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NFL Week 4 Byes: Looking back, looking forward

By Andrew Garda

Sep 21, 2014; Seattle, WA, USA; Seattle Seahawks running back Marshawn Lynch (24) carries the ball against the Denver Broncos during the second half at CenturyLink Field. Seattle defeated Denver 26-20. Mandatory Credit: Steven Bisig-USA TODAY Sports
Sep 21, 2014; Seattle, WA, USA; Seattle Seahawks running back Marshawn Lynch (24) carries the ball against the Denver Broncos during the second half at CenturyLink Field. Seattle defeated Denver 26-20. Mandatory Credit: Steven Bisig-USA TODAY Sports /
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Sep 21, 2014; St. Louis, MO, USA; St. Louis Rams quarterback Austin Davis (9) looks over the line against the Dallas Cowboys during the first half at the Edward Jones Dome. Mandatory Credit: Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports
Sep 21, 2014; St. Louis, MO, USA; St. Louis Rams quarterback Austin Davis (9) looks over the line against the Dallas Cowboys during the first half at the Edward Jones Dome. Mandatory Credit: Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports /

St. Louis Rams, 1-2

The loss of quarterback Sam Bradford threw the whole thing up in the air and after Shaun Hill was uninspiring (then hurt), the team turned to unheralded backup quarterback Austin Davis.

It’s hard to get a clear read on Davis as he struggled against a Minnesota Vikings team which has since stumbled twice and then looked good against an apparently overrated Tampa Bay Buccaneers defense and a Dallas Cowboys defense which we all know to be awful.

He’s done relatively well (angry tight end fights aside) although in general the offense has been shaky.

This team has a lot of issues. Offensively the receivers have been underwhelming as has the run game, which was what carried the team last season. Zac Stacy has been unable to really get into a rhythm and has been giving way to Benny Cunningham on passing downs. He’s still putting up decent numbers but the team isn’t committing to him in such a way as to really take advantage of his ability.

In both losses, Stacy ran just 12 times or less, while in the win against Tampa Bay, he ran the ball 19 times and gained 71 yards. As the game went on, Cunningham entered the game on third down more and the Cowboys were able to defend more easily as they were able to shift towards the pass. Cunningham took third down snaps, but almost never touched the ball on those downs.

The Rams need to be less obvious doing things like that and stop tipping the defense off.

Coming out of the bye week, the team has a very tough schedule as they face Philadelphia, San Francisco and Seattle before heading to Kansas City and then up to Seattle to face the Seahawks again.

It’s possible they could drop every one of those games and if they are to avoid that, they need to get more help from the run game and take pressure of Davis’ shoulders. They should do what they did last season—ride Zac Stacy until his legs fall off.

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