The St. Louis Rams have scored four points in the second half, thanks primarily to Donnie Jones and a hungry defense—while Sam Bradford continues to clam up near the red zone, the team’s major problem has been Steven Jackson’s struggles since halftime. After a solid-but-unspectacular first half in which Jackson averaged just under four yards per carry he’s been entirely neutralized in the second, finding himself consistently nailed behind the line of scrimmage to set an unpleasant tone in the Rams’ offensive drive.
Thanks to John Skelton’s struggled in his own end zone, this hasn’t been a problem. But in a game defined primarily by the Rams’ cautious offensive optimism this inability to produce positive yardage on first down from their star running back—let alone points through the air from their star quarterback—shows just how far the Rams have to go before they’ll be at the level everyone expected out of Josh McDaniels’s new offense.
In the fourth quarter Jackson has 21 carries for 76 yards, as well as one reception for 12 more. Backup Cadillac Williams has been quiet, carrying the ball three times for 17 yards of his own.