St. Louis Rams wide receiver Danny Amendola came up big early in the second quarter, returning a 53 yard punt 39 yards to get the Rams to midfield, and while the offense remains stagnant Steven Jackson got them just far-enough downfield for Josh Brown to kick his second field goal of the day, a 52-yarder that tied the Arizona Cardinals at 6-6.
After an eight-yard rush from Steven Jackson on the next play from scrimmage—he had seven rushes for 43 yards so far—the Rams’ offense ground to a halt. Kenneth Darby pushed through on third-and-short for the first down, but from there the Rams couldn’t crest two yards on a play; after a two-yard dump to Darby left them short of first down on the 34 yard line Steve Spagnuolo decided to go for the tie, and Brown didn’t disappoint.
Counting the 40-yarder that was called back because the Cardinals had 12 men on the field, Brown has been just about perfect in the early going. With the Rams’ passing attack less perfect than it has been, that’s been crucial thus far.