The St. Louis Rams defense has slowly started to warm up over the last couple of games. Remember the eight sacks against Colin Kaepernick? Or knocking Carson Palmer out of the game the week prior? And just recently the Rams beat up on Peyton Manning and the Denver Broncos, beating them 22-7.
It was definitely a coming out party for the Rams defense that’s been showing some teeth as of late. The Rams defense hit the Broncos hard and often. Wide out Emmanuel Sanders was knocked out of the game because of a hit from Rams free safety Rodney McCleod Jr. McCleod  was flagged 15 yards for hitting a defenseless player, but that hit made the Broncos receivers not heading towards the locker room tread carefully as they traced a Peyton Manning toss in the flats.
Rams defensive coordinator Gregg Williams was in the zone calling plays. He called the stunt where defensive end Robert Quinn looped around from his spot and ran past the center, then Manning got tracked down for a sack by rookie Aaron Donald and veteran defensive end Eugene Simms. The young secondary made one mistake, and that’s the only reason there was a score on the board.
What a nice acrobatic interception by cornerback Trumaine Johnson, who was just in his second game back coming off an injury.
Linebacker Alec Ogletree is one of the Rams’ most exciting players. He plays football like he wears camouflage paint while flying down a zip line and snatching the football from his opponent. He intercepted one of Peyton Manning’s passes, making it the second week in a row Ogletree had an interception.
The offense was steady. Running back Tre Mason had his first career 100-yard game, and it’s safe to say he’s the Rams starting running back. He gives the offense another weapon with speed, and he’s getting close to breaking a big run. Tre Mason is that home run threat in the backfield. I’ve noticed the Rams run outside more when he’s in the game, especially near left tackle Greg Robinson, who has filled in well since Jake Long went down with an injury.
The offensive line did its job, giving quarterback Shaun Hill time to make throws and he had himself a good football game, going 20 for 29 for 220 yards passing. His best throw of the contest came when he hit Kenny Britt for a 63-yard bomb that got a rise out of the home crowd, putting the Rams up top for good as they never relinquished the lead.
On special teams, kicker Greg Zuerlein carried the offensive load, being responsible for 15 of the Rams’ 22 points, going a ridiculous five for five on field goal attempts – including two from 50-plus yards.
The Rams’ win wasn’t a surprise to me. Since Jeff Fisher has been head coach, the Rams have won games like this or went on streaks where you think they could have a shot at playing .500 football or even making the playoffs. In 2012 his team went 4-1-1 against the division and finished 7-8-1. In 2013 the Rams had signature wins against the Texans, Colts and Bears and finished 7-9. In 2014 they have had signature wins against the Seahawks, 49ers and now Broncos. With a current record of 4-6, what will the final record be?
This week the Rams go back on the road to face the San Diego Chargers. The Chargers offense has been struggling as of late, averaging 13 points a game, and quarterback Phillip Rivers has bruised ribs. Here is a chance for the Rams to show some growth and see if they can win back-to-back games for the first time this season.
For more Rams Roundup, please subscribe to youtube.com/stlamericanvideo.
