The only thing the Rams were very efficient in during their week 1 game against the Philadelphia Eagles was combining mistakes with injuries. The Rams lost most reliable receiver Danny Amendola to a potentially serious elbow injury. (UPDATE: Looks like Amendola is now out 8-10 weeks.) Quarterback Sam Bradford left the game with a thumb injury that should allow him to return next week. Running back Steven Jackson was lost to a quad injury after his first run of the game, a long touchdown run. Jason Smith was pulled from the game with a reported ankle injury, but he was so ineffective, the injury could have been formulated as an excuse by the Rams coaching staff. The Rams also lost cornerback Ron Bartell to an injury.
The Rams mistakes on the offensive side stunted any chance the Rams overwhelmed squad could generate. Rookie tight end Lance Kendricks had two solid gold drops and Brandon Gibson and Greg Salas joined him in the drop parade. The Rams offensive line, who has been much heralded, played like the overpaid, underperforming side we have seen over the past 2-3 years. The Eagles have a good defensive line, but the Rams offensive line were pushed back into Bradford on every single pass play and allowed penetration on almost every run play.
The defense had their fair share of mistakes as the Rams failed to cover DeSean Jackson on one play, failed to tackle Mike Vick frequently and allowed Vick to break contain when they were unable to get to him.
The moral of the story here is that the Rams are not as good as the Eagles. We knew that coming in. But, the way the Rams lost, with injuries and a bushel of mistakes is hard to swallow.
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