So the Rams lost to the Eagles 31-13. Honestly, going into the game everyone knew it would be a huge test. The Eagles are a potential Super Bowl team, and the Rams are an up and coming team. The talent on the Eagles skill positions were just too much for the Rams. Nothing to be ashamed of. How many teams have the talent that the Eagles do?
The biggest thing that hurt the Rams were missed opportunities and key mistakes. The one play that immediately comes to mind is that sack/fumble on Sam Bradford, which resulted in the Eagles touchdown. If it wasn't for that play, it would have been a different game. There were more plays that helped turn the tide of the game, but I will talk about that on another date.
The one thing you should be proud of is the Rams' defense. They played better than I thought they would against the Eagles. It wasn't great, but for what they were going against, it was good enough to help the Rams win.
The Rams offense looks like it has a lot of potential. Honestly, I didn't like the move to add Josh McDaniels at first, but I'm eating crow about it. The creativity of the plays he's been running has me interested to see what will be next. Those formations where the Rams ran and how he was able to draw plays to have the running backs do damage was great. He also drew good plays to get the WR's and TE's open.
That get's us to the criticizing part. For the most part on offense and defense, the Rams called a good game. What really beat the Rams were their players' mistakes.
First, the Rams defense didn't really play badly. Michael Vick didn't look good this game, and the Rams did a great job at confusing him, and containing him for the most part. However, when he wasn't contained, he had his big plays. Vick had 95 rushing yards and 181 passing yards. The Eagles had 239 rushing yards, but it was towards the end of the game.
The Rams offense was a big disappointment. The Rams running backs deserve an A+. That's the only position that deserves high praise though. The offensive line was a big letdown this week. The running game was great, but when they tried to pass block it wasn't impressive at all.
Sam was harassed almost all game. Speaking of Sam, he didn't have a good game either. There were a few plays, where if Bradford would have been more accurate, it could have resulted in a first down and change. The throw in the end zone to Amendola sticks out the most.
Not to say that it was all Bradford's fault, because the wide receivers and tight ends didn't show up. The drops in this game were costly. Gibson dropped a couple and Lance Kendricks had a couple of drops also, the Kendricks drops being the most costly. He dropped what should have been easy first downs including one pass that would have most likely resulted in a touchdown. Amendola looked good catching the ball on offense, not special teams. Hopefully his elbow won't result in him missing the season or too many games. The biggest surprise was Billy Bajema. Who did he think he was? Jason Witten? What a great game by him. He has quietly become a solid target.
The Rams will not be a doormat this season. The Rams lost to an elite team that they had a good chance of beating. That should be enough to be excited about. If a few things went their way, they could have won the game. They didn't win, but this loss gives me hope for the season.
The Eagles had a lot of advantages over the Rams. Michael Vick isn't a great quarterback, but he is a great player. The Rams did everything they could to slow him down. In return, they were gassed at the end of the 3rd quarter and the 4th.
The loss was a big team effort. If the Rams offense gets more first downs, maybe the defense would have played better down the stretch. If the Rams defense doesn't allow the Eagles to go 8 for 11 on third down, then maybe the offense would have gotten more points. Both units could have, and should have, done better.
The Rams have shown us some potential in preseason and to some extent this game. However, they will have to play better, if they want to beat the best. Was this loss disappointing? Hell yeah. That's the best thing about this team. We're disappointed that they didn't beat a potential Super Bowl team. Who knows how the game would have went if Steven Jackson hadn't gotten injured.
Next week, the Rams play the New York Giants on Monday Night Football who did not look good in their loss to the Washington Redskins. That game against the Giants is winnable. It should give us a great gauge on where the Rams are as a team. Hopefully most of the six starters injured will play in this game.
We knew this season had the potential to be a rough one, but the Rams can still be a playoff team. Remember, it's still week one and the Rams are in the NFC West. It's just up to them whether they want to win it or not.