SB Nation St. Louis - Rams vs. Dolphins: St. Louis falls 17-14 on... missed field goalshttps://cdn.vox-cdn.com/community_logos/49009/stl-fave.png2012-10-16T07:01:06-05:00http://stlouis.sbnation.com/rss/stream/32648052012-10-16T07:01:06-05:002012-10-16T07:01:06-05:00Can the Rams score without Danny Amendola?
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<figcaption>Chris Trotman - Getty Images</figcaption>
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<p>Sam Bradford had a big day against the Miami Dolphins, but can the St. Louis Rams get into the end zone without Danny Amendola?</p> <p>Sam Bradford had his best statistical game since Week 2 against the Miami Dolphins last Sunday, and it's the kind of performance any quarterback would love to have—26-for-39 with 315 yards and no turnovers. The problem: The St. Louis Rams <i>lost</i>, because neither Bradford's receivers nor their running backs could get into the end zone. Bradford scored their only touchdown of the afternoon, but he did it on the ground; he finished with four carries for 34 yards and a touchdown. That was his best running game ever, but that's not the kind of thing a quarterback like Bradford should be especially proud of. </p>
<p>Which leaves fans wondering: Can these guys score without Danny Amendola? Bradford's rushing touchdown was the Rams' first all year, and Amendola's two touchdowns in five weeks underestimate his importance to the offense; by getting out in front of Bradford as quickly as possible he limits this team's mistake-making. </p>
<p>Bradford did a great job most everywhere on the field Sunday, and it seems more likely than not that that will eventually lead to touchdowns; Brandon Gibson <a href="http://stlouis.sbnation.com/2012/10/15/3505648/watch-brandon-gibson-catch-rams-vs-dolphins">looked up to the task as a first option</a> and Chris Givens continues to excel as a deep threat, and at some point <span>Steven Jackson</span> and Daryl Richardson will probably score a touchdown. </p>
<p>But if you were worried about Amendola's injury before, Sunday gave you, at least temporarily, more reason to be terrified. </p>
https://stlouis.sbnation.com/2012/10/16/3509026/sam-bradford-vs-dolphins-rams-amendolaDan Moore2012-10-15T08:41:54-05:002012-10-15T08:41:54-05:00Rams vs. Dolphins: St. Louis strong in run game
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<figcaption>Chris Trotman - Getty Images</figcaption>
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<p>The St. Louis Rams impressed both running the ball and stopping the Miami Dolphins from running the ball, even as they fell 17-14 to Miami on Sunday.</p> <p>Even though the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/nfl/teams/st-louis-rams">St. Louis Rams</a> lost on Sunday against the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.thephinsider.com/">Miami Dolphins</a>, it was a hard fought game and one that showed some positives for the team. During the 17-14 loss, they put up good offensive numbers and minimized the damage from the Dolphins even though they couldn't pull out the victory in the end. It was two missed field goals that doomed them in the end more than most anything else they did on the field.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.turfshowtimes.com/2012/10/14/3503092/quick-five-st-louis-rams-lose-a-defensive-battle-bradford-and">Rams blog Turf Show Times</a> was impressed at the running prowess on both sides of the ball. Not only did the Rams put up solid numbers in the running game against a stout Miami defense, but their own defense kept the strong Miami running attack dead all game long:</p>
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<p>While the Rams defense didn't get to <span>Ryan Tannehill</span> all thet often (2 sacks - Long and Dunbar), they did show an amazing performance against the run. Holding one of the NFL's leading rushers (R. Bush) to only 17 yards on 12 attempts.</p>
<p>(...)</p>
<p>The Rams running game pummeled a Miami defense that was ranked #1 in the NFL against the rush. Steven Jackson (12 rushes, 52 yards - 4.3 Average) and <span>Daryl Richardson</span> (11 rushes, 76 yards - 6.9 average) helped the Rams win the time of possession battle 33:23 minutes to 26:37.</p>
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<p>St. Louis will need to keep up the strong run and run defense up when they face the suddenly-hot <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.acmepackingcompany.com/">Green Bay Packers</a> next weekend.</p>
