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In Kellen Clemens' third consecutive game as starter for the St. Louis Rams, it didn’t take a heavy dose of passing in order for the offense to put up points. Holding true to the old adage "less is more," Clemens - who received plenty of help from the defense and special teams - only attempted 16 passes on Sunday.
It would appear that Clemens has grown more comfortable in his role as starter, as he proved to be a model of efficiency on Sunday. Clemens completed 9-of-16 passes [56.3 comp. pct] against the Colts defense. Truth be told, his completion percentage would’ve been improved by catches from Tavon Austin [Q1], Cory Harkey [Q2], and Jared Cook [Q3]. Regardless of the drops, Clemens showed great accuracy and made plays when needed.
Having not seen the game, you’d probably find it hard to believe Clemens - who averaged 10.4 yards per completion since becoming the starter - would’ve been able to throw for 247 yards on nine completions [15.4 yds per]. You’d be wrong. The Rams offense didn’t start clicking immediately though…
Clemens' first pass of the day came on a 3rd-and-16 early in the first quarter. The ball was thrown right at the line of gain, and arguably could’ve been caught by Austin. As Johnny Hekker trotted onto the field, following the three-and-out, the inability to connect for the first down wasn’t setting the tone the offense would’ve liked.
The QB/WR duo would find their stride, though, as Clemens hooked up with Tavon Austin on scoring plays of 57 and 81 yards yesterday. Additionally, apparently having shaken off the jitters, Clemens completed his second consecutive game without having thrown an interception. Put all of the aforementioned together and it shouldn’t surprise you that Clemens has the second highest passer rating [140.3] amongst all QB’s in Week 10.
There is still room for development, both for Clemens and the offense he now leads. The Rams, however, showed improvement in all three phases of the game on Sunday. Suddenly, heading into the bye week, there’s a renewed sense of hope. Just when you think your backup QB can’t finish off games, or make the big throws, he puts together an impressive performance on the road. For a closer look at Clemens’ day [in much-deserved Star Wars font]:
