Four and out: Surprises from the NFL in Week 2

Sep 21, 2015; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Indianapolis Colts quarterback Andrew Luck (12) is sacked by New York Jets player Quinton Coples (98). Coples was called for a penalty on the play. New York Jets defeat the Indianapolis Colts 20-7. Mandatory Credit: Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports /

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Sep 20, 2015; Landover, MD, USA; Washington Redskins running back Matt Jones (31) carries the ball as St. Louis Rams free safety Rodney McLeod (23) attempts the tackle in the second quarter at FedEx Field. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports /

Rams are back to their almost-awesome ways.

It is not a total surprise that the Rams lost. In recent years, they’ve managed to be one of the best teams that can’t consistently win. The Week 2 surprise was the team that beat them: the Washington Redskins.

With the best front seven in the league, momentum from their Week 1 victory over the Seattle Seahawks, and running back Tre Mason healthy, the Rams could have pulled off another win this week to start their season 2-0. The Redskins were favored by three points, but ended up dominating the Rams and winning in commanding fashion with a score of 24-10.

The Rams scored 27 offensive points last week, so it seemed likely they would have another strong performance, particularly with Mason on the field again. However, the Redskins had other plans and said “nope” to the Rams’ rushing attack over and over again, limiting their opponent to only 67 total rushing yards. More devastating, the Rams were 2-of-12 on third downs. Yikes.

In addition to an effective defense, the Redskins had a surprisingly strong run game led by Alfred Morris and Matt Jones. Each had runs of over 30-yards, which made the normally solid Rams front seven seem weak and porous. St. Louis was caught off guard by Jones. Rams defensive end Robert Quinn said, “He surprised a few guys who didn’t realize how big and fast he was all at once.”

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