The St. Louis Rams made a statement on Thursday night that they are a force to be reckoned with in the NFC West this season.
The Arizona Cardinals entered the game undefeated, but left battered and bruised after a punishing 17-3 defeat by the Rams. Quarterback Sam Bradford performed good enough to win and the defense was stellar as the Rams sacked Arizona's Kevin Kolb nine times on the night.
"Those guys played outstanding," Bradford said to the Associated Press. "They've played great all year and they have kept us in a lot of games."
Bradford passed for two touchdowns and 141 yards but only completed 7-of-21 passes. The defense made sure that was enough. Apart from a third quarter interception to Patrick Peterson, Bradford managed the game cleanly and allowed the Rams to earn a victory, albeit an ugly one.
"Bottom line, they decided they wanted to throw the ball a lot and that made it kind of a track meet," Rams defensive end Chris Long said. "We've been waiting a long time to feel like we've done our job on defense."
Defensive end Robert Quinn was a menace all night, getting to Kolb for three sacks on his own.
"We believe in ourselves," Quinn said. "We believe we can be one of the great defenses. When there was a play to be made, we made it."
The Arizona offense has struggled all season and Thursday night was no different. The team never found the end zone and only rushed for 45 yards, including only 33 on 14 carries for running back Ryan Williams. Wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald had eight catches for 92 yards but was kept out of the end zone.
Kolb was never able to get into a rhythm due to the relentless pass rush from Quinn, Chris Long and Kendall Langford. He passed for 289 yards and only completed 28-of-50 passes with no touchdowns.
"I'm all right," Kolb said. "I'm glad we've got the weekend to heal up, mentally and physically."
The Rams took an early lead in the first quarter with an opening scoring drive after a 7-yard touchdown pass from Bradford to Lance Kendricks. Arizona responded with a Jay Feely field goal before St. Louis pushed the score to 10-3 on a 53-yard field goal from rookie Greg Zuerlein.
The St. Louis defense held steady the rest of the game and allowed the offense to pad the lead in the fourth quarter, adding a touchdown on a 51-yard pass from Bradford to Chris Givens.
The Rams are ranked near the bottom of the league in offense and didn't do much to change that on Thursday. The team also lost one of their biggest playmakers in the game after receiver Danny Amendola hurt his shoulder on a diving catch attempt on a bad throw from Bradford.
According to ESPN.com, the Rams won't know the extent of the injury until Friday. Amendola appeared frustrated after the play and was seen throwing his helmet at a wall before getting x-rays. Last season the receiver missed the entire year after hurting his elbow in the first game.
Arizona was attempting to start 5-0 for the first time since the 1970s, but the Rams never allowed them a chance to get back in the game, harassing Kolb with constant pressure.
"I didn't like anything," coach Ken Whisenhunt said. "The thing I respected is our guys didn't quit, and even as bad as it went, we had a chance at the end of the game."
The best play for the Cardinals on defense was Peterson's third quarter interception off Bradford in the end zone.
The Rams improved to 3-0 at home and already have surpassed their win total from last season. According to ESPN, the team is plus-.500 for the first time since 2006.
"I've never been there before," Long said. "I'm unfamiliar with the sound of it, but I'm liking it."
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