St. Louis Rams – Blog

Rams Haunted by Missed Chances

- In a game that was without question there for the taking, the Rams just couldn’t quite take advantage of some golden opportunities to come away with a victory. In the process, they fell 17-13 to Arizona at the Edward Jones Dome on Sunday.

- On the injury front, LB Chris Chamberlain suffered a foot injury of some consequence and will be evaluated further in the morning.

- The rest of the injuries didn’t appear to be too serious but were costly in the course of the game. Cornerbacks Justin King and Kevin Dockery suffered hamstring injuries that kept them out of the final quarter of the game and left the Rams short at the position. Arizona took advantage in the passing game late.

- Also missing with what appears to be a minor injury was tight end Michael Hoomanawanui who suffered an ankle injury that kept him out and gave the Rams one less target in the red zone.

- As for rookie QB Sam Bradford, it was an up and down day as would be expected from a rookie signal caller. Bradford finished 32-of-55 for 253 yards with a touchdown and three interceptions. Nobody could have expected him to throw 55 times but he handled it well and said he felt good physically after the game.

- RB Steven Jackson finished with 81 yards on 22 carries.

- For someone with only three practices under his belt, WR Mark Clayton made a heck of an impact. He finished with 10 catches for 119 yards, the first 100-yard game by a Rams receiver since Oct. 26, 2008.

- CB Ron Bartell played a heck of a game in coverage. Although he dropped an interception, Bartell shadowed Larry Fitzgerald all day and found ways to keep him from making big plays. Fitzgerald was targetd 15 times and had just three catches for 43 yards. The Rams were in zone on the touchdown so Bartell handled himself well against Fitzgerald (who wasn’t quite 100 percent).

- The missed opportunities will be the thing that haunts the Rams from this game. Clifton Ryan fumbling his fumble recovery at the goal line. Bradley Fletcher not scoring on his fumble return. Josh Brown’s blocked field goal attempt. Bartell’s missed interception. In the NFL, where one or two plays often makes all the difference, the Rams’ inability to finish those plays ultimately cost them the win.

- The Rams threw the kitchen sink at Derek Anderson all day and the blitz packages were outstanding. Anderson was sacked twice but he took nine hits in the process.

- The Rams forced seven fumbles and came up with four, unfortunately they were just one short again.

- In unofficial pressbox statistics, safety Oshiomogho Atogwe led the Rams with eight tackles.

- Be back tomorrow to wrap this one up. It’s onward and upward for the Rams as they now prepare for a road trip to Oakland next week.