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Rams crushed in Kansas City 34-7
• By Jim Thomas jthomas@post-dispatch.com 314-340-8197
http://www.stltoday.com/sports/foot...cle_c3d8917b-dbf9-50f6-8297-121f30f833df.html
KANSAS CITY • After a promising start, the Kansas City nightmare continued for the Rams. A 34-7 loss to the Chiefs made the Rams 0-3 against their NFL cousins on the western edge of the state since the move to St. Louis in 1995.
The composite score in those three contests: Kansas City 137, Rams 51.
Since that buzz-kill of a season-opening 34-6 loss to Minnesota, the Rams had played everyone tough over the next five games. But not this Sunday.
While the Chiefs were piling up points in the second half, the Rams were piling up penalties, missed tackles, and injuries. It was an embarrassing afternoon to say the least.
Injuries to center Scott Wells (elbow), left tackle Jake Long (knee), right guard Rodger Saffold (shoulder), wide receiver Brian Quick (arm), cornerback Rodney McLeod (knee), and safety Cody Davis (concussion symptoms) added injury to insult.
There couldn't have been a better start for the Rams in the Sea of Red. For starters there was a 41-yard kickoff return by Benny Cunningham, who entered the day as the NFL's leader in kickoff return average.
On third-and-1 from the St. Louis 44, Austin Davis found Kenny Britt open deep down the left sideline for a 43-yard gain to the Kansas City 1. Three plays later, a patient Davis found tight end Lance Kendricks open in the middle of the end zone for a 1-yard touchdown.
It marked the third game in a row that Kendricks has hauled in a TD catch, with two of the grabs coming in the red zone.
End of highlight reel. Things went downhill from there on out for the Rams, who dropped to 2-5 on the season and face road games at NFC West rivals San Francisco and Arizona in the next two Sundays.
On the Rams' second possession, Davis forced a deep ball into double coverage that was intended for Britt. Fourth-year defensive back Ron Parker hauled in the overthrown pass for a Kansas City interception.
Starting late in the first quarter, the Chiefs (4-3) took advantage of good field position to even the score on a 53-yard touchdown drive. It was a tough drive for Rams rookie cornerback E.J. Gaines, the Missouri product playing in his hometown.
First off, he tried to pick up an Alex Smith fumble forced by Robert Quinn instead of falling on the ball. It rolled out of bounds and the Chiefs retained possession. On third-and-7, an illegal contact penalty on Gaines gave KC a first down.
Then, on third-and-6 from the St. Louis 18, Gaines missed a tackle near the line of scrimmage on a quick sideline toss to tight end Travis Kelce. Kelce wasn't brought down until he reached the 1-yard line. On the next play, Jamaal Charles was in the end zone running off left guard to tie the score 7-7 early in the second quarter.
Later in the quarter, the Rams missed a golden opportunity to take the lead when a botched handoff to Charles from Smith resulted in a fumble deep in Kansas City territory. Defensive end William Hayes recovered the loose ball and returned it six yards to the Kansas City 8. But two running plays produced no gain, and then Davis foolishly held onto the ball instead of throwing it away and was sacked for a 14-yard loss.
Wait — it gets worse. Out trotted Greg Zuerlein, who promptly missed a 38-yard field goal, wide right.
The Chiefs took over at their 28 and even with back-to-back sacks by Quinn in the final 80 seconds of the half, they were able to tack on a Cairo Santos 53-yard field goal with 1 second left.
It took Kansas City only 12 seconds to tack onto the lead to start the second half. For some reason, Zuerlein sent a line-drive kick that bounced to Knile Davis at the 1. Davis returned the ball 99 yards for a TD, with only Zuerlein having any kind of a shot at a tackle. Zuerlein whiffed.
That play seemed to break the Rams' back. They were never the same afterward.
It became 20-7 Kansas City on the Chiefs' next possession on a 28-yard field goal by Santos. The drive started at the KC 6, but the Rams helped the Chiefs downfield with a late hit by linebacker Alec Ogletree and a spearing penalty by Rodney McLeod that led to 30 yards in penalties.
