The St. Louis Rams started their 2013 season off the right way with a win 27-24 against the NFC West rival Arizona Cardinals, who were led by first-year coach Bruce Arians and new quarterback Carson Palmer.
The Rams were their own worst enemy for most of the game. Tight end Jared Cook caught a Sam Bradford pass in the seam and was streaking towards the end zone for a touchdown, only to have the ball knocked from his loosely cradled arm. The result was a touchback and no points for the Rams.
The Rams were trailing 24-13 going into the fourth quarter. That’s when Sam Bradford locked in on Cook, who is his new favorite target. Cook amassed 141 yards through the air with two touchdowns with an average of more than 20 yards a catch. Cook’s performance after his early fumble showed the type of mental toughness this team has always needed.
The running game didn’t look fluid. Daryl Richardson was dancing a lot behind the line of scrimmage or whenever he got past the line, which is something that I’m not accustomed to seeing when Richardson runs the ball. Normally, when he sees a crease then it’s “Boom!” There was no “Boom!” in the win against the Cardinals. It was more like a dull crackle. I wonder if Zac Stacy will get more carries next week against the Atlanta Falcons.
Robert Quinn has feasted on the Gridbirds since becoming a full time starter at defensive end. Quinn had another big game with three sacks and he forced a fumble harassing Carson Palmer. But the defense also gave up a lot of yards (over 300 passing) while playing a bend don’t break style.
Then on special teams, Greg Zuerlein kicked the Rams to victory with a 48-yarder in the last minute to break the 24-24 tie. Zuerlein also connected on his other three attempts to start his season off on the right foot.
Getting the victory was nice, but the Rams are going to have to play better than they did in this game. Next week, they play an Atlanta Falcons team led by former Rams’ running back Steven Jackson in a hostile environment against a possible Super Bowl contender. The penalties must stop. As must the mistakes, like not knowing where the first down marker is, personnel groupings in the red zone and, most important, ball security.
This used to be the type of game the Rams would lose and now they’ve showing how resilient they can be. This is great because this is such a young team that a game like this immediately gives the younger guys something to draw from. It’s going to be interesting watching them next week on the road, and in a hostile place. Until then Jeff Fisher will savor this early season division win.
