Case Keenum on Rams' Week 1 offense: 'This is not us'By Alden Gonzalez
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SANTA CLARA, Calif. -- What follows are results of the Los Angeles Rams' offensive possessions from Monday, in chronological order: punt, punt, punt, interception, punt, punt, punt, punt, punt, punt, interception, punt, turnover on downs.
It was that kind of night.
"I'll take the blame," quarterback Case Keenum said after a demoralizing, 28-0 loss to the San Francisco 49ers from Levi's Stadium. "This team deserves better play from their quarterback."
Coming off an efficient, encouraging preseason in which he handily beat out No. 1 overall pick Jared Goff for the starting job, Keenum looked overmatched against a 49ers defense that doesn't project to be anything special. He completed 17-of-35 passes, threw for a mere 130 yards and added two interceptions. Under his watch, the Rams failed to convert 12 of their 15 third-down attempts, averaged just a shade over three yards per play and operated past midfield on only five drives.
It's a problem for Todd Gurley.
The Rams' star running back had a hard time finding space between the tackles and was ultimately limited to 47 yards on 17 carries. It was a reminder of his stretch run in 2015, when opposing defenses stacked the box because the Rams -- last in the NFL in passing yards -- didn't offer a threat outside of the run.
"When we can't get a run game going, nothing else falls after that," Rams coach Jeff Fisher said. "That was a concern."
The 49ers spent the night daring Keenum to throw, but the 28-year-old couldn't beat them. His Rams went three-and-out on seven of 13 drives and at one point failed to convert 10 consecutive third downs, keeping the Rams' defense on the field for long stretches. Tavon Austin -- given a four-year, $42 million extension in large part because of how much more the Rams expect him to contribute -- caught only four of his team-high 12 targets, and gained only 15 yards from scrimmage.
"We have to stretch the field," Austin said. "We need to keep doing what we were doing. We were open a lot out there today; we just couldn't connect. That's the main thing. We'll connect on it."
The Rams must, if they have any hope of giving Gurley room to operate.
Gurley rushed for a record 566 yards in his first four NFL starts, but his yards per carry dropped from 6.4 to 3.9 over his last eight games, largely because the Rams' offense became so one-dimensional. Gurley said he "most definitely" notices the difference in his running lanes when the passing game opens up, and he's confident that it eventually will.
"I see it every day in practice," Gurley said. "I know it's not us. It's not us at all. I don't know what we did, but we have to do something right and go out and execute next week."
Next week is a major test, at home against the Seattle Seahawks and their stifling defense.
Keenum, who completed 18 of his 24 passes and didn't commit a turnover in the preseason, said Monday's game "will not define me."
"It was a big stage, and it would have been fun to win on Monday night to start the season, but it's a long season," Keenum said. "This is not us. Offensively, this is not us. We're going to come back to work tomorrow and get ready to beat the Seahawks."