Also, a missed tackle near the first-marker by Jo-Lonn Dunbar helped Charles turn a short reception into a 30-yard gain to the St. Louis 14 on third-and-6.
Charles hammered the nail into the coffin early in the fourth quarter with a 36-yard TD run to give the Chiefs a 27-7 lead.
Here are the updates posted during the game by Post-Dispatch football writer Joe Lyons:
The Rams scored first Sunday afternoon, but it was all Chiefs from there as the host team scored 34 unanswered points and cruised to a 34-7 win in the Governor's Cup game at Arrowhead Stadium.
In the game, the Rams (2-5) were hit hard by the injury bug, losing receiver Brian Quick, guard Rodger Saffold, tackle Jake Long, center Scott Wells, safety Rodney McCleod and safety Cody Davis.
After a 1-yard pass from Austin Davis to tight end Lance Kendricks to cap the game's opening drive, the Chiefs (4-3) battled back to take the lead on a field goal with one second to play in the first half and took the game's momentum when Knile Davis returned the second-half kickoff 99 yards.
Alex Smith was typically solid, completing 24 of 28 passes for 226 yards with no touchdowns and no interceptions. The Chiefs received two touchdowns apiece from Davis and fellow running back Jamaal Charles.
The Rams are on the road next week, taking on the San Francisco 49ers.
CHIEFS LEAD 27-7 EARLY IN THE FOURTH
The Chiefs added to their lead with an 11-play, 84-yard drive capped by a 28-yard field goal from Cairo Santos with 8:46 to play in the third quarter. The touchdown drive, which pushed the Kansas City lead to 20-7, was aided by personal-foul penalties to Alec Ogletree and E.J. Gaines.
In the opening minute of the fourth quarter, Jamaal Charles broke free for a 36-yard touchdown run, stretching the KC lead to 27-7.
KICKOFF RETURN PUSHES KC LEAD TO 17-7
After a field goal with a second left in the first half to go up 10-7, the Chiefs built on that as Knile Davis returned the second-half kickoff 99 yards to push the Chiefs' lead to 17-7.
In a span of three plays early in the second quarter, the Rams lost wide receiver Brian Quick (arm) and guard Rodger Saffold (shoulder). Both are questionable to return.
The Rams's created a turnover midway through the second quarter when rookie defensive tackle Aaron Donald stuffed Jamaal Charles on a run play to force a fumble that was recovered by William Hayes. But after starting the drive at the Kansas City 8, the Rams couldn't move the ball. After Austin Davis took a sack that pushed the ball back, the Rams' kicker Greg Zuerlein pushed his field goal attempt from 38 yards wide to the right.
The Chiefs responded with a 10-play 37-yard drive that wrapped up with a 53-yard field goal from rookie Cairo Santos with 1 second left in the half to put the Chiefs on top 10-7.
On the drive, the Rams' Robert Quinn recorded sacks on back-to-back plays.
Some halftime numbers:
• Davis has completed five of seven passes for 68 yards with a touchdown pass and an interception. Zac Stacy has rushed three times for 17 yards while Tre Mason has 16 rushing yards on three carries. Kenny Britt has a 43-yard reception.
• For the Chiefs' Alex Smith has completed 14 of 15 passes for 111 yards. Jamal Charles has 14 rushing yards on eight carries with a touchdown. Tight end Travis Kelce has four catches for 45 yards.
RAMS, CHIEFS TIED AT 7 EARLY IN THE SECOND
The Rams jumped on top right away, taking the opening kickoff and moving 65 yards on just six plays to grab a 7-0 lead on a 1-yard pass from Austin Davis to Lance Kendricks. The key play of the was a third-and-one deep pass from Davis to Kenny Britt that covered 43 yards to the Chiefs' 13.
Two plays later, .Davis rolled right and fired a scoring strike to Kendricks at the back of the end zone.
Early in the second quarter, the Chiefs pulled even on a 1-yard touchdown run from Jamaal Charles to cap a 10-play, 53-yard drive.
RAMS, CHIEFS MEET AT ARROWHEAD
A pair of teams coming off huge division wins will square off today at noon as the Rams (2-4) take on the Kansas City Chiefs (3-3) at Arrowhead Stadium.