https://stlouis.sbnation.com/st-louis-rams/2012/10/15/3505916/dolphins-rams-2012Chris White2012-10-15T08:19:55-05:002012-10-15T08:19:55-05:00Amendola misses first game with injury
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<figcaption>Scott Rovak-US PRESSWIRE - Presswire</figcaption>
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<p>As expected, Danny Amendola missed St. Louis' Week 6 game against the Miami Dolphins.</p> <p>The <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/nfl/teams/st-louis-rams" class="sbn-auto-link">St. Louis Rams</a> came out of their Week 6 loss to the <a href="https://www.thephinsider.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Miami Dolphins</a> reasonably healthy. As expected, the Rams were without wide receiver <span>Danny Amendola</span> on Sunday, as the wide receiver missed the first of many games due to an injury.</p>
<p>Amendola was originally believed to have fractured his collarbone after an injury in St. Louis' Week 5 win over the <a style="background-color: #ffffff;" href="https://www.revengeofthebirds.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Arizona Cardinals</a>, but was later diagnosed with a sternoclavicular joint separation. Amendola is expected to be sidelined for at least five more weeks because of the injury.</p>
<p><span>Matt Conrath</span>, <span>Matt Daniels</span>, <span>Austin Davis</span>, <span>Terrance Ganaway</span>, <span>Mario Haggan</span> and <span>Rodger Saffold</span> were also inactive for the Rams on Sunday.</p>
<p>Rams quarterback <span>Sam Bradford</span> was a late addition to the injury report on Friday with a knee injury, but the former Oklahoma Sooners quarterback made it through Sunday's game unscathed. Bradford passed 26-for-39 for 315 yards in the loss, and did not throw a touchdown or an interception.</p>
https://stlouis.sbnation.com/st-louis-rams/2012/10/15/3505840/nfl-injury-report-rams-week-6JP Starkey2012-10-15T07:31:11-05:002012-10-15T07:31:11-05:00Okay, now Steven Jackson fantasy owners can panic
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<figcaption>Mike Ehrmann - Getty Images</figcaption>
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<p>Okay, now you can panic, Steven Jackson owners.</p> <p>I've been waiting a while to make the call, but now I think it's officially reasonable for Steven Jackson fantasy football owners to panic about the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/nfl/teams/st-louis-rams">St. Louis Rams</a> running back's playing time. After monopolizing the Rams' carries for most of the year despite his ineffectiveness, Jackson finally appears to be playing like his old self—and <i>now</i> he's splitting carried with Daryl Richardson. During <a href="http://stlouis.sbnation.com/rams-vs-dolphins-week-6/2012/10/14/3500764/rams-vs-dolphins-score-update-schedule">the Rams' Week 6 loss to the Dolphins</a> Jackson got 12 carries for 52 yards, for a perfectly respectable 4.3 average. Richardson, meanwhile, got 11 carries for 76 yards.</p>
<p>44 of those were on one attempt, of course, but whatever the results, during one of Steven Jackson's more effective games he got 15 touches (3/28 through the air) to seventh-rounder <span>Daryl Richardson's</span> 13 (2/23.) <span>Isaiah Pead</span> even touched the ball! </p>
<p>Steven Jackson is still the starting running back on this team, and he's probably still the more effective one, though I feel much less certain about that than I did a few weeks ago. But now—after Week 6—is officially the moment where it looks like Jackson's fantasy football value is on a serious downward trend. Of course, it's also worth noting that neither Richardson nor Jackson nor any Rams rusher except <span>Sam Bradford</span> has a rushing touchdown yet.</p>
https://stlouis.sbnation.com/2012/10/15/3505680/daryl-richardson-steven-jackson-touches-rams-vs-dolphinsDan Moore2012-10-15T07:19:27-05:002012-10-15T07:19:27-05:00Watch Brandon Gibson's one-handed grab
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<figcaption>Jamie Squire - Getty Images</figcaption>
