The Cardinals responded with a much longer, deliberate drive but had to settle for a FG when Kevin Kolb didn’t see a wide-open Larry Fitzgerald for what would have been a very easy throw. Instead, Kolb had made up his mind to throw to the right side before the snap and never looked left.

No harm done as the teams traded a few punts while the defensive lines started to assert themselves over their offensive counterparts. Both quarterbacks were having issues avoiding the rush while making completions and moving their teams. Each also had receivers that weren’t making the same reads and adjusting routes correctly, forcing misfires on a number of downs.

That’s one of the benefits of having a pass rush that can be generated from just the defensive line.

October 4, 2012; St. Louis, MO, USA; St. Louis Rams wide receiver Danny Amendola (16) drops a pass as Arizona Cardinals cornerback Patrick Peterson (21) defends during the first half at the Edward Jones Dome. Mandatory Credit: Photo by Scott Rovak-US PRESSWIRE

After Rams’ kicker Greg Zuerlein, a rookie from that huge powerhouse Missouri Midwestern State, booted his 4th 50+ yard FG of the season, Cardinals’ rookie Michael Floyd dropped a short pass that would have been a first down and they had to punt again.

The Rams nearly had a great play on the following 3rd and long from the shadow of their own goalpost, but it turned into a play they’d like to forget. After Danny Amendola made a diving catch on a perfectly thrown pass for a first down, the play was challenged and reversed as the ball had slipped out underneath his forearm and hit the ground while he cradled the back end of it. But that’s not the important part.

Amendola then left the game and was taken into the tunnel to go back to the locker room, favoring his right shoulder. A camera caught him with a trainer during the walk-back, and Amendola threw his helmet against the wall with his left arm…while the trainers worried about his right shoulder. While nobody knew for sure what was wrong, Amendola’s reaction was one of someone who knows he was injured. At the time, I was guessing broken collar bone.

The Cards missed a FG and the Rams’ punter got to show off his leg several times with 2 penalties on his punt attempts before he got the third one out of bounds. At the 6 yard line. After 51 yards.

If there’s nothing else I would have taken away from the first half, it’s that the Rams have some strong-legged kickers and punters.

The Cards got the ball to open the second half after Zuerlein beaned an elderly lady in the upper deck with his kickoff for a touchback. The Rams then got the ball back on a punt when the Arizona offense went into beeping mode and lost 5 yards on 3 plays.

I swear, with the offensive futility from both sides, Patrick Peterson’s return ability and rookie punter Johnny Hekker’s leg, the punts were becoming the plays that had you on the edge of your seat. I kid you not. Hekker showed off his leg, outkicking his coverage when not zoning-in on 50+ yard coffin-corner punts. I’m telling you the truth! It’s the first NFL game I can ever remember where I looked forward to the kicking game above anything either team could do offensively.

Sam Bradford then interrupted the kicking reverie with a beautifully-thrown interception to Peterson in the back of the end zone. Peterson went up, got it, and hauled it down while doing the toe-tap dance for a valid catch as momentum carried him through the back.

Suddenly, with 5:06 left in the third quarter, Larry Fitzgerald caught a 14-yard pass that marked the first completion of the second half…for either team. After being sacked once and narrowly avoiding a second in a row, Kolb kept the ball alive and hooked up with Fitzgerald for another 30.

Then, they foolishly tried to run it once more and lost another yard. After that, they inexplicably tried a play-action pass that ended in yet another sack on Kolb.

October 4, 2012; St. Louis, MO, USA; St. Louis Rams cornerback Janoris Jenkins (21) knocks the ball away from Arizona Cardinals wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald (11) during the first half at the Edward Jones Dome. Mandatory Credit: Photo by Scott Rovak-US PRESSWIRE

I’ve gained respect for Kolb tonight just for the punishment he’s endured. Sure, QBs get sacked but he took 8 against the Dolphins last week – with goodness knows how many more hits on him – and by this time the Rams have racked up 7.

No wonder he’s spent so much time injured in his career if he takes so many hits. It isn’t that he’s holding on to the ball too long; he’s just not getting time to throw it. He is really getting thumped out there and the sacks don’t even count the two or three that I saw negated due to roughing penalties.

Finally, another rookie, this time WR Chris Givens of St. Louis, caught a 51-yard bomb from Bradford. After all the punishment that he’d also taken all night, the Rams decided to bash Steven Jackson at them for a while. It worked with moderate success, allowing Givens to get behind the defender and be wide open for an easy pass from his quarterback.

Kolb got to work with 11 minutes to go, completing a 6 yard pass to Fitzgerald which caused the official to throw both his hat and a flag at on their first play. The last play of the drive was a completed pass to Larry Fitzgerald at the 3 yard line where he was tackled on 4th & goal. Yes…it was that kind of game.

The Rams ran it as Hekker lined up to punt from his own end zone.

And…..

Jeff Fisher “ices” his own…punter?

Actually, all he did was use a timeout to burn the clock down before telling his rookie punter not to kick it to Peterson.

So after a 55-yard punt to Peterson, the Cardinals set up once again. On 4th and a foot inside the 10, the weirdest thing happened.

Kevin Kolb got sacked.

After Fisher told the rookie not to kick it to Peterson, Peterson returned the punt about 15 yards. Kolb got hit on the next play, fumbled, and the Rams recovered.

