The St. Louis Rams can't get out of their own way. At the 15-yard-line in the start of the second quarter, down 21-0 after the defense finally stopped Joe Flacco and the Baltimore Ravens, A Jason Smith unnecessary roughness penalty stuffed the drive on first down and pushed them back to the 30. There, Danario Alexander got tripped up going down the sideline, leading to a clean interception on Sam Bradford's downfield pass. It's emblematic of the Rams' struggles this season, which has involved more disastrous mistakes than poor play.
If you're Jason Smith, a perpetual disappointment as the first overall pick in the NFL Draft and passed in the depth chart by rookie Rodger Saffold last year, the goal has to be avoiding notoriety in this way. But that hasn't happened; at his worst, Smith is not only ineffectual but also visible for all the wrong reasons.
The Rams have to stop the Ravens again, and they have to score in the second quarter. Thanks to Smith's inability to control his temper, they haven't done that yet.