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<p>Brandon Gibson makes a beautiful catch—outside the end zone, because that's the kind of game they had.</p> <p>The <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/nfl/teams/st-louis-rams">St. Louis Rams</a> moved the ball about as well, in Week 6, as they have in years. <span>Sam Bradford</span> finished 26-for-39 with 315 yards, and <span>Daryl Richardson</span> and Steven Jackson combined for 128 more on the ground. And of course they lose 17-14 to the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.thephinsider.com/">Miami Dolphins</a>. The Rams never quite managed to maintain their success all the way into the end zone, but anybody worried about <a href="http://stlouis.sbnation.com/st-louis-rams/2012/10/4/3458672/danny-amendola-injury-collarbone">Danny Amendola's absence</a> had to be a little consoled by the performance of players like <span>Brandon Gibson</span>, who caught seven balls for 91 yards and made this <i>NFL Blitz</i> catch while he was at it:</p>
<p align="center"><img src="http://assets.sbnation.com/assets/1556057/gibson.gif"></p>
<p>This isn't going to stop being a frustrating loss for a while, but if the Rams can translate the way they performed everywhere else onto the field into the occasional touchdown over the rest of the season it might at least begin to look like a good omen. </p>
<p>Gibson now has 20 receptions for 275 yards and two touchdowns on the season, which leaves him on pace for career highs in every category. (In fact, because he's a member of the Rams, the two touchdowns are actually already tied for a career high.) He made those seven receptions on just nine targets, which is the sort of thing you can do when you're catching balls like this one. </p>
https://stlouis.sbnation.com/2012/10/15/3505648/watch-brandon-gibson-catch-rams-vs-dolphinsDan Moore2012-10-14T16:00:11-05:002012-10-14T16:00:11-05:00Rams fall short against Dolphins, lose 17-14
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<figcaption>Chris Trotman - Getty Images</figcaption>
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<p>Greg Zuerlein missed a 66 yard field goal in the final seconds, as the Rams fell 17-14 to the Dolphins.</p> <p>The <a href="https://www.thephinsider.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Miami Dolphins</a> had to battle for a full 60 minutes, but they held on for a 17-14 win over the <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/nfl/teams/st-louis-rams" class="sbn-auto-link">St. Louis Rams</a> Sunday at Sun Life Stadium.</p>
<p>St. Louis opened the scoring in the first quarter on two field goals from <span>Greg Zuerlein</span>. At that point, Zuerlein was 15-15 on the year, a rookie record.</p>
<p>But that was all the scoring St. Louis would have until the fourth quarter. In the meantime, the Dolphins stormed back with 17 unanswered points, seven of which came on this 29-yard pass from <span>Ryan Tannehill</span> to <span>Marlon Moore</span> in the second quarter to put Miami up 7-6.</p>
<p><a href="http://cdn2.sbnation.com/imported_assets/1248211/tannehilltd2.gif"><img src="http://cdn3.sbnation.com/imported_assets/1248211/tannehilltd2_medium.gif" class="photo" alt="Tannehilltd2_medium"></a></p>
<p>The Dolphins extended their lead to 10-6 on a <span>Dan Carpenter</span> 42-yard field goal late in the period.</p>
<p>And while the defense stayed tough, keeping St. Louis off the board, Tannehill connected with <span>Anthony Fasano</span> for a 1-yard touchdown pass to provide some insurance.</p>
<p>That insurance was much needed, as the Rams would come back in the fourth quarter when <span>Sam Bradford</span> passed the goal line for a 1-yard touchdown. St. Louis added a 2-point conversion to pull within a field goal at 17-14, but the Rams could not draw closer and Miami escaped with the win after Zuerlein missed a 66-yard field goal attempt in the game's final seconds.</p>
<p><b>Fantasy studs/duds</b>: Despite the loss, a few Rams put up solid numbers. Quarterback Sam Bradford threw for 315 yards on the day, connecting on 26 of his 39 passes. <span>Daryl Richardson</span>, meanwhile, led the game with 76 rushing yards on 11 carries. For more fantasy info, visit our <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/fantasy">Fantasy Football page</a>.</p>
<p><b>Odds/Gambling: </b>The Dolphins came into the game as <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/nfl/odds">5-point favorites</a>, so their 3-point win was not enough to cover. The over-under was 38, so if you went with the under, you were happy with just 31 points scored for the game.</p>
