Rams offensive line 'hung in there' says Jeff Fisher

For the third consecutive regular season game, dating back to the last two games of the 2012 season, St. Louis Rams quarterback Sam Bradford did not get sacked.

"It's been three consecutive games now where we haven't given up a sack," Jeff Fisher said Monday. "I don't think that's happened in this franchise since somewhere in the mid-70's. Not that there's much carryover from last year, but at least we're off to the right start, and you credit the offensive line, the quarterback and everybody involved."

The press box stats said the Cardinals hit Bradford five times. He was hurried 17 times. Arizona's defense under Todd Bowles is known for its blitzing, and they did plenty of that on Sunday. The Cardinals defense line also happens to be one of the tougher, more disruptive units in the league with players like Calais Campbell and Darnell Dockett. Keeping Bradford off his back against that group is no small accomplishment.

"They brought quite a bit of pressure," Bradford said after the game. "It'll be interesting to see what the percentage was when we turn the tape on, but that's something we were expecting.

"I thought the communication between myself and the line," Bradford added. "I thought Scott (Wells) did a great job of getting things solved. They threw some looks at us, especially on third down, that we hadn't seen in the preseason and those guys didn't flinch at all. "

When it came to running the ball, Fisher noted that his offensive line still had some work to do.

The Rams ran the ball 22 times, not including a pair of quarterback scrambles by Bradford. They averaged three yards per carry with Bradford's "rushes" removed. Daryl Richardson carried the ball 20 times for a total of 63 yards and 3.2 yards per carry. Zac Stacy had one carry for four yards, and Tavon Austin lost a yard on an end-around.

"One of those other things you talk about improving," Fisher said. "We've got to work on the run game. It's a stout defense, but we're going to have to run the ball a bit better as well."

If there's one hallmark of the Jeff Fisher Rams, it's that there's always work to be done, ways to improve regardless of the results. Nevertheless, this game was a good first step toward the Rams offensive line finally establishing itself.

"I can't say enough about those guys up front," Bradford said after the game. "They played outstanding today, and I think it shows that we've taken leaps and bounds from where we were last year."