Rams must escape vicious cycle if they are to turn things around

Rams must escape vicious cycle if they are to turn things around against the New York Jets today

By VINCENT BONSIGNORE / STAFF WRITER

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. – Jeff Fisher and Rob Boras both did double takes upon looking at the stat sheets after the Rams loss to the New York Giants three weeks ago. The hard-nosed, grind-it-out run team they’ve envisioned and preached about for their Rams had thrown the ball 53 times.

Not in a wild, back-and-forth shootout against the Giants, mind you. But rather a close, low-scoring 17-10 game you’d figure was right up the Rams preferred style alley.

“I was as surprised as anyone,” said Boras, who seemed genuinely astounded the Rams had strayed so far away from their ball-control, run-game comfort zone to become something more like bombs away passing team.

To disastrous results, no less. Of Rams quarterback Case Keenum’s 53 throws, four ended up in the hands of the Giants, and one went back the other way for a touchdown.

But small sample sizes being what they are, and the insistence of Fisher and Boras to immediately return the Rams back to their home base with Todd Gurley anchoring the run game and Keenum managing things at quarterback, it was easy to chalk up the Giants game to just being one of those days.

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