The reeling St. Louis Rams lead the first-place Atlanta Falcons 7-3 through the first quarter, thanks to some sharp quarterbacking from Sam Bradford, some lockdown defense aided by offensive penalties, and two outstanding catches from rookie tight end Michael Hoomanawanui.
Bradford, 7-for-10 for 99 yards and a touchdown, has gone to Hoomanawanui twice for 43 of those yards, including a touchdown and a nifty leaping grab in traffic for a first down. Steven Jackson has four carries for 14 yards and one catch for nine more; he went over 10,000 yards from scrimmage today, joining a who’s-who of Greatest Show on Turf stars on the list.
The Atlanta Falcons’ offense has been hindered by penalties, three of them for 30 yards in the first quarter alone. After converting on two third down plays in the course of getting downfield they were forced to go for a field goal after missing the last one.
The Rams opened the second quarter with a 53-yard field goal from placekicker Josh Brown, extending their lead to 10-3.