If there was ever a time for Jeff Fisher to have the St. Louis Rams fired up and ready to kick some butt at home on Monday Night Football, that time came on Monday night against the 6-1 Seattle Seahawks and their dual-threat quarterback and MVP candidate, Russell Wilson. But Seattle left St. Louis with a 14-9 win.
The Rams put forth their most dominant effort to date this season – including their lopsided win a couple of weeks ago against the Houston Texans.
Against the Seahawks, every member of the Rams defense recorded a tackle. The Rams defense constantly hit, hurried and harassed Wilson, tallying seven sacks against a weak offensive line. Six of those sacks were split between Chris Long and Robert Quinn, with one by William Hayes. Marshawn Lynch was very quiet in the Seattle backfield, with only 23 rushing yards against the Rams.
On offense, Zac Stacy showed his stuff before a national audience that was flipping back and forth between this football game and the World Series. Stacy ran for 134 yards on 26 carries against one of the best run defenses in the NFL. Daryl Richardson didn’t do bad, either, chipping in 39 yards on eight carries. The Rams had 200 yards on the ground.
This bruising smash-mouth style of football is what the Rams are going to need if they ever want to win another game this season. The Rams also won the time of possession battle by more than 17 minutes.
This was a winnable game. But the Rams still lost. The Rams shoot themselves in the foot, or hoof, so much they should start parking ambulances where they park the team bus. The dropped passes, penalties, and questionable play-calling doomed them. When is this going to stop?
How do you trust Kellen Clemens to throw a forward pass on the last play of the game? Zac Stacy and the running game were the Rams’ best friends all game long. Yes, Stacy was hobbled by an ankle injury, but after seeing how Daryl Richardson got knocked absolutely backwards by Seahawks safety Earl Thomas, I thought maybe the Rams would give it to Stacy again.
There are plenty of positives in this loss for the Rams that might help them in the rest of the season. The gang-tackling has returned. The high-pressure schemes have finally been unleashed by Tim Walton, with positive results. We saw a much-improved running game from the new thunder-and-lightning combination of Richardson and Stacy.
However, the less Kellen Clemens throws the football, the better their chances of winning are. The Rams need to keep him under 25 throws.
The season isn’t lost yet. But, should the Rams lose this Sunday against the Tennessee Titans, kiss the playoffs goodbye – again – if you haven’t already.Â
