The 1-2 Rams will look to avoid yet another Jeff Fisher Slow Start (TM) as touchdown underdogs at Arizona. Lotsa luck with that. The Cardinals are arguably the NFL's hottest team, coming off a 47-7 win over the 49ers, and the Rams haven't had a lot of luck there in the past. This is a part of the schedule that really makes you wish the Rams had taken care of business in their more-winnable games.
Pregame notes: Fox TV team will be Thom Brennaman, Charles Davis and Goose. Should be a good broadcast. Might also be a well-officiated game with John Parry in charge. I couldn't find any problems with him in the past; he last reffed a Rams game in 2013.
Andre Ellington is inactive for Arizona, so the Rams will have to find a way to stop Chris Johnson. Brian Quick is active for the Rams, though we'll have to see how active he really is.
The prediction: I've had a sudden surge of optimism and will say 22-13 Arizona even though I expect the Cardinals to dominate the LOS.
FIRST QUARTER
And this game is off to an outstanding start for the Rams: Mark Barron strips David Johnson on the opening kickoff and Daren Bates pounces on the loose ball. Early advantage, Rams, getting the ball at the AZ16.
Fake jet right to Tavon Austin, bubble screen left to Todd Gurley for 8. 2nd-2, no block at all by Jared Cook allows Rashad Johnson in to trip Gurley up for a THREE YARD LOSS. Let me know what's new about THAT. Well, here's something new: A RAMS TOUCHDOWN. Austin ran a square-in out of trips formation, Jerraud Powers couldn't track him, and he sped through a pretty open field for a 12-yard TD. 7-0 Rams
Now THIS is how you start a football game, people.
Touchback this time starts Arizona at their 20. T.J. McDonald gets cut-blocked by Larry Fitzgerald but leg-whips Chris Johnson down for only 1. Smoke route to John Brown gets 11, though, with Fitzgerald taking out Lamarcus Joyner. Fitzgerald WIPES OUT Robert Quinn and Carson Palmer has plenty of time to hit Brown on the sideline for another 14. The Rams bury Palmer under a double-safety blitz for their first SACK, by Joyner. Palmer nearly got loose, avoiding a big loss. 2nd-11. 3-man rush, Janoris Jenkins LAYS THE WOOD to Jermaine Gresham to break up a pass. Unlike their last road game, the Rams came to play today. False start, Bobby Massie, has us wondering if Arizona did. 3rd-16, and Gregg Williams is off to a brilliant (not ironic usage) start. Rams rush three with Ogletree peeling off; Palmer wanted the dumpoff but had to eat the ball because of Ogletree, who he'd thought would be blitzing. Chris Long beats the RT and the RG, who look confused, and drops Palmer for SACK #2. The punt rolls to the 23 as Brennaman says the Cardinals look surprisingly mortal. The Rams have come to play, that's for sure.
Austin cuts up inside with a jet sweep left for 8. The rollout right TE pass is screwed up like usual - why do the Rams even TRY to run this play? - and Foles downs it at Cook's feet. The Rams almost never block the LDE on this play, and didn't here. 3rd-2. AND it's a sack, with the Rams basically blocking no one, with three Cardinals getting to Foles. Greg Robinson and Jamon Brown got beat by BOTH guys on a switch on their side, Tim Barnes got beat and Benny Cunningham didn't block anyone. Four blown assignments on one play. Give the sack to former Mizzou Tiger Markus Golden at OLB. Hekker outkicks coverage and gives Patrick Peterson a chance to return, WHICH IS IDIOTIC, but Bates dives and trips him up at the AZ34.
