Five Takeaways — Rams at 49ers

Five Takeaways — Rams at 49ers

By Myles Simmons

[www.therams.com]

The Rams started the season on a sour note, losing 28-0 to the division-rival 49ers on Monday Night Football. Los Angeles will have a short week in preparation for Seattle in the club’s home opener. Here are five takeaways from the first week of the season.

1) Poor offensive production

Whenever a team does not score, it’s clear there was poor offensive production. The numbers bear that out, as the Rams’ offense experienced many of the same issues that plagued the unit in 2015.

Los Angeles had only 185 total yards, 10 first downs, and finished 3-of-15 in third-down efficiency — a clear indication the club could not sustain drives.

“Obviously, disappointed in some of the lack of offensive production,” head coach Jeff Fisher said after the game. “The third-down efficiency, scoring, and the run game was not there tonight. I’ll credit their defense. But, those things were problematic for us last year. I believe we’ve improved in those areas, we just didn’t show it. And we have to show it.”

'According to quarterback Case Keenum, the 49ers mixed up coverages well, particularly on third down. Those looks gave the Rams issues throughout the contest.

“They did a really good job mixing up, especially on third down, a lot of looks that we haven’t seen before,” Keenum said. “And, you know, it’s no excuse, though. We’ve still got to convert.”


2) Defense starts slow

Los Angeles’ defense came alive in the second half, forcing four three-and-outs to begin the third quarter. Fisher said the unit made some key halftime adjustments that worked well.

But the unit still allowed 28 first downs — the 49ers highest output in a game since 2012.

“I was a little disappointed with the defense early, but the defense — we made adjustments at halftime, settled down. Got numerous, back-to-back three-and-outs, and gave us an opportunity to get some drives started offensively,” Fisher said. “We just couldn’t get points.”

Niners quarterback Blaine Gabbert gave the Rams trouble with his legs, rushing nine times for 43 yards. He was able to slip out of the pocket a few times, scrambling for first downs on three third-down situations.

“Coming into the game, Blaine was a concern of mine — just his legs,” Fisher said. “Obviously, he showed us what he can do. He can pull it down and run and break your back.”

Linebacker Alec Ogletree said San Francisco didn’t necessarily do anything unexpected, instead Los Angeles’ defense simply did not execute the way it needed to.

3) Too many penalties

The Rams were flagged 10 times for 102 yards — too many for one game.

Two of the most significant offenders were two of the Rams most important players, running back Todd Gurley and defensive tackle Aaron Donald. Gurley was flagged for taunting after converting a 4th-and-1 into a first down with a three-yard run. That penalty moved L.A. back 15 yards, despite a first down.

Donald was ejected after two unsportsmanlike conduct penalties later in the contest.


“I let emotion get the best of me,” Donald said “No excuses — I can’t make mistakes like that to hurt my team.”

Those fouls were uncharacteristic for both Donald and Gurley, and will likely be corrected right away.

4) “This isn’t us”

If there’s a silver lining, it’s that this game came in Week 1. Oftentimes around the NFL, teams make significant improvements between the first two games of the season. And Gurley brought up one comparison in particular that may bode well for the team’s fortunes.

“It’s a long season,” Gurley said. “You look at last year, [the 49ers] played Monday night against the Vikings [in Week 1]. They beat the Vikings pretty bad. The Vikings still went on to the playoffs. So, we’ll shake this game off. And, like I said, it’s a long season. We’ve still got 15 more games to go.”

Both Gurley and Keenum used the refrain “This isn’t us” to describe the offense’s performance.

“I see it every day at practice,” Gurley said. “I know this is not us. This is not us at all. I don’t know what we did, but like I said, we’ve got to do something right and go out there and execute next week.”

“We’re fighting. And, I’ll tell you, everybody in that locker room hates not winning,” Keenum said. “And it’s frustrating when you’re not doing it. So we just have to go out and fix the problems and do us. Be us. Offensively, that wasn’t us.”

L.A. will need to get back on track with better execution against the Seahawks next week.

5) Extra points

— Middle linebacker Alec Ogletree led the Rams with 12 tackles, according to the press box stats.

— Safety T.J. McDonald had four tackles for loss to lead the team in the category. In all, Los Angeles had eight tackles for loss.

— In his regular-season Rams debut, defensive tackle Dominique Easley forced a fumble that cornerback Trumaine Johnson recovered for the Rams’ one takeaway of the game.

— Wide receiver Kenny Britt led the club with four receptions for 67 yards.

— While Cody Wichmann got the start at right guard, the Rams rotated at the position, splitting the reps between Wichmann and Jamon Brown almost evenly. Wichmann had 29 snaps, Brown had 32.