a career day, 15 catches for 160 yards and a touchdown.

“That was not easy to do,” Fisher said. “But Danny, he was determined to right that wrong.”

Bradford himself faced a tough moment when he threw an end zone interception to linebacker London Fletcher with the Rams driving for a potential leading score.

All the Rams did in response was get a blocked punt from tight endMatthew Mulligan on a play that was designed to be a return to get it right back for the offense at Washington’s 24.

“He got it on his own, because we had a return (on),” Fisher said. “We didn’t even have a rush. He sensed something. It’s good you get an experienced player like that who can sense the protection issue and take advantage of it. So, yes ‘Mully” is ‘Mully.’ Mully’s always going to put himself in the right place at the right time to make a play.”

Four plays later, Bradford rewarded Mulligan with a 1-yard touchdown pass to give the Rams the lead for good.

 “To be honest, he got out of there too fast,” Mulligan said. “My thing is they put me in there to hold guys up and he didn’t block me long enough, so I just kept going and he kicked it right through me. So I was happy to get there and be in the right spot.”

Despite losing Jackson (groin) and left tackle Rodger Saffold (knee) to injuries early in the game, Bradford and the offense never missed a beat.

That group rolled up 452 yards of total offense, 23 first downs and was seven-of-12 on third down conversion attempts as they overcame a 21-6 second quarter deficit.

Bradford, in particular, was on top of his game as he finished 26-of-35 for 310 yards with three touchdowns and that one pick for a rating of 117.6. He threw touchdowns to Amendola, Mulligan and wideout Brandon Gibson.

“He was dialed in all week and certainly dialed in today,” Fisher said. “He and (offensive coordinator Brian) Schotty were on the same page. This was a difficult defense…Sam had some answers. He knew where to go with the football for the most part.”

The defense, meanwhile, was doing its part to keep Griffin in check. He was able to shake loose for two touchdown runs and a 68-yard touchdown pass to receiver Leonard Hankerson but the defense made big plays when it had to.

Finnegan came up with his second interception in as many weeks and Washington finished with 373 yards and was just four-of-13 on third down.

Most important, that group did everything necessary to get a stop when it absolutely had to have one.

“That’s one thing we talked about going into this week and one thing we talked about going into the last drive,” Dunbar said. “We didn’t want to have that feeling we had last week when we didn’t close the game. We wanted to close it, to finish it and that’s just what we did.”

After settling into victory formation and kneeling twice, the Rams had wrapped the first win of the Fisher era. The joyous players soaked in the victory, even going so far as to shake hands and give out gloves to fans in the south end zone.

“There were so many lessons to be learned tonight, starting with the first offensive play and that’s kind of how the game went,” Fisher said. “We would have a difficult situation arise on the field and they’d bounce right back.”

Again and again.