CJ right through nauseating run "defense" for 12. Hayes is too far inside, Laurinaitis is PATHETIC blowing the tackle and McDonald also blows one downfield. Ogletree stops him the next carry for 1. CJ left now for a couple, mirror image of the last two plays, but Ethan Westbrooks is on him right away and holds him to 2. 3rd-7, and it's time for the Ram defense to start blowing clutch plays. Palmer beats a blitz with a simple swing pass to David Johnson, who's wide open. Trumaine Johnson does not bring him down with an all-shoulder, no-wrap tackle. Laurinaitis' effort next is just pitiful, and DJ runs through Barron and Ogletree all the way to the Ram 30 on a mini-Beast Mode type of play. Palmer next goes up top for Michael Floyd, who draws DPI in the end zone on Jenkins on a play I would have let go. I don't see the body contact Charles Davis is talking about. PENALTY NUMBER ONE Put the Cardinals at the 1 instead. Aaron Donald blows up an attempted outside run that loses 1. They pitch to CJ again, and Jenkins fires in to blow that up, and Ogletree finishes it for another yard loss. WATCH FITZGERALD on 3rd-and-goal. He was open on a square out from the slot, but Palmer went the other way instead, where DJ beat Ogletree at the goal line on a pivot route, but the ball's right through his hands, thank you very much. Arizona settles for a chip shot; credit to the guys who made those big goal line run stops. Rams 7, Arizona 3 The Rams are going to need to tackle a LOT better than they did most of this drive.
PENALTY NUMBER TWO on the return (holding, Cody Davis) will start the Rams at their 8. Cunningham needs to freaking kneel with these when they're 5 yards deep. And the Ram running game picks up right where it left off, with a FOUR YARD LOSS for Mason. Calais Campbell BLEW UP Jamon Brown and that was all she wrote. Mason squirts off right tackle for about 3. Arizona jumps offside, and unlike the Packers do, no Ram WR knows to run a deep route and Foles' lonely lob is picked off. Doesn't count, of course, but that's the kind of savvy you get from this receiving corps. 3rd-6, guess who gets both hands on the ball and doesn't catch it. Jared Cook. Justin Bethel got his arm in there, but that ball HAS to be Jared's, and somehow, it NEVER is. Hekker's punt is high and Peterson has no return at the AZ39.
Quinn comes at Palmer like a freight train but he dumps off to CJ for 5. Bubble screen to John Brown for another 8. Fitzgerald uncharacteristically muffs a smoke pass. McDonald nearly gets Palmer on a blitz, and Laurinaitis cleans up the screen attempt for no gain. Nice play by both. 3rd-10. Blitz on a non-blitz down does not get there and Palmer hits Floyd on the sideline for 11.
SECOND QUARTER
Ball at the STL37. TruJo breaks up a pass for Brown. Floyd gets an easy 12 on a simple comeback underneath a soft zone in front of TruJo the next play. McDonald brings serious lumber but CJ still gets 7, with Mike Iupati picking off Laurinaitis at the 2nd level. Spot was at least a yard in AZ's favor. AZ pulls off the same thing for 4 more. They're double-teaming Donald and a lineman's free to pick off Laurinaitis, who is pissed off at somebody after the play. I think he's mad at Jenkins and Fairley for pulling up instead of getting their noses in there. Gotta stay aggressive, men, I agree. McDonald and, notably, Jenkins, blow up a pitch left to CJ, with Westbrooks cleaning it up for a loss at the 15. Brown beats TruJo on a pivot route for 7. Maybe if you would be within 8 yards at the snap? 3rd-3, Gregg Williams wins again. THIS PLAY FINALLY WORKS. He invites a run with a weirdly-spaced 3-man line, Palmer I bet checks off to a handoff to DJ, but Donald just bullies the LG, and Ogletree and Barron blitzing from either side clean that up for a big loss. The Rams' third clutch run stop down there. Donald just rag-dolled Iupati. Another chippie for Catanzaro. Rams 7, Arizona 6 I think we can also credit Laurinaitis for firing up the troops a little bit there.
Benny proves me wrong about fair-catching by sweeping out to the 35. I think that was Christian Bryant making the block on the sideline that sprung him. Good block by Demetrius Rhaney on the wedge to start things off, too. There's a couple more signs John Fassell can coach. Gurley cuts a leftside run back for 4. Gurley then makes a blitz pickup that saves Foles' life, but Nick can only hit Cook for a couple. Benny makes a big pickup the next play, but Foles has no one open at all and air mails one out of bounds while the whole TV crew comments how ugly the Ram offense is. Peterson gets away from 3 Rams at the 8 with the punt before Bradley Marquez catches him at the 17. QUIT KICKING IT TO HIM YOU DAMN IDIOTS!
