Jeff Gordon looks back on the St. Louis Rams’ 19-13 victory over the Seattle Seahawks at Sunday at the Edward Jones Dome.
THE GOOD
• Rookie Greg Zuerlein is 12 for 12 kicking field goals this season. He nailed four Sunday, including Rams-record-setting bombs from 58 and 60 yards out. The Rams merely have to cross midfield to get into scoring range these days.
• Sam Bradford hit a 52-yard bomb to rookie receiver Chris Givens to establish a deep threat in this offense. A second bomb to Givens was a shade long as the youngster just missed making a diving catch.
• Rams cornerbacks had some fun. Rookie Janoris Jenkins forced an interception (by linebacker Rocky McIntosh) with a big blitz hit. Rookie Trumaine Johnson had a game-shifting pick and Bradley Fletcher sealed the game by making sure of his interception in the waning moments of the game.
• The field goal unit executed a fake perfectly, with Danny Amendola slipping into the right corner of the end zone undetected and punter/holder Johnny Hekker lofting the TD pass to him.
• The makeshift offensive line did a solid job of protecting Bradford, allowing just two sacks. Seattle sacked Aaron Rodgers eight times in one half during its previous game, so this was a big matchup problem for the Rams.
That protection helped Bradford convert enough big third-and-long situations to win the game. A year ago, the Rams had almost no chance on third and long.
• Linebacker Josh Hull made a big special teams play by recovering Seattle's onside kick starting the second half.
• Defensive ends Robert Quinn and Eugene Sims earned sacks as the Rams applied fairly steady pass pressure.
THE BAD
• The Rams defense looked flummoxed on the first series of the game as Seattle marched easily down the field for a 7-0 lead. The unit allowed Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson to buy time with his feet and make plays down the field.
• Overall, the Rams missed what seemed like 1,000 tackles on Seahawks running back Marshawn Lynch, who rushed for 118 yards and a touchdown on 20 carries.
The Seahawks gashed the Rams front seven for some nice running lanes. Back-up Seattle running back Robert Turbin gained 45 yards on six carries as Seattle stacked up 179 yards on the ground.
• On the other hand, the Rams offensive line didn’t give Steven Jackson or Daryl Richardson much running room. The home team averaged just 2.8 yards on the ground.
THE UGLY
• Bradford took points off the board with an unfortunate interception, aiming for Brandon Gibson’s back shoulder as Gibson turned up field.
• That end-around kickoff return play was not such a good idea, as it turned out. The Seahawks sniffed it out and buried Givens after he took the ball from Amendola. A team trying to play the field position game can't make that kind of mistake.
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