On Fan Appreciation Day at the Edwards Jones Dome last weekend, the St. Louis Rams gave the St. Louis faithful something to cheer about with a 23-13 win against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Robert Quinn gave fans plenty to cheer about by terrorizing Buccaneers quarterback Mike Glennon, who was sacked a total of seven times and three of those sacks came from #94.
Quinn is making a case for Defensive Player of the Year. It’s a very strong case. A hands-down case. No person in the NFL can block him. Not since Kevin Carter has a Rams defensive player amassed more than 17 sacks in a season. Quinn will get a chance to add to that sack total in the final game of the season against the Seattle Seahawks.
Also contributing to the sack parade was James Laurinaitis, TJ McDonald, Chris Long and Alec Ogletree. Ogletree he is having an outstanding season as a rookie. Ogletree hit everything in a Bucs jersey that moved, forcing two fumbles while leading the Rams defense with eight tackles.
The game was a little closer than the score would indicate. The Rams were poised to put the game away early in the first half. For the second week in a row, the Rams’ resurgent defense held the opponent’s offense to under 20 points.
Zac Stacy topped 100 yards again, and now he is within 42 yards of going over 1,000 yards for the season. Stedman Bailey scored his first NFL touchdown on a double reverse in the second quarter. Bailey is getting more touches with Tavon Austin out with an ankle injury. Bailey also made three very nice catches on difficult throws from Kellen Clemens. I hope the Rams continue to rest Austin; he will be needed 2014.
Clemens turned in another efficient game, completing 16 of 20 passes with his only blemish being that red zone fumble. He has done a fine job for the Rams with Sam Bradford out. It’s not pretty, nor textbook, but it works for Clemens. Like it or not he has played far better than anyone of us could’ve imagined.
The Rams have been more than just entertaining. We saw glimpses of how good they can be when they put it all together. If the Rams can win on the road against the Seattle Seahawks, the momentum could keep this apathetic fan base energized all the way through to free agency and the draft.
Congrats to North Tech winning the Lutheran SC tournament in exciting fashion. Merry Christmas and have a safe holiday.
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