| DE Robert Quinn celebrates one of his three sacks of Kevin Kolb in the Rams' 17-3 win. (US Presswire) |
The Rams surpassed last year’s win total with another grinding defensive performance at home. With their 17-3 thumping of Arizona, the Rams have given up a total of 16 points in consecutive division wins.
Coach Jeff Fisher has the Rams playing like his good Tennessee teams. They excel on defense and special teams and make enough plays on offense. Fisher is showing why he was the subject of a bidding war that included the Dolphins.
Thursday’s win might have come at a severe cost: Tests on Friday will determine whether leading wideout Danny Amendola broke his collarbone trying to make a diving catch.
Offense: C
Sam Bradford missed 12 straight throws at one point, but it wasn’t all his fault. There were a couple drops, a miscommunication between Bradford and Amendola, and a few hurries. And when the opportunity for a bomb arose, Bradford threw a 51-yard strike to Chris Givens for the backbreaking TD. Steven Jackson got going in the second half and finished with a season-high 76 yards on 18 carries.
Previous game's grade: C
Defense: A
You almost had to feel sorry for Kevin Kolb. The Rams sacked him nine times and knocked him down 13 times. It was the team’s most sacks since 1998. DE Robert Quinn led the way with three and a forced fumble. Chris Long, William Hayes, Kendall Langford and Jo-Lonn Dunbar also brought heavy pressure. The defense held Arizona to 2.6 yards per carry. Larry Fitzgerald never broke a game-changing play.
Previous game's grade: B+
Special teams: A-
Rookie Johnny Hekker averaged 56.9 yards on seven punts, though Patrick Peterson returned five of those for 76 yards. The Rams did a much better job on Peterson than they did last season when he returned a punt for a TD in each meeting. Fellow rookie Greg Zuerlein stayed perfect by hitting a 53-yard field goal. Now 13 for 13, Zuerlein is only the sixth kicker in NFL history to make his first four attempts of 50-plus yards. He also tied an NFL rookie record with those four 50-plus yarders.
Previous game's grade: A
Coaching: A
Fisher has quickly reconstructed a defense that ranked 26th last year (25.4 ppg). The Rams are playing with an edge, a nastiness, they simply did not possess before Fisher arrived. Special teams coach John Fassel had a good plan to combat Peterson, and for the most part the punting unit executed.
Previous game's grade: A
Get more Rams updates and analysis from Larry Hartstein @CBSRams.