Fox cuts to Frank Cignetti shaking his head in the coach's box. No one open at all on that play. CJ right for 5 as Will Hayes ain't doing a dang thing against the run today. Palmer goes to Darren Fells in the seam for 18, beating McDonald. Quick slant to Brown for 9, with TruJo a mile off him. Williams needs to tighten the screws here, but doesn't, which feels like trouble when Palmer rolls right and goes deep for Brown. Jenkins closes on him, though, and undercuts him for the ball for a monster play, an end zone interception. Nearly dropped it, but he turned what looked like a TD into a big play for the Rams. The fire is lit back under Jenkins today.
LOL, Jenkins actually made a David Tyree-style helmet catch, which Charles Davis brilliantly notes was also made in this stadium. Gurley makes 3 up the middle. Short drop by Foles and a quick slant to Cook for 12. Good catch. Off play-action, Foles throws a beautiful ball to Austin on a deep corner route, beating Rashad Johnson for 47. Rams blocked it really well and Foles made just a perfect throw. They're at the AZ18. Play action again, and a clever screen to Cook gets 8, with Havenstein and Brown out front. So of course, a handoff to Gurley loses three. He had to bounce outside after Frostee F. Rucker knocked Rodger Saffold off the line. 3rd-4, Rams call timeout. This usually means the next play's really going to suck. Foles' pass for Cook is a little out of his reach. Honey Badger never knows it's coming until Cook starts to pull it in, and he knocks it out. Someday Cook's GOT to come up with ONE of these, doesn't he? Greg Zuerlein chips the three. Rams 10, Arizona 6
3:16 to halftime. Hopefully for the Rams, that's an Austin 3:16. Zuerlein boots another kick out the back. Very solid pocket for Palmer; Fitzgerald dives for 13 as Ogletree wants a flag for pushing off. I'm pretty sure referees have stopped calling that this year. Laurinaitis' blitz forces Palmer to unload early and incomplete. So, let's have some more PATHETIC run defense. The weird 3-man line again, and when Chris Long whiffs miserably in the hole, CJ has the whole desert to run in. Give him 21. Also a poor ankle tackle miss by Joyner in the hole. Arizona at the STL46 at the 2:00 warning. Palmer just beats a Joyner blitz and Floyd's in front of TruJo AGAIN for 9. DJ runs off for an EASY 12 down to the 25. Donald whiffed in the backfield, Laurinaitis got blocked by TWO linemen and Quinn, who I hope was stunting, had run completely away from the area. VERY quiet first half for Quinn btw. Jenkins JUST misses a pick six on a flare to DJ and still holds him to 1. Gregg Williams wins 2nd-9; McDonald drills Palmer on a double-safety blitz, and also wisely has Fitzgerald double-teamed in the end zone, which lets Palmer's throw land harmlessly on the turf. Laurinaitis drills Palmer on a middle blitz - that was a legal hit, Cardinal fans, delivered with the shoulder - and Barron has DJ cleanly blanketed to force another incompletion and another Catanzaro FG with 1:13 left. Rams 10, Arizona 9 Have to be impressed with the Rams' clutch red zone defense today.
Benny proves me right about kneeling this time, only making the 15. Fisher is apparently going to let Arizona have the ball back. Benny for 3, TO, AZ. Benny next LOSES THE THREE, with NO ONE blocking Kevin Minter. On a screen, Benny now ignores a GAPING hole on the left side to cut inside Campbell and make the least out of the play he possibly could. That was probably a first down, and also not the first time Benny has screwed this play completely up. Joyner and Cody Davis let Hekker get away with kicking directly to Peterson YET AGAIN and hold him to no gain with brilliant downfield pursuit.
0:35 left, Cardinals at their 23. Drop by DJ, but tough pass thanks to Ogletree's solid coverage. 11 to Fitzgerald, then a spike at 0:19. Stay on your toes, D. Quinn nearly gets Palmer, who gets off a big gainer to Brown, but Jared Veldheer both held Quinn and hit him with illegal hands to the face, with the former being called. That ends the half.
HALFTIME ADJUSTMENTS
I have to be quick because I'm going to run into TiVo Trouble at 6:00. The Ram defense is definitely carrying them so far. The running game's such a complete mess I don't know what to do with it. Maybe just have Gurley run behind Harkey in I formation. It's gotten that bad. Also, get to running behind Robinson, he's the best run-blocker. The passing game has completely forgotten the WRs, possibly because they're completely forgettable. But they've shown if they can establish any running game at all, it'll make play-action work. Let's try to get Tavon at least several touches.
