by Ray GlierFiled under: Panthers, Rams, NFC South, NFC West
The St. Louis Rams gave Sam Bradford the easy throws early in the game. The swing passes to backs, the quick darts to wide receivers at the line of scrimmage. Then the rookie quarterback started looking downfield and the Rams opened up on the Carolina Panthers.Bradford completed 25 of 32 passes for 191 yards and two touchdowns in a 20-10 St. Louis home win. It was his third straight game without an interception, an impressive statistic for a rookie quarterback. The Rams go into their bye week with a 4-4 record.
The 1-6 Panthers, meanwhile, continue to look for ways to generate offense.
A few quick thoughts on the game:
o. Steven Jackson, who became the Rams all-time leading rusher last week, came into the game with three straight 100-yard rushing games. He played against the Panthers even with a broken ring finger on his left hand. Jackson took no chances when he hit the ground on a tackle. He tried to close up the hand when he hit the ground so it would not be stepped on. He caught short passes with one hand.
o. Jackson carried 23 times for 59 yards. He did not have to lead the win because Bradford was sharp and the defense overmatched the Panthers.
o. Meanwhile, with running back DeAngelo Williams injured (foot), the Panthers put their offense in the hands of running back Jonathan Stewart and he was hemmed in most of the day. There were no gaps to run through.
o. John Fox, the Panthers coach, tried to pump up Stewart after one aggressive run. He stayed with his back on the sidelines and then they shared a fist bump. Right after that, wide receiver Steve Smith fumbled the ball on a third down play with 13:36 left in the fourth quarter. The Rams recovered and went in for a score to make it 17-3. At that point, the running game with Stewart was useless then because the Panthers had to throw. Stewart's disappointing season continued (14 carries, 30 yards).
o. The Rams have held seven of their first eight opponents under 20 points this season. They have given up 141 points, which is 17.6 per game, which could move them into the top five in scoring defense in the NFL.
o. The Panthers thought they had finally gotten their young wide receivers involved and confident, but Brandon LaFell and David Gettis were non-factors. They couldn't get open.
o. Late in the first half, LaFell went down the sideline and broke the route off. Matt Moore's third down pass sailed long over his head. LaFell and Gettis caught 14 passes in the win over the 49ers. They had four Sunday.
o. St. Louis tight end Michael Hoomanawanui left the game in the first half with a rib injury. It was a big loss for the Rams' offense because of injuries to the wide receiver corps. Hoomanawanui was being used downfield, a little deeper in routes than a typical tight end.
o. Does Carolina quarterback Matt Moore see the field? There was a throw in the third quarter that went to the right side where there were four defenders and one receiver. In addition, Moore does not know how to move side to side to get a throwing lane.
o. Bradford knows how to shift and see through the maze of players. Moore, who is perhaps 6-feet tall, cannot see the field. He had a pass tipped. He made high throws, off-target throws.
o. How long before the Panthers go back to Jimmy Clausen? Moore kept missing receivers and had three picked off.o. How many times have some people in Charlotte wondered if it would have been OK, after all, to have Jake Delhomme back as the quarterback?
o. James Laurinaitis, the Rams linebacker, was hard to block on the blitz. He also got back into coverage to intercept a pass. He had eight tackles and two sacks.
o. The Rams need weapons outside for Bradford.
o. A stat that matters. The Rams came into the game 29th in scoring in the red zone. Here is the deal. They don't have any one who can beat a defensive back one-on-one in blitz situations. Opponents have been blitzing Bradford in the red zone figuring they can get him before a receiver gets open.
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