The team’s offensive performance reminded experts of a team playing its first preseason contest, not the regular season opener. While much of the talk has surrounded Case Keenum and his performance, the rest of the offense must take notice and look in the mirror — as it was atrocious at every position.
Keenum finished the game completing 17 of 35 passes for just 135 yards and two interceptions, one of which was a game killer in the third quarter. With last year’s rookie of the year in the backfield, totaling 186 yards isn’t acceptable.
Social media went nuts during the game, much of which was directed at the coaches and their choice to not to even dress first round pick Jared Goff. The youngster didn’t show much during the preseason, leading to the decision, but paying him top dollar to sit doesn’t make much sense either.
If Goff is the future and this team is going to struggle moving the football, doesn’t it make sense to give him some experience now? Peyton Manning took his lumps and learned from it and while the two aren’t really comparable, the situation of their first year in the league is very similar.
The LA Rams will win games based on defense and running the ball. While the defense did allow 28 points on Monday, they definitely had more fire and passion that the anemic offense. After watching the football game, no expert can say that a rookie couldn’t run that offense.
With the NFL becoming a vertical passing league, Los Angeles didn’t show much going down the field, instead using a horizontal attack that looked amateurish. If this squad continues to play like this in 2016, it could be the end of the Jeff Fischer era with the Rams.
