SB Nation St. Louis - Rams Vs. Lions: St. Louis Falls On TD In Final Seconds

NFL Odds Week 2: Redskins Vs. Rams

2012-09-13T12:01:04Z

The St. Louis Rams are three-point underdogs to Robert Griffin III and the Washington Redskins in their Week 2 matchup, according to OddsShark.com. The line opened up at -3, and has held steady throughout the week, as of Wednesday evening.

If Griffin is able to have an encore performance that is anywhere near what he accomplished in Week 1 against the New Orleans, it's easy to see the Redskins covering, and then some. However, oddsmakers seem to be encouraged by the Rams' close road loss to the Detroit Lions last Sunday, judging by the relatively insignificant spread.

The over/under opened at 45 and, like the spread, has also stayed in place as the week has progressed.

For more on the Rams, be sure to visit Turf Show Times. Additional coverage on the Redskins can be found at Hogs Heaven, while SB Nation's NFL hub is the place to go for all things pro football.

NFL 2012 Schedule: Rams Take On Redskins Sunday Afternoon

2012-09-12T13:43:04Z

Following a disappointing Week 1 loss to the Detroit Lions that may have had more to do with the clock operator screwing up than anything the team did wrong, the St. Louis Rams will get a chance to even their record at 1-1 when the Washington Redskins come to town. Robert Griffin III will face off against Sam Bradford in a battle between two of the more exciting young quarterbacks in the league.

That game will be in one of the two 3:05 p.m. slots on FOX, alongside the Cowboys taking on the Seahawks in Seattle.

Here's the full NFL schedule for Week 2, all times are Central.

Thursday, Sept. 13

Bears vs. Packers, 7:30 p.m., NFL Network

Sunday, Sept. 16

Buccaneers vs. Giants, 12 p.m., FOX
Raiders vs. Dolphins, 12 p.m., CBS
Texans vs. Jaguars, 12 p.m., CBS
Browns vs. Bengals, 12 p.m., CBS
Chiefs vs. Bills, 12 p.m., CBS
Ravens vs. Eagles, 12 p.m., CBS
Saints vs. Panthers, 12 p.m., FOX
Cardinals vs. Patriots, 12 p.m., FOX
Vikings vs. Colts, 12 p.m., FOX
Redskins vs. Rams, 3:05 p.m., FOX
Cowboys vs. Seahawks, 3:05 p.m., FOX
Jets vs. Steelers, 3:25 p.m., CBS
Titans vs. Chargers, 3:25 p.m., CBS
Lions vs. 49ers, 7:20 p.m., NBC

Monday, Sept. 17

Broncos vs. Falcons, 7:30 p.m., ESPN

Check out SI.com for more on the NFL Schedule.

For more on the St. Louis Rams, visit Turf Show Times. Get all your NFL needs from the SB Nation NFL hub.

Jeff Fisher Discusses Clock Issues From Rams-Lions Game

2012-09-11T23:00:12Z

It was a bad first week for the NFL's replacement refs when it came to clock issues. Not only did the refs give the Seattle Seahawks an extra timeout in their game against the Arizona Cardinals, but essentially the same error was committed against the St. Louis Rams in their loss to the Detroit Lions.

Rams head coach Jeff Fisher was of course disappointed by the fact that the clock operator did not move the playclock down to the two-minute warning, but he did not blame their eventual loss on that:

"There's a lot of areas on the tape and film where we're a play away," Fisher said. "You make a play here, you make a play there, you have a chance to win the ballgame."

Fisher also made sure not to blame the replacement referees for the gaffe, saying instead that it was an error with the clock operator.

"The issue is the 40-second clock started and then the game clock froze, and the 40-second clock got ahead of the game so I couldn't run it down."

For more on the St. Louis Rams, visit Turf Show Times. Get all your NFL needs from the SB Nation NFL hub.

St. Louis Rams' Loss Due In Part To Replacement Ref Error

2012-09-11T14:02:54Z

In Week 1 action the replacement referees, who have received much media attention, received relatively positive reviews for their officiating during kickoff weekend. Not from Rams' head coach Jeff Fisher, though, who said the officials essentially gave the Lions an extra timeout in their last second, 27-23, win on Sunday.

Fisher told an Associated Press reporter Monday that he intended to run the clock down to the two-minute warning, then run the ball with Steven Jackson to set up a Greg Zuerlein field goal. Instead, he watched as the 40-second play clock began running while the game clock stayed frozen at 2:38 for a few seconds, forcing the Rams to run their play prior to the two-minute warning.

"In essence, Detroit was granted an extra timeout, I guess, if you want to look at it from our perspective," Fisher told reporters Monday.

The Lions' drive for a game-winning touchdown can't automatically be discounted as the situation would have been much different one less timeout and a little less time, but Detroit certainly would've been at a slightly larger disadvantage had the officials gotten it right.

For more on the St. Louis Rams, visit Turf Show Times. Get all your NFL needs from the SB Nation NFL hub.

Scott Wells Injury: Rams Center Placed On Injured Reserve

2012-09-10T21:51:41Z

The Saint Louis Rams are placing starting center Scott Wells in the injured reserve with a broken foot, according to the Rams Radio Network. It is suspected that Wells will be placed on the injured reserve in hopes he can return, something made possible by a new temporary injured reserve rule.

Previously, a player placed on the injured reserve was simply done for the season. Under the new rule, the Rams would be able to reactivate one player from the IR later in the season, which means Wells can still play if he becomes healthy.

Wells was considered the Rams' big offseason acquisition, as he signed a four-year, $24 million deal. He was injured throughout the Rams' offseason program and training camp, despite being expected to anchor the center of the offensive line.

