Backup Quarterback Leads Rams Into Game Versus Cowboys

By Shawn Lealos

After opening the season with a rough, mistake-filled loss to a team that had been to three straight NFC Championship games, the Dallas Cowboys rebounded with a huge win over the Tennessee Titans. The Titans were a team that many saw as a unit on the rise, and one that some picked to beat Dallas. Instead, the Cowboys dominated both sides of the ball and now they head into Week 3 against a St. Louis Rams team that has not only lost their starting quarterback for the season, but has also lost their backup after one game.

Here is a look at the St. Louis Rams heading into their week two game with the Dallas Cowboys.

Offense

When St. Louis started the 2014 NFL season, they looked to make their mark in the NFC. With a healthy Sam Bradford, a growing corps of young receivers and a great new running back in Zac Stacy, it looked like they could finally compete. However, Bradford was injured in the preseason when Armonty Bryant targeted his knee, and Bradford had to undergo his second knee surgery of his NFL career.

Journeyman Shaun Hill took over the starting role, but suffered a strained quad in the first game of the season. That meant that Austin Davis started against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the second week of the season. In the first start of his NFL career, Davis finished with a 22-for-29 completion line for 235 yards. He didn’t throw a touchdown, but he was highly efficient.

The most important part of the Rams’ offense is their running game. Zac Stacy is in his second season as the starting running back and has 114 yards and one touchdown through the first two weeks of the NFL season. Brian Quick and Austin Pettis are the leading receivers with Tavon Austin out with an injury as well. Jared Cook is also a huge weapon at tight end, and has eight receptions for 102 yards on the season so far.

Defense

The defense is what the St. Louis Rams really hoped to improve with the arrival of defensive mastermind Jeff Fisher. However, after two weeks, St. Louis ranked a middle-of-the-road 18th. The Rams are giving up 343 yards a game, with an almost perfectly even 172.5 rushing yards and 171.0 passing yards a game. However, they are also giving up an unsightly 25.5 points per game.

St. Louis has lost the battle of the turnovers through the first two games of the season. They have one interception while their offense has thrown two and lost two fumbles. They also only have one quarterback sack on the season, giving their opponents all the time in the world to try to make plays. The defensive playmakers are free safety Rodney McLeod, who has 12 tackles and the interception, and linebacker James Laurinaitis, who has 11 tackles.

Coaching

Jeff Fisher came to the St. Louis Rams in 2012 with the hopes that he could turn the Rams around and get them moving in the right direction. After a 7-8-1 start in his first season, the team went 7-9 in year two and look to struggle again this season without an experienced starting quarterback. Fisher has a lifetime .532 winning percentage and has one Super Bowl appearance, ironically losing to the St. Louis Rams in the 1999 season.

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Shawn S. Lealos is a freelance writer who graduated from the University of Oklahoma in 2000 with a Bachelor's Degree in Journalism. He writes for a variety of national publications and has over 15 years of sports journalism experience. Follow Shawn on Twitter @sslealos. Examiner.com.