The Rams, coming off a 28-26 win over the defending Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks, enter today's action with a depleted secondary. Janoris Jenkins, a third-year starter at cornerback, is out after suffering a knee injury against Seattle. So is fellow third-year corner Trumaine Johnson, who's been out with a preseason knee injury.
Marcus Roberson, an undrafted free agent from Florida, will get the start in place of Jenkins. The Rams are also starting rookies E.J. Gaines and Lamarcus Joyner at corner and nickel back, respectively.
In addition, the Rams are without second-year corner Brandon McGee, who was placed on injured reserve Saturday after re-injuring a foot issue that forced him to sit out the previous four games.
To replace McGee, the Rams promoted Jemea Thomas from their practice squad. Thomas, from Georgia Tech, was drafted in the sixth round by the New England Patriots in May and also spent some time with the Dallas Cowboys before joining the Rams.
Other inactives for the Rams today are quarterback Case Keenum, safety Maurice Alexander (Eureka High), tight end Alex Bayer, defensive end Ethan Westbrooks and center Tim Barnes (shoulder).
The Chiefs, who won 23-20 on a late field goal in San Diego last weekend, will be without all-pro safety Eric Berry, who hasn't played since Week 2 with a high ankle sprain. Also out are ex-Rams wide receiver Donnie Avery (sports hernia), nickel back Chris Owens (knee), quarterback Aaron Murray, center Eric Kush, offensive lineman Laurent Duvernay-Tardif and defensive end Damion Square.
The Rams are in all white; the Chiefs are going with the red jersey and white pants.
GOVERNOR'S CUP
The Chiefs hold a 6-4 edge in regular season play against the Rams but have had St. Louis' number lately, winning in each of the teams' last five meetings, including wins of 54-34 (2000) and 49-10 (2002) in the most recent contests at Arrowhead.
Today marks the 45th edition of the Governor's Cup game, which dates back to 1968. Kansas City holds a 26-16-2 advantage in the in-state series.
However, in preseason games played from 1996 through 2012, the Rams are up 9-5 and riding a three-game win streak against Kansas City.
• By Jim Thomas jthomas@post-dispatch.com 314-340-8197
http://www.stltoday.com/sports/foot...cle_c3d8917b-dbf9-50f6-8297-121f30f833df.html
KANSAS CITY • After a promising start, the Kansas City nightmare continued for the Rams. A 34-7 loss to the Chiefs made the Rams 0-3 against their NFL cousins on the western edge of the state since the move to St. Louis in 1995.
The composite score in those three contests: Kansas City 137, Rams 51.
Since that buzz-kill of a season-opening 34-6 loss to Minnesota, the Rams had played everyone tough over the next five games. But not this Sunday.
While the Chiefs were piling up points in the second half, the Rams were piling up penalties, missed tackles, and injuries. It was an embarrassing afternoon to say the least.
Injuries to center Scott Wells (elbow), left tackle Jake Long (knee), right guard Rodger Saffold (shoulder), wide receiver Brian Quick (arm), cornerback Rodney McLeod (knee), and safety Cody Davis (concussion symptoms) added injury to insult.
There couldn't have been a better start for the Rams in the Sea of Red. For starters there was a 41-yard kickoff return by Benny Cunningham, who entered the day as the NFL's leader in kickoff return average.
On third-and-1 from the St. Louis 44, Austin Davis found Kenny Britt open deep down the left sideline for a 43-yard gain to the Kansas City 1. Three plays later, a patient Davis found tight end Lance Kendricks open in the middle of the end zone for a 1-yard touchdown.
It marked the third game in a row that Kendricks has hauled in a TD catch, with two of the grabs coming in the red zone.
End of highlight reel. Things went downhill from there on out for the Rams, who dropped to 2-5 on the season and face road games at NFC West rivals San Francisco and Arizona in the next two Sundays.
On the Rams' second possession, Davis forced a deep ball into double coverage that was intended for Britt. Fourth-year defensive back Ron Parker hauled in the overthrown pass for a Kansas City interception.
