In Landover, Maryland the St. Louis Rams defense posted their second straight shutout with a 24-0 win over the Washington Redskins. The Rams don’t get long to enjoy the victory, because this will be a short week with the Arizona Cardinals coming in to play Thursday night in a nationally televised game. The Rams defense has been playing at an elite level. That’s the same level that many of us anticipated with the arrival of defensive coordinator Gregg Williams.
The Rams got seven sacks from six different players. Defensive end Robert Quinn and linebacker James Laurinaitas each had 1.5 sacks. This pushes Quinn’s total to 10.5 sacks, which is very impressive since he had a slow start. Also, the defense had 11 tackles for a loss and two interceptions and held the Redskins to just 27 rushing yards. They made Alfred Morris a non-factor holding him to -0.8 yards per carry.
Rookie defensive tackle Aaron Donald also contributed with a sack of his own, as he was very disruptive getting into the backfield of the Redskins. Donald, who has seven sacks for the season, has played better than advertised and should get some consideration for Defensive Rookie of the Year.
I know it was against a Redskins team that has 99 problems and then some, but the way the Rams won this game on the road was impressive. This young football team took a step forward.
The Rams made plenty of mistakes that have cost them several games this year, but this time around they were able to play through it. The Rams offensive line had some rough moments surrendering four sacks. The Rams were penalized 11 times for 98 yards. Then their sometimes shaky field goal kicker Greg Zuerlein went a total of 1 for 3 on field goal attempts and missed an extra point kick. Given all that, the Rams were able to still preserve a shutout, which is hard to do in the NFL.
The Rams grew up a little before our eyes. They’re showing resolve and mental toughness. Tight end Jared Cook was on the receiving end of a vicious hit by Redskins safety Ryan Clark. Cook passed the concussion test and returned back to the game and gave the Rams offense a spark, with two of his four receptions going for touchdowns.
Tavon Austin had a breakout performance, with 143 punt-return yards including a sizzling 78-yard punt return for a touchdown. He also was big in the running game with 5 carries for 46 yard a nice 9.2 yard average. Reserve running back Benny Cunningham extended a couple of drives with some nifty open-field running and is carving his own niche in the Rams’ offense. He reminds me a lot of former New England Patriots player Kevin Faulk.
At 6-7 the Rams get a chance to get to .500 with a win against the Arizona Cardinals, which is sporting a 10-3 record after beating the Kansas City Chiefs 17-14. The Rams will look to even their record against a NFC West foe that got the best of them a few weeks back when they had Austin Davis as the QB.
Bye, brother BryanÂ
As many of our readers know, we lost one of the best sports journalists of our generation in Bryan Burwell. I had the pleasure of getting to know him and I appreciated the time he gave me and was always there for me whenever I needed that big brotherly advice. Bryan treated me with the same dignity and respect he would Michael Wilborn (ESPN) or Peter King (Sports Illustrated). He’s an example of being your “Brother’s Keeper.” A one-of-a-kind man whose legacy will be remembered and cherished forever.