In Sunday's loss to the Lions, guard Robert Turner moved over to center to play for Wells, and rookie Rokevious Watkins replaced Turner at guard. Time will tell if this is the plan the Rams will use going forward.

For more on the St. Louis Rams, visit Turf Show Times. Get all your NFL needs from the SB Nation NFL hub.

NFL Injury Report: Rams' Rodger Saffold Only Has Neck Sprain

2012-09-10T14:11:52Z

Though no neck injury is a good one, St. Louis Rams offensive lineman Rodger Saffold is likely breathing a sigh of relief. Saffold suffered a neck sprain in Sunday's Week 1 loss to the Detroit Lions -- but the injury seemingly could have been so much worse.

Saffold was carted off the field wearing a neck brace, after banging his head into another lineman. Saffold went down immediately, and stayed down for a few minutes, before being strapped and carted off the field.

Luckily for Saffold and the Rams, the injury was only a sprain, and Saffold should be OK going forward.

Elsewhere on St.Louis injury front, Scott Wells left the game on Sunday with a foot injury. The Rams can ill afford more injuries to the offensive line, so hopefully Wells will be able to participate in practices this week.

For the latest on all things Rams, check out Turf Show Times and join the discussion.

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St. Louis Rams Real Talk: Week 1

2012-09-10T14:00:33Z

GAH!

What just happened there, friends? You feeling like you got punched in the gut? Like you're pissed you even thought the stupid, stupid, so stupid St. Louis Rams had a chance to win that game in Detroit?

GOOD.

Listen, no one hates the whole 'moral victory' bullshit more than I. But in the case of the Rams, it's been so long since I actually gave a crap about what happened in the final five minutes of game this team was involved in that I forgot what it was like to get irrationally angry at a TV.

And it was fun.

Also, I'm working on a meme for the purple women's cheaters that Coach Fisher drapes around his neck for game days. I don't know what he's trying to tell us with those. We'll get to the bottom of this.

1. When you're a loser, it's hard to not be a loser.

95% of NFL games in 2011-12 that had teams going +3 in turnovers resulted in a win. The Rams got three PLUS a pick-6 and still couldn't close. By the time the 4th quarter had about eight minutes left you could almost picture thought bubbles over the heads of the defense with things like "Holy Shit, is this real?" or "No poopy. No peepee" popping up.

Sure enough, they rolled over and burped up a loss. Capped by the 40,000th RB to catch a ball in the flat and then gash the Rams D for 10+ yards.

2. Then again,

The Rams gutted their roster and then rolled into Motor City to play a playoff contender with the youngest team in the NFL. We didn't expect to be debating the merits of a prevent defense protecting a 3 point lead.

The result was still a loss, but the Rams did dangle in front of us the prospect that Jeff Fisher has found some players with applebags. Jenoris Jenkins is the real deal. Cortland Finnegan was better then advertised. And the rotted corpse of Wayne Hunter came in and matched Jason Smith's carrer-long streak for not getting flagged for a false start.

These are things that a team can build on.

Unless...

3. The injuries keep piling up.

Scott Wells left with a banged-up wheel. Rodger Saffold left on a stretcher. Add in Mike Brockers' uncertain future over the next several weeks and now you're looking at three of eight starting linemen out of the lineup. Coming off a 2-14 season, it's not too far a stretch to say you or I may just be on the depth chart for the Rams if it gets any worse.

We won't know until later in the week just how serious the Saffold and Wells injuries are. But any 'positive mojo' the Rams gained Sunday by keeping it close on the road could be wiped out by the fact that they can't build on it with the guys who matter.

4. In my notes, I had 10 minutes left in the 3rd quarter.

James Laurinaitis comes into a play that's been dead for 2 seconds and pops a runner downed. A little scrum ensued and insults about poor old mom were most likely hurled. Jeff Fisher teams are notorious for being assholes. And I mean that in the nicest way possible. They're always doing crap to get you off your game: remember this?

The D spit the bit. No doubt. But I do think the attitude adjustment is actually coming. And that's more than I could say after 32 games with Spags.

5. Penalties. Offense.

We need less of one and more of the other. I'll let you take a stab at which is which. With 8:18 left in the 3rd, the Rams had six more flags than the Lions, who were amongst the worst in the NFL last season. They seemed to clean it up later in the second half, but still ended up + 4.

Bradford and the WRs had another sub-200 yard game. In today's NFL, you're going to win very, very few games if you can't move the ball downfield in chunks. We're going to have to keep an eye out to see if this improves. Because that sexy foot of Young GZ can only go so far.

Twitter Reacts:

I literally was going to Tweet "Same old sorry-ass Rams" and was pushing send, hoping Ken Norton would see it... when I saw this. Bernie saved me. But several hours removed from the game... this one did feel different. Somehow. He's right.

Coach Fisher's 'Stache was WAY more optimistic than the rest of us heading into 2012.

Congratulations to that female ref. Really breaking down a gender wall I didn't think would get cracked. I bet women were rallying to laud her on... what's that? Lolo Jones is making unfunny sexist jokes about her? Really?

If that ref has a sense of humor she goes out with a gold whistle next week. And calls it Lolo.

Too lazy to fact check that. But DAAAAUUUUMMM. That's a long-ass career in the NFL. Nice work Hanson.

Urkel? Urkel is trolling us now?

Maybe this loss wasn't a moral victory after all. Nevermind on EVERYTHING.

Record: 0-1

Real Meter: (Where we project the Rams win total for the year): 6

Ndamukong Suh, Sam Bradford Draw In That Rams-Lions NFL Draft Showdown

2012-09-10T14:00:22Z