Rams win, 17-3. What an oddball game.

It’s the first time the Rams have been above .500 at any time since 2006.

The New York Jets have come full circle, going from no TDs at all in preseason to the highest scoring team in the NFL after week one to being shut out at home against the San Francisco 49′ers last Sunday.

The Cardinals had similar issues that the Jets had in the preseason. The QB battle in Arizona seemed to be a race to the bottom as pricey Kevin Kolb and cheap John Skelton fought hard to see who “sucked the most.” Sorry, there’s really no pleasant way of putting it. When one’s age exceeds one’s QB rating, that usually means you’re a RB who has attempted two HB option passes, being successful on neither attempt or some such.

Unlike the Jets, however, the Cardinals have had success without an outstanding offense. In fact, the Arizona offense is ranked 31st in the NFL, just ahead of that of the powerhouse Jacksonville Jaguars. Let’s have a look at how tonight’s battling teams compare:

Sept. 30, 2012; Glendale, AZ, USA; Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kevin Kolb (4) throws during the second half against the Miami Dolphins at University of Phoenix Stadium. The Cardinals beat the Dolphins 24-21. Mandatory Credit: Matt Kartozian-US PRESSWIRE

OFFENSE:
Arizona Total: 31st – 271 ypg
Arizona Rushing: 29th – 68 ypg
Arizona Passing: 25h – 203 ypg
Arizona Scoring: 18th – 22.8 ppg

St. Louis Total: 27th – 287 ypg
St. Louis Rushing: 20th – 90.5 ypg
St. Louis Passing: 28th – 196.5 ypg
St. Louis Scoring: 24th – 19.8 ppg

DEFENSE:

Arizona Total: 17th – 357 ypg
Arizona Rushing: T14th – 101 ypg
Arizona Passing: 21st – 256 ypg
Arizona Scoring: 3rd – 15.2 ppg

St. Louis Total: 14th – 338.8 ypg
St. Louis Rushing: 26th – 135.2 ypg
St. Louis Passing: 11th – 213.5 ypg
St. Louis Scoring: 18th – 22.8 ppg

Basically, the stats don’t reflect the Cardinals’ record. The Rams are 2-2 with wins over Seattle and Washington; losses against Minnesota and Detroit. However, The Cardinals are 4-0 as many of you know; wins over Seattle, New England, Philadelphia and Miami.

The only real powerhouse team in either bunch is the New England Patriots. The Cardinals were able to exploit the Pats’ shaky offensive line and still nearly lost the game when they had the ball to run out the clock, fumbled, and gave the Pats the ball in their own territory. Only a missed FG by New England with time expiring saved the Cardinals.

Arizona’s offense has been consistent – they’ve scored in the 20′s each game, but haven’t faced a team with a great defense yet. The closest is Miami, but I’ve said before that the ‘fins’ lack of playmakers on offense and starting a rookie QB doesn’t help their defense. St. Louis struggled against a very good Seattle defense and didn’t do much better against a very good Bears’ defense.

So when you look at the stats, remember who they’ve played. The Cardinals’ defense was in the top 5 after 2 weeks but has slid down to 17th after that same rookie QB, Ryan Tannehill, torched them for over 400 in an overtime loss at Arizona last week.

Frankly, I’ve been higher on the Rams this year than I have the Cardinals – Arizona has made some very opportunistic plays to help them win…again, ask aforementioned rookie Ryan Tannehill, who threw a pick in OT to give the Cardinals the game served up in their own territory. It’s nice to win on big plays like that, but you can’t count on timely plays going in your favor each week.

Sep 19, 2012; St. Louis, MO, USA; St. Louis Rams wide receiver Danny Amendola (16) makes a catch as Washington Redskins strong safety DeJon Gomes (24) defends during the first half at the Edward Jones Dome. Mandatory Credit: Photo by Scott Rovak-US PRESSWIRE

I see the Rams winning this one at home tonight. Notice that the Rams are 11th against the pass despite having played Washington and Detroit. They’ve got one of the better defensive end pairs in the league with Chris Long (yes, he’s Howie’s boy) and Robert Quinn. They’ve also got a good cornerback duo with Cortland Finnegan and rookie Janoris Jenkins. Certainly, they’ll have their hands full with Larry Fitzgerald but he’s about their only threat…Michael Floyd has only caught 5 passes and starter Andre Roberts is average at best. The Cards will struggle to score, especially with their own issues on the offensive line and no running game since Beanie Wells is on injured reserve.

The Cardinals’ defense has the same CB strength – Patrick Peterson and William Gay – but they may not have an answer for the Wes Welker-lite slot receiver Danny Amendola. Sam Bradford’s a better QB than people think, but he has the luxury of having a much more balanced offense than the Cardinals have. Steven Jackson is a punishing RB and rookie Daryl Richardson is averaging 5.0 yards per carry on 27 attempts.

Aside from Jackson, the Rams have no single “go-to” star on offense, although Amendola is having a great season so far after suffering a season-ending injury in week 1 last season. It also means they spread the ball around when passing, making them harder to defend in that sense. If they can get their running game going as they usually do, they’ll have the play-action passing game at their disposal – something the Cardinals’ offense does not have.

Any way you slice it, I don’t see either offense dominating this game. I think the Cardinals’ luck runs out and the Rams finally will get some respect.

Rams 21, Cardinals 17