Monday, November 1, 2010

Rams vs. Panthers--Postgame Notes

- The Rams improved to 4-4 on the season as they defeated the Carolina Panthers 20-10. It was St. Louis’ fourth consecutive home win, giving the Rams a 4-1 record at home this season.



- Prior to the game, the Rams honored former WR Isaac Bruce by retiring his number 80 jersey. Bruce became the ninth player in franchise history to have his jersey retired, and many of his former coaches and teammates were on hand for the ceremony.



- During Bruce’s ceremony, several dozen fans formed a tunnel through which Bruce and his former teammates walked to the center of the field. Those making up the tunnel were fans chosen through a lottery of 15-year Personal Seat License (PSL) holders and other select fans.



- QB Sam Bradford completed 25-of-32 passes for 191 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions to give him a single-game career-best passer rating of 112.4. Sunday was Bradford’s third consecutive game without an interception, and he’s now gone 96 consecutive attempts without being picked off.



- Bradford was 9-of-11 for 73 yards and two touchdowns on third down Sunday, good for a passer rating of 133.9.



- For the fifth time in as many home games this season, the Rams held their opponent under 17 points. Defensively, St. Louis is allowing just 12.6 points per game at home this season and 17.6 points per game overall.



- RB Steven Jackson gained 63 total yards (59 rushing, 4 receiving) to give him 9,839 yards from scrimmage on his career and moved past WR Henry Ellard (9,816) into fourth place on the franchise’s all-time list.



- The Rams held Carolina to just 25 rushing yards Sunday, the second lowest total allowed by St. Louis since the club relocated to the Gateway City in 1995. The 25 yards allowed were the fewest given up on the ground since Carolina rushed for 31 yards against St. Louis on Nov. 11, 2001.



- St. Louis won the time of possession battle 36:28 and held Carolina to 0-for-4 on third down in the first half.



- As a team, the Rams forced four turnovers, including three interceptions, and St. Louis scored 10 points off of takeaways Sunday. Three of the team’s takeaways came in the fourth quarter. On the season, the Rams have 15 total takeaways. St. Louis had 20 in 16 games in 2009.



- LB James Laurinaitis ended Carolina’s first drive of the day when he intercepted Matt Moore’s first pass attempt of the game. The interception was Laurinaitis’ first of the season and third of his career. Laurinaitis also sacked Moore later in the game, the linebacker’s second sack of the season.



- The Rams held the Panthers scoreless in the first quarter, marking the sixth time in eight games this season that their opponent has failed to score a first quarter point. St. Louis has allowed zero points in the first quarter at home this season and six total first quarter points in 2010.



- WR Danny Amendola caught a touchdown pass for the second consecutive week. His two-yard catch, his second of the season and third of his career, gave the Rams a 10-3 lead just before halftime. Amendola now has 15 consecutive games with at least one reception.



- Seven different Rams caught a pass Sunday with Amendola and Brandon Gibson tied for the team lead with six catches each.



- S Craig Dahl recorded his third forced fumble of the season when he stripped WR Steve Smith late in the third quarter. DE Chris Long recovered, and the takeaway resulted in a 23-yard touchdown pass from Bradford to TE Daniel Fells.



- St. Louis recorded its third takeaway of the day when DE James Hall hit Moore’s arm and forced an errant throw that was intercepted by S James Butler. The interception was Butler’s second of the season, and led to a 41-yard Josh Brown field goal.



- DE Chris Long recorded a sack, giving him three consecutive games with at least 1.0 sacks for the second time in his career. Long now has 4.5 sacks on the season, second among Rams defenders.



- S Oshiomogho Atogwe clinched the victory with an interception on Carolina’s last drive of the game. Atogwe has two interceptions on the year and 21 for his career.

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