Gregg Williams had a good first half but has to clean up that run D. Some of the weird alignments have got to go. And he's lining the DEs up too far inside again, which is what got the Rams killed in Washington. Let's learn from some darn mistakes, huh? I'd also like to get TruJo playing tighter if possible, but coverage has not been a big problem today. Keep the focus on Fitzgerald.
THIRD QUARTER
Knee for Benny starts the Rams at the 20. A STRETCH HANDOFF TO GURLEY LOSES FIVE AS CAMPBELL COMPLETELY BEATS TIM BARNES. HOW CAN YOU NOT FREAKING KNOW TO BLOCK CAMPBELL? But Austin gets it all back, and then some, with 18 off a bubble screen. Havenstein whiffed a block badly but Kenny Britt got Tavon the outside and Tavon broke a tackle. THE RAMS HAVE RUSHED FOR FOUR TOTAL YARDS. But play action still gets Foles a lot of time, and he hits Harkey in the flat for 4. Peterson closes rapidly on a quick screen to Austin that loses 1. 3rd-7. Foles beats a blitz with an out route to Stedman Bailey out of trips for 13. Gurley has nice running room after a screen and gets 7 to the AZ45. Barnes then snaps before Foles is expecting, luckily not in shotgun. Foles has to scramble and throw it away. Rams got called for an illegal shift anyway. PENALTY #3 2nd-8. Good blitz pickup by Gurley, but it's yet another ball through Cook's hands. WHY ARE WE RELYING SO MUCH ON THIS GUY? Odd call here to go deep down the sideline for Austin, but Powers has him blanketed. Cards were a mile off the slot receiver there; I wanted a slant to Bailey. Hekker pins Peterson at the 8 with the punt.
Brilliant (ironic usage), no pass rush on Palmer and only Ogletree covering Fitzgerald for a 22-yard gain. Brilliant (non-ironic) play by Quinn to blow up a handoff to CJ, setting up Ogletree to collect a loss of 5. Brilliant (ironic) idea by Williams to blitz big on 2nd-long; a quick screen to Brown and Fitzgerald WIPING OUT Barron gets most of the 15 back. McDonald gets away with a late hit out of bounds; no idea why John Parry picked up the flag there, but thanks. Ogletree's hit was OK, but McDonald was way late. 3rd-2 in any event.
And, unbelievably, Gregg Williams wins again. Ten in the box with Rodney McLeod a mile deep at center looks like an awful idea, especially when Palmer bombs for Fitzgerald wide open down the sideline, but here comes McLeod with a big hit to pop the ball loose, with TruJo pouncing on the rare Fitzgerald turnover at the Ram 42.
The Ram defense has played its ass off today. And now here comes Gurley. A counter right beats a blitz for 24, to the AZ36, with Lance Kendricks getting a key block. Gurley cut right inside the blitzer. Gurley runs through a tackle for another 13, with the Ram line driving all the Cardinals to their sideline. No gain for Gurley on the 3rd try after Frostee F. Rucker beat Havenstein. Ha, here's my I-formation, and Gurley follows Harkey and cuts back for 5. 3rd-5 at the 17, FOLES' THROW FOR BAILEY IS PERFECT FOR A TD. Bailey ran a corner route out of trips and Powers didn't get back in time. Hilariously, after Honey Badger takes Bailey down, he stays down and pretends to take a nap with the ball as his pillow. Even more hilariously, Bruce Arians is mad there wasn't a penalty for that. And he's right, there should have been. Rams 17, Arizona 9.
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Technical difficulties - expletives deleted, will have to backfill after the game.
