DaSilva doesn’t sugarcoat it...

Saints blow out Rams 28-0: Instant analysis, recap and game notes

Cameron DaSilva

[theramswire.usatoday.com]

The Los Angeles Rams wrapped up their fourth and final preseason game on Thursday night, but they didn’t end on a high note. They fell to the New Orleans Saints on the road by a score of 28-0, dropping their meaningless-game record to 2-2.

The offense once again failed to get anything going behind Brandon Allen and Luis Perez, mustering just 151 yards. These games don’t mean much, especially with the first-string offense and defense basically sit out all four contests, but the Rams can’t feel great about how they finished the preseason.

As lopsided as the score was, the defense didn’t get much help. The Saints blocked a punt, picked off two passes and forced three fumbles, two of which they recovered. Not to mention, Sean Payton was treating it like a regular season game, challenging two-point conversions, trying an onside kick and having his offense try to draw the Rams offside.

Steven Parker made the play of the game in the third quarter when he intercepted J.T. Barrett, the Rams’ only takeaway. The pass defense wasn’t all good, though. Dominique Hatfield and Taurean Nixon both got beat by Cameron Meredith in coverage, leaving him wide open down the field.

On offense, Darrell Williams really struggled at left tackle, failing to hold up in pass protection. The interior of the offensive line wasn’t much better, allowing constant penetration up the middle on running plays.

Luis Perez was a big storyline heading into this one, but he hardly impressed in his first NFL action. He completed just 8 of 15 passes for 43 yards and an interception, posting a passer rating of 31.2. His receivers and line didn’t do him any favors, but he made some poor decisions, himself.

Brandon Allen got the start, but he didn’t do any better. Fighting for a roster spot, he completed just 7 of 13 passes for 57 yards and an interception of his own. The Saints outscored the Rams 15-0 with Allen under center, never coming close to relinquishing a touchdown.

Roster spots were likely won and lost in this game, and while it wasn’t pretty, it still carried some weight. Les Snead even said on the broadcast that four to five players were fighting for two to three spots on the 53-man roster.