Starting late in the first quarter, the Chiefs (4-3) took advantage of good field position to even the score on a 53-yard touchdown drive. It was a tough drive for Rams rookie cornerback E.J. Gaines, the Missouri product playing in his hometown.
First off, he tried to pick up an Alex Smith fumble forced by Robert Quinn instead of falling on the ball. It rolled out of bounds and the Chiefs retained possession. On third-and-7, an illegal contact penalty on Gaines gave KC a first down.
Then, on third-and-6 from the St. Louis 18, Gaines missed a tackle near the line of scrimmage on a quick sideline toss to tight end Travis Kelce. Kelce wasn't brought down until he reached the 1-yard line. On the next play, Jamaal Charles was in the end zone running off left guard to tie the score 7-7 early in the second quarter.
Later in the quarter, the Rams missed a golden opportunity to take the lead when a botched handoff to Charles from Smith resulted in a fumble deep in Kansas City territory. Defensive end William Hayes recovered the loose ball and returned it six yards to the Kansas City 8. But two running plays produced no gain, and then Davis foolishly held onto the ball instead of throwing it away and was sacked for a 14-yard loss.
Wait — it gets worse. Out trotted Greg Zuerlein, who promptly missed a 38-yard field goal, wide right.
The Chiefs took over at their 28 and even with back-to-back sacks by Quinn in the final 80 seconds of the half, they were able to tack on a Cairo Santos 53-yard field goal with 1 second left.
It took Kansas City only 12 seconds to tack onto the lead to start the second half. For some reason, Zuerlein sent a line-drive kick that bounced to Knile Davis at the 1. Davis returned the ball 99 yards for a TD, with only Zuerlein having any kind of a shot at a tackle. Zuerlein whiffed.
That play seemed to break the Rams' back. They were never the same afterward.
It became 20-7 Kansas City on the Chiefs' next possession on a 28-yard field goal by Santos. The drive started at the KC 6, but the Rams helped the Chiefs downfield with a late hit by linebacker Alec Ogletree and a spearing penalty by Rodney McLeod that led to 30 yards in penalties.
Also, a missed tackle near the first-marker by Jo-Lonn Dunbar helped Charles turn a short reception into a 30-yard gain to the St. Louis 14 on third-and-6.
Charles hammered the nail into the coffin early in the fourth quarter with a 36-yard TD run to give the Chiefs a 27-7 lead.
Here are the updates posted during the game by Post-Dispatch football writer Joe Lyons:
The Rams scored first Sunday afternoon, but it was all Chiefs from there as the host team scored 34 unanswered points and cruised to a 34-7 win in the Governor's Cup game at Arrowhead Stadium.
In the game, the Rams (2-5) were hit hard by the injury bug, losing receiver Brian Quick, guard Rodger Saffold, tackle Jake Long, center Scott Wells, safety Rodney McCleod and safety Cody Davis.
After a 1-yard pass from Austin Davis to tight end Lance Kendricks to cap the game's opening drive, the Chiefs (4-3) battled back to take the lead on a field goal with one second to play in the first half and took the game's momentum when Knile Davis returned the second-half kickoff 99 yards.
Alex Smith was typically solid, completing 24 of 28 passes for 226 yards with no touchdowns and no interceptions. The Chiefs received two touchdowns apiece from Davis and fellow running back Jamaal Charles.
The Rams are on the road next week, taking on the San Francisco 49ers.
CHIEFS LEAD 27-7 EARLY IN THE FOURTH
The Chiefs added to their lead with an 11-play, 84-yard drive capped by a 28-yard field goal from Cairo Santos with 8:46 to play in the third quarter. The touchdown drive, which pushed the Kansas City lead to 20-7, was aided by personal-foul penalties to Alec Ogletree and E.J. Gaines.
In the opening minute of the fourth quarter, Jamaal Charles broke free for a 36-yard touchdown run, stretching the KC lead to 27-7.
KICKOFF RETURN PUSHES KC LEAD TO 17-7
After a field goal with a second left in the first half to go up 10-7, the Chiefs built on that as Knile Davis returned the second-half kickoff 99 yards to push the Chiefs' lead to 17-7.
In a span of three plays early in the second quarter, the Rams lost wide receiver Brian Quick (arm) and guard Rodger Saffold (shoulder). Both are questionable to return.