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Here's the backfill. CJ cuts back for 19 the very first play. Michael Brockers, taking a rare snap today, gets blocked and Ogletree is blocked and can't fill the gap. Even worse, McDonald's blown diving tackle attempt takes Ogletree out in the back of the knees. QUIT INJURING YOUR OWN TEAMMATES! Oh, shit, Ogletree is getting carted off, that really harshes the buzz of this game. It's an ankle injury, and though he's on the cart, there's no inflatable cast on it, and it wasn't flopping around after the hit like it was seriously broken. Cross our fingers for a sprain. Really unusual to get carted off for a sprain, though. PENALTY FIVE, I think, illegal hands to the face kills a run stuff by Hayes and Laurinaitis. Arizona at their 45. Floyd takes a soccer-quality dive on a deep sideline route and apparently draws DPI on TruJo for it. PENALTY SIX. I don't know. TruJo's not doing that much. He's not impeding Floyd. Luckily, it'll offset because Jonathan Cooper was holding. On 1st-10, Quinn sets a nice edge and sets Daren Bates up to tackle CJ for 3. Really? Bates for Ogletree, not Akeem Ayers? Huh. 16 to Fitzgerald, beating Joyner out of the slot. Stretch handoff that CJ cuts back for another 13. This run defense is so intolerable sometimes. Westbrooks way overshoots the play and Barron knocks himself out of the play trying to get past Gresham. Arizona at the Ram 22. Palmer overthrows Floyd at the 2; TruJo was right there. Gresham runs through Westbrooks and Jenkins with a screen for 8. Another safety blitz lands another SACK, their third, by McDonald. Well-disguised and he came in untouched. Arizona's played today like they didn't know the Rams ever blitz the safeties, which is pretty idiotic on genius Bruce Arians' part. The Cardinals pull out the chip wedge yet again. Rams 17-12
Agh, time travel has allowed me to see Jim Thomas' postgame tweet saying Ogletree needs ankle surgery. He'll go on IR/designated to return but could miss the season. Way to go, McDonald, you stupid jackass. Second straight year he's taken out one of his own teammates. He nearly took E.J. Gaines' head off last season blowing a tackle.
The ever-consistent Cunningham gets out to the 38 this time behind good work by the wedge and Christian Bryant, but PENALTY #7 on Harkey takes it back. Rams start at their 12, losing 26 yards of field position. Crowd noise draws PENALTY #8, a false start on Robinson. Gurley cuts back through a big hole for 4 off a Kendricks block BUT LOSES THE BALL. Honey Badger knocked it loose. It passed under three different Cardinals, but somehow the Rams ended up with it. It sounds like they're giving Gurley credit for recovering even though he didn't leave the pile with it. 2nd down, pressure comes right up the middle at Foles and forces a throwaway. Rashad Johnson (HOW MANY JOHNSONS DO THE CARDINALS HAVE? WHAT IS THIS, BLAZING SADDLES?) blows up a really predictable screen to Benny after Barnes can't block him, and Benny goes down with another loss. Ball's loose again, but John Parry bails the hell out of the Rams by saying that Benny's forward progress had been stopped. That is really a horrible ruling. His forward progress stopped because he got tackled, which forced the ball loose. Awful, awful call. But it probably saved the game for the Rams. The 4th quarter ends with the Rams receiving a General Motors-sized bailout.
FOURTH QUARTER
Arizona takes over at midfield after the punt. Brown gets about 12 on an end-around and had much more if not for sloppy sideline footwork. Quinn stayed home but Brown was too fast, and Fitzgerald cleared out Joyner with another dive below a Ram DB's knees, and he's finding his way rapidly off my Respected Opponent list with this bullshit. Off play-action, Palmer rolls away from Donald and hits Jeron Brown inside the 20. Laurinaitis couldn't drop back quite quick enough. Screen to Fitzgerald, taken down suitably roughly by Barron for a couple. Another screen, to CJ, for 6. 3rd-and-2. Empty backfield, Palmer goes to Gresham in a crowd, and the TE drops it with Ayers closing to break it up. Arians might regret not going for this one but settles for three for the FIFTH time. Rams 17, Arizona 15
