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The St. Louis Rams suffered an 18-3 defeat to the Oakland Raiders in their preseason opener on Friday, August 14, and on many levels they looked out of sorts.
The Rams’ offensive line showed its youth, giving up a few sacks and struggling often in pass protection. The highly regarded St. Louis defense also looked a bit of out of sorts as well. There were also a couple of key injuries to guard Roger Saffold and linebacker Daren Bates that could be important in the weeks ahead.
However, there were a couple of players that recorded encouraging performances in the loss. Here are three stars of the game for the Rams:
Trumaine Johnson
Despite playing just the first quarter, the fourth-year defensive back was quite impressive in limited action. Johnson lined up at left cornerback and drew the tough matchups against Raiders wide receiver Michael Crabtree and rookie Amari Cooper.
Johnson had two standout plays that displayed his athleticism and prevented potential touchdown catches in the opening quarter. The first being a pass deflection down the sideline while covering Crabtree that forced the Raiders to settle for a field goal. The latter was an interception in the endzone on a Derek Carr to Cooper on a slant route. It was an outstanding play by Johnson being able to go full extension while leaping forward to make the grab. The 25-year-old finished with a pair of tackles and two pass deflections.
It was an encouraging performance from Johnson, who has shown flashes of promise in his first three seasons in the league. He appeared to be primed to make the next step last season, but injuries forced him to miss seven games last season and led to him losing his starting job to E.J. Gaines.
With Gaines dealing with a foot injury that is expected to keep him sidelined for an extended period of time, it’s a prime opportunity for Johnson to regain his starting role.
Chris Givens
Entering his fourth season in the league, it’s make or break time for Givens with the Rams. The 25-year-old had a productive game with a team-leading four catches on five targeted passes for 36 receiving yards.
Although the Rams spread the ball around, Givens proved to be a reliable target for second-string quarterback Case Keenum. He had three of his four grabs in St. Louis’ opening drive in the second half.
Givens struggled to play with any level of consistency that would warrant a larger role during his first three seasons with the team. He had a promising rookie year, but Givens teetered off over the last two seasons and had career lows in catches (11) and receiving yards (159) in 2014.
However, with both a new quarterback at the helm in Nick Foles and new offensive coordinator Frank Cignetti, it may be what helps kickstart Givens’s career in his contract year with the Rams. The fourth-year wideout has proven himself to be a deep-ball threat, and with Foles having a strong arm, it could be the ideal match for him to finally excel in the NFL.
Nick Foles
In his first official action in a Rams’ uniform, Foles got the ball rolling on the team’s opening drive of the game by completing two consecutive passes on first two plays.
The first was a 26-yard strike to tight end Lance Kendricks, and he followed it up with a quick pass to Tavon Austin, during which the speedy wideout zig-zagged through the Raiders’ defense for a 35-yard gain. Foles had a shot to throw his first touchdown, but his pass to tight end Jared Cook was broken up by tough coverage on the play.
Foles took the field for a second drive, but he was unable to move St. Louis down the field going 1-for-2 with eight passing yards and sacked twice. This in many ways encouraging health-wise to see the 26-year-old being able to take the physical punishment from a sack.
All in all, Foles displayed some comfort playing in his first action since Week 9 of last season. This upcoming week of joint practices with the Dallas Cowboys along with the remaining three preseason games should be some vital experience for Foles to get more reps and familiar with the offense and his teammates.
Amari Cooper, Case Keenum, Chris Givens, Daren Bates, Derek Carr, E.J. Gaines, Jared Cook, Lance Kendricks, Michael Crabtree, Nick Foles, Roger Saffold, Trumaine Johnson
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The St. Louis Rams suffered an 18-3 defeat to the Oakland Raiders in their preseason opener on Friday, August 14, and on many levels they looked out of sorts.
The Rams’ offensive line showed its youth, giving up a few sacks and struggling often in pass protection. The highly regarded St. Louis defense also looked a bit of out of sorts as well. There were also a couple of key injuries to guard Roger Saffold and linebacker Daren Bates that could be important in the weeks ahead.
However, there were a couple of players that recorded encouraging performances in the loss. Here are three stars of the game for the Rams:
Trumaine Johnson
Despite playing just the first quarter, the fourth-year defensive back was quite impressive in limited action. Johnson lined up at left cornerback and drew the tough matchups against Raiders wide receiver Michael Crabtree and rookie Amari Cooper.
Johnson had two standout plays that displayed his athleticism and prevented potential touchdown catches in the opening quarter. The first being a pass deflection down the sideline while covering Crabtree that forced the Raiders to settle for a field goal. The latter was an interception in the endzone on a Derek Carr to Cooper on a slant route. It was an outstanding play by Johnson being able to go full extension while leaping forward to make the grab. The 25-year-old finished with a pair of tackles and two pass deflections.
It was an encouraging performance from Johnson, who has shown flashes of promise in his first three seasons in the league. He appeared to be primed to make the next step last season, but injuries forced him to miss seven games last season and led to him losing his starting job to E.J. Gaines.
With Gaines dealing with a foot injury that is expected to keep him sidelined for an extended period of time, it’s a prime opportunity for Johnson to regain his starting role.
Chris Givens
Entering his fourth season in the league, it’s make or break time for Givens with the Rams. The 25-year-old had a productive game with a team-leading four catches on five targeted passes for 36 receiving yards.
Although the Rams spread the ball around, Givens proved to be a reliable target for second-string quarterback Case Keenum. He had three of his four grabs in St. Louis’ opening drive in the second half.
Givens struggled to play with any level of consistency that would warrant a larger role during his first three seasons with the team. He had a promising rookie year, but Givens teetered off over the last two seasons and had career lows in catches (11) and receiving yards (159) in 2014.
However, with both a new quarterback at the helm in Nick Foles and new offensive coordinator Frank Cignetti, it may be what helps kickstart Givens’s career in his contract year with the Rams. The fourth-year wideout has proven himself to be a deep-ball threat, and with Foles having a strong arm, it could be the ideal match for him to finally excel in the NFL.
Nick Foles
In his first official action in a Rams’ uniform, Foles got the ball rolling on the team’s opening drive of the game by completing two consecutive passes on first two plays.
The first was a 26-yard strike to tight end Lance Kendricks, and he followed it up with a quick pass to Tavon Austin, during which the speedy wideout zig-zagged through the Raiders’ defense for a 35-yard gain. Foles had a shot to throw his first touchdown, but his pass to tight end Jared Cook was broken up by tough coverage on the play.
Foles took the field for a second drive, but he was unable to move St. Louis down the field going 1-for-2 with eight passing yards and sacked twice. This in many ways encouraging health-wise to see the 26-year-old being able to take the physical punishment from a sack.
All in all, Foles displayed some comfort playing in his first action since Week 9 of last season. This upcoming week of joint practices with the Dallas Cowboys along with the remaining three preseason games should be some vital experience for Foles to get more reps and familiar with the offense and his teammates.
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