The Rams's created a turnover midway through the second quarter when rookie defensive tackle Aaron Donald stuffed Jamaal Charles on a run play to force a fumble that was recovered by William Hayes. But after starting the drive at the Kansas City 8, the Rams couldn't move the ball. After Austin Davis took a sack that pushed the ball back, the Rams' kicker Greg Zuerlein pushed his field goal attempt from 38 yards wide to the right.
The Chiefs responded with a 10-play 37-yard drive that wrapped up with a 53-yard field goal from rookie Cairo Santos with 1 second left in the half to put the Chiefs on top 10-7.
On the drive, the Rams' Robert Quinn recorded sacks on back-to-back plays.
Some halftime numbers:
• Davis has completed five of seven passes for 68 yards with a touchdown pass and an interception. Zac Stacy has rushed three times for 17 yards while Tre Mason has 16 rushing yards on three carries. Kenny Britt has a 43-yard reception.
• For the Chiefs' Alex Smith has completed 14 of 15 passes for 111 yards. Jamal Charles has 14 rushing yards on eight carries with a touchdown. Tight end Travis Kelce has four catches for 45 yards.
RAMS, CHIEFS TIED AT 7 EARLY IN THE SECOND
The Rams jumped on top right away, taking the opening kickoff and moving 65 yards on just six plays to grab a 7-0 lead on a 1-yard pass from Austin Davis to Lance Kendricks. The key play of the was a third-and-one deep pass from Davis to Kenny Britt that covered 43 yards to the Chiefs' 13.
Two plays later, .Davis rolled right and fired a scoring strike to Kendricks at the back of the end zone.
Early in the second quarter, the Chiefs pulled even on a 1-yard touchdown run from Jamaal Charles to cap a 10-play, 53-yard drive.
RAMS, CHIEFS MEET AT ARROWHEAD
A pair of teams coming off huge division wins will square off today at noon as the Rams (2-4) take on the Kansas City Chiefs (3-3) at Arrowhead Stadium.
The Rams, coming off a 28-26 win over the defending Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks, enter today's action with a depleted secondary. Janoris Jenkins, a third-year starter at cornerback, is out after suffering a knee injury against Seattle. So is fellow third-year corner Trumaine Johnson, who's been out with a preseason knee injury.
Marcus Roberson, an undrafted free agent from Florida, will get the start in place of Jenkins. The Rams are also starting rookies E.J. Gaines and Lamarcus Joyner at corner and nickel back, respectively.
In addition, the Rams are without second-year corner Brandon McGee, who was placed on injured reserve Saturday after re-injuring a foot issue that forced him to sit out the previous four games.
To replace McGee, the Rams promoted Jemea Thomas from their practice squad. Thomas, from Georgia Tech, was drafted in the sixth round by the New England Patriots in May and also spent some time with the Dallas Cowboys before joining the Rams.
Other inactives for the Rams today are quarterback Case Keenum, safety Maurice Alexander (Eureka High), tight end Alex Bayer, defensive end Ethan Westbrooks and center Tim Barnes (shoulder).
The Chiefs, who won 23-20 on a late field goal in San Diego last weekend, will be without all-pro safety Eric Berry, who hasn't played since Week 2 with a high ankle sprain. Also out are ex-Rams wide receiver Donnie Avery (sports hernia), nickel back Chris Owens (knee), quarterback Aaron Murray, center Eric Kush, offensive lineman Laurent Duvernay-Tardif and defensive end Damion Square.
The Rams are in all white; the Chiefs are going with the red jersey and white pants.
GOVERNOR'S CUP
The Chiefs hold a 6-4 edge in regular season play against the Rams but have had St. Louis' number lately, winning in each of the teams' last five meetings, including wins of 54-34 (2000) and 49-10 (2002) in the most recent contests at Arrowhead.
Today marks the 45th edition of the Governor's Cup game, which dates back to 1968. Kansas City holds a 26-16-2 advantage in the in-state series.
However, in preseason games played from 1996 through 2012, the Rams are up 9-5 and riding a three-game win streak against Kansas City.