End of backfill. I'm 100% live from here and may lose a lot of detail without the rewind button. Rams at the 20, 11:57 to go. It's Campbell AGAIN, beating Jamon Brown this time to stuff Gurley. It's maddening how the Rams have refused to block this guy over the years. Austin jet sweeps for 12; I've been looking for that play. AND NOW A 52-YARD RUN BY GURLEY. Great blocking on the left side - somebody here was calling for that - with Barnes making a block in the nick of time. Huge pancake by Jamon Brown, too. Parry gives the Rams a delay of game instead of a timeout, thanks! The Rams are clearly unused to big offensive plays. 1st-15 at the AZ21. Arizona nearly blows up the smoke route to Austin, but he breaks a couple of tackles before stepping out at the 12. Gurley dives for 1, which will leave 3rd-5. Charles Davis is describing THE CHANGE TO THE RUNNING GAME I CALLED FOR AT HALFTIME. I rule. No, NICK FOLES RULES. He pulls the ball down with an all-out blitz coming, then fires to the goal line, where Austin makes a DIVING TD CATCH. Awesome play on both ends, and awesome call by Brennaman to credit Benny for a big blitz pickup afterward. I couldn't see it. Too busy typing! But the Rams have answered in style. Rams 24, Arizona 15
Let's try to make the Cardinals use some clock now. Another touchback for Zuerlein with 8:16 left. No, Floyd immediately beats zone coverage for 22. Palmer stands tall again and hits DJ in front of Jenkins for another 19. This is exactly the opposite of the defense the Rams need to be playing right now. Too high for DJ, who has had several go off his hands today. Good on the Rams to make Palmer reliant on him. Hayes nearly gets Palmer, who throws a wobbler that TruJo nearly picked off, but Brown turned into the defender and broke it up. 3rd-10, Williams blitzes McDonald, Palmer hits Floyd over the middle short and Ayers whiffs, but he's held short. AZ going for it, 4th-4. Blitz does NOTHING and trips gets Fitzgerald open and down to the 19. Huge fail by the Ram D there. SACK the next play, by Laurinaitis, swinging past RG and forcing a fumble. Of course, the center falls on it. 2nd-14 and THE RAM SECONDARY IS COMPLETELY ASLEEP as Palmer lofts a TD toss to David Johnson. McDonald gave him up to a deep defender who wasn't there. What an awful time to blow a coverage. Rams 24, Arizona 22
4:38 left, the Rams need to chew this up. They'll have plenty of room to do it, as Benny slowly brings it out to only the 14 WHEN HE COULD HAVE KNEELED. Gurley sweeps right for 3. Up the middle for 3 more. 3rd-4. Max protect for Foles, Britt can't come up with the catch on the sideline. Looked catchable. Peterson returns yet another punt right to him to the 36. 2:51 left. The Cardinals don't need a lot of yards to get Catanzaro in FG range. 25 is probably enough.
Blitz almost gets there, but Brown beats TruJo for 13. TruJo threw Brown down HARD out of bounds but no flag. Reverse handoff to DJ gets about 8 and the 2:00 warning. Looking like trouble. Quinn bats down a swing pass to force 3rd-2. Has Michael Brockers even played today? The Rams have used almost exclusively 3-man lines with Donald on the nose. 3-man pressure by Donald gets close, and Palmer overthrows Jeron Brown, open on the sideline. 4th-2.
I don't know why, but Palmer's throw is awful, way over D. Johnson's head, and incomplete. Not much pressure really on him! Rams ball!
Something else: switch sides, down 2 in this situation, Fisher is sending Zuerlein out for a 62-yard FG, I expect. Catanzaro's got a big leg and that has to have crossed their minds on the Arizona sideline.
1:44, both teams have all 3 TOs, a first down wins it for the Rams, right? Gurley gallops off for 20! Down to the AZ35! Good blocks across the line there. Saffold and Barnes made the running lane. TO#1, AZ, at 1:32. Ach, he's swamped at the 40 this time trying to go right. This time everybody on that side really got driven back. Out of FG range now. TO#2 AZ at 1:27. Sweet 3-yard run by Gurley. Breaks a couple of tackles, makes a couple of cutbacks, but keeps his head the whole time and stays in bounds.
AND ANOTHER SWEET RUN BY GURLEY! This is set up by a fake end-around to Austin. His blockers get him a perfect edge and he's free down the sideline, but, knowing he can't go all the way, he pulls up and slides down inside the 10 to keep the clock running! 30 more yards and I believe the young man is over 100 in his second career game! Oh, hell, he was way over! 146 on 19 carries! Brown and Barnes set a wonderful edge for Gurley to run around. Send in the Victory Formation Unit!
GAME OVER!
Hey, I did predict Arizona would score 22...
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