Rams vs. Cardinals Recap: Galvanizing Win For Rams Offense

For the Rams, this win is huge. Not only is it a road win against a divisional opponent, but it was a game where the Rams needed to run...and they did. Todd Gurley showed up big time behind a line that finally started opening up holes for the running game.

The key now is consistency. The Rams pack up and head to Green Bay for a huge game against an excellent team. Can they continue to move the ball on offense? Can they continue to pick up sacks and turnovers on defense? Two good showings heading into the bye would go a long way in boosting the team's morale late into the season.

Old Habits Die Hard

Here are the predictions from SB Nation:

Who is this 'Ryan Van Bibber' character and why is he so negative towards the Rams?

The Quick Five

	Tavon Austin, WR Austin had a career game against the Cardinals. Throughout the season, he's constantly been the spark plug for the offense - even if the numbers didn't exactly scream it. Today, he was called on heavily with 96 yards in the air, notching two receiving touchdowns in the process. He added an additional 20 on the ground and was the most consistent receiver on the field. It's finally looking like the Rams have a first round receiver on the team.
	Jared Cook, TE What more is there to say? Cook blew a block on the first drive and had two key drops. Another pass for a touchdown was a little high...but that's why he's one of the highest paid tight ends in the league. Hopefully a cap casualty in 2016.
	Janoris Jenkins, CB Jenkins had a huge game against the Cardinals. He had one interception, nearly had another and harassed the Cardinals all day. The expectations are quite high for Janoris and rightfully so, but today he looked every bit the lockdown corner he is claimed to be.
	Todd Gurley, RB You can't not give Todd Gurley a shout out on this one. The offensive line deserves praise, but we've been waiting and waiting to see if Gurley could be the X-Factor on offense. He is, and he dominated late in the game when the team needed him most.
	Frank Cignetti, OC It's hard to give praise to an offensive coordinator when an offense struggles. But Cignetti stuck with the ground game late in the game, showing confidence in his offensive line and RB fresh off an ACL injury. It paid off huge with a breakout game for Gurley. Too often in the past we've seen the team flip the script, trying to outsmart the defense when the only team they were outsmarting was themselves. Four games into the season and Cignetti is already a much better coordinator than Brian Schottenheimer ever was.

Final Thoughts

• Nick Foles deserves credit for a great game. If I'm nitpicking, that pass to Cook was an inch or two high, but it was easily redeemed by his masterful pump and toss to Tavon Austin to score late in the game. Excellent stuff.
• The offensive line deserves credit for having their best game yet, but consistency is the key word here. They can't slip back into no-block mode.
• The Rams special teams had an excellent game. The return of Darren Bates helped immensely.
• The team lucked out on some questionable officiating late in the game.
• Kenny Britt was a non-factor after a huge game with a huge drop in the 4th quarter. Michael Thomas out of Ohio State might be someone the Rams want to keep an eye on.
• LaMarcus Joyner keeps improving and you can tell the coaching staff has faith in him with his playtime on defense.