<p><b>Injury info: </b>There was some concern early on about Oliver Vernon, who appeared to be injured in the second quarter. He came back, however, and picked up arguably the biggest sack of the day when he stopped Bradford with four seconds left and the Rams threatening.</p>
<p><b>Next team on the schedule: </b>Next up, the Rams return home to face the <a href="https://www.acmepackingcompany.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Green Bay Packers</a> on Sunday, Oct. 21. The Dolphins will enjoy a bye week before traveling north to face the <a href="https://www.ganggreennation.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Jets</a> on Oct. 28.</p>
<p><b><i>This story originally <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/nfl/2012/10/14/3502818/dolphins-rams-2012-score" target="_blank">appeared on SB Nation.com.</a></i></b></p>
https://stlouis.sbnation.com/st-louis-rams/2012/10/14/3503214/rams-vs-dolphins-final-score-greg-zuerleinRussell Steinberg2012-10-14T14:50:02-05:002012-10-14T14:50:02-05:00Sam Bradford runs in Rams' first rushing TD
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<p><span>Sam Bradford</span> couldn't quite get his first passing touchdown of the game in the fourth quarter of the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/nfl/teams/st-louis-rams">St. Louis Rams</a>' Week 6 matchup vs. the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.thephinsider.com/">Miami Dolphins</a>; he got a one-yarder to <span>Brian Quick</span> that was inches away from crossing the plane of the end-zone on third down, but Jeff Fisher's challenge failed to reverse the no-touchdown call on the field. So with fourth-and-inches to deal with, Sam Bradford picked up the first rushing touchdown of the team's season—by himself. The Rams trail 17-14 in the fourth quarter after Bradford and Steven Jackson picked up the two-point conversion. </p>
<p>Quick had just one reception through the first five weeks of the Rams season—and while the one-yarder was his first catch of the game on Sunday, he's been more visible in the offense without <span>Danny Amendola</span>. The Rams' running backs have been excellent, too, with <span>Daryl Richardson</span> picking up 76 yards and Jackson adding 52 more. But they're still without a touchdown, and given this team's struggles in the red zone that shouldn't come as an enormous shock. </p>
<p>For more score updates, injury reports, and fantasy analysis in this week's Rams vs. Dolphins game, stay tuned to SB Nation St. Louis. </p>
https://stlouis.sbnation.com/rams-vs-dolphins-week-6/2012/10/14/3502816/rams-vs-dolphins-score-update-sam-bradford-scores-rams-first-rushingDan Moore2012-10-14T14:39:39-05:002012-10-14T14:39:39-05:00Sam Bradford and the return of the tuck rule
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<p>Sam Bradford and the St. Louis Rams occasion the return of everyone's least favorite NFL rule.</p> <p>The tuck rule—the infield fly rule of the NFL—was back on TV Sunday, and like its baseball brother it had us to thank for its big comeback. The St. Louis Rams caught a break when Sam Bradford, who appeared to fumble the ball in the third quarter, was said instead to have failed to tuck the ball; the end result was an incomplete pass and the chance to punt. Here's a look at the play, in case you forgot how granular this play was in the ensuing 10 years.</p>
<p align="center"><img src="http://assets.sbnation.com/assets/1555517/tuckbradford.gif"></p>
<p>Bradford's had an ostensibly solid game through three quarters, but it's been subverted by the team's complete inability to convert on third down. Bradford, Steven Jackson, and Daryl Richardson have all been chewing up yards, but it hasn't turned into touchdowns so far; it's only even turned into field goals twice, thanks to <a href="http://stlouis.sbnation.com/rams-vs-dolphins-week-6/2012/10/14/3502694/rams-vs-dolphins-greg-zuerlein-missed-field-goal">some surprising misses from Greg Zuerlein</a>. </p>
<p>Here, though, he <i>did</i> execute—exactly enough to make sure we remembered this rule existed, instead of giving up the ball deep inside his own territory. Pete Kozma, bounding backward toward Matt Holliday, couldn't have done it any better.</p>
https://stlouis.sbnation.com/2012/10/14/3502744/rams-vs-dolphins-sam-bradford-tuck-rule-videoDan Moore