I feel you, Josh Brown. I can't figure it out either.

Let's pretend for argument's sake that I just crawled out from under a rock, having seen not a minute of the game. Let's say that I didn't get on the Twitters for more than a minute or two, and missed all accounts of the real-time reaction. I open up the box score, and a mystery is presented before my eyes:

How in the hell did the Rams manage to win every offensive category but the scoreboard?

I mean, I am looking at these numbers for the Rams and legitimately scratching my head:

• 22 first downs (to Green Bay's 20)
• 424 total net yards (to Green Bay's 399)
• 30:41 time of possession (to Green Bay's 29:19)
• 9 of 11 drives reached Green Bay territory
• Several Rams big plays -- 39-yard punt return, 45- and 32-yard pass plays -- lead to no points 
• The Rams had only one turnover

This isn't a recap, because I still haven't seen the game, having scrapped my plans for the weekend for an unexpected trip. Tomorrow's Game Rewind will take care of that little detail. So consider this a mystery, as yet unsolved by me:

Just what in the hell are these Rams up to?

The Denver Broncos appear to be ready to say goodbye to Brandon Lloyd, the budding deep threat who suddenly blossomed into the league's leading receiver under Josh McDaniels last season. Reportedly, Denver's price tag is "a 3rd to a 5th-round draft pick," a bargain price for a player who bettered 1400 yards and hauled in 11 touchdowns.

Presumably the Rams would be the best possible fit for Lloyd, with Josh McDaniels in house and a continuing need for quality receivers for Sam Bradford to throw to. Now PFT's Mike Florio officially tosses St Louis out there as bidders.

But that bargain price, and the Broncos' willingness to deal him in the midst of their offensive overhaul, suggests that Lloyd's value is naturally limited. John Fox is no stranger to #1 receivers, having coached Muhsin Muhammad and Steve Smith in Carolina. Lloyd, at 30, is looking for a long-term contract. If Fox is willing to let Lloyd go in favor of Demaryius Thomas, what does that say about Lloyd? (Or what might it say about Fox, a coach who seemed worn down by his final seasons in Carolina, and still hasn't got his mojo back?)

Should the Rams jump on this opportunity to improve their roster? Or are there reasons to be cautious? The RamsHerd writers chime in, after the break.

“Success starts at the top” is one of the biggest cliches in football but ahead of the Rams-Packers clash Sunday, it is as true as ever.

In football, the “top” is the general manager, who oversees personnel moves with both players and coaches.

One of the underrated story lines to this week’s game is the comparison of general managers in Ted Thompson and Billy Devaney, who work every day to build the teams we see on the field.

Thompson has fielded a Super Bowl winning team, looking like a genius after taking the reins away from Brett Favre and handing over responsibility to Aaron Rodgers while building depth from top to bottom.

Devaney had less to work with when he arrived, but is now in his third season and has won only 10 games with razor thin depth at several positions.

Devaney wasn’t in charge of the Rams personnel until 2008 but the difference between the two GM’s since then paints a clear picture of why one team is in the NFC elite and the other is in the NFC basement.

Excluding the 2011 draft and starting with the 2008 draft, the Rams struck gold with Chris Long and netted contributors in Justin King and Chris Chamberlain but the rest of the picks included Donnie Avery, Keenan Burton, John Greco and Roy Scheuning.  

The Packers nabbed Jordy Nelson, Jermichael Finley, Josh Sitton and Matt Flynn, finding an elite tight end in the third round and valuable depth in Nelson, Sitton and Flynn.

In 2009, the Rams grabbed defensive leader James Laurinaitis and potential star corner Bradley Fletcher, but also wasted picks on Brooks Foster, Keith Null, Chris Ogbonnaya. This draft also featured the pick of Jason Smith second overall, who is looking like more of a bust with each passing day.

Thompson struck gold with his two first round picks, drafting B.J. Raji and Clay Matthews along with more depth in T.J. Lang, Jarius Wynn and Brad Jones.

The 2010 draft is still subject to review because the players have only had one full season but it’s relatively clear at this point that the Rams hit on Sam Bradford, Rodger Saffold, Jerome Murphy and Illinois Mike. However, St. Louis has also cut Mardy Gilyard, Hall Davis and George Selvie.

The Packers drafted Bryan Bulaga, James Starks, Sam Shields and Frank Zombo. In fact, each of the nine players Green Bay took in 2010 are still on the team. 

Overall, the Rams have only 16 of 27 drafted or undrafted free agents left on the team from 2008 to 2010, an ugly 59 percent success rate. 

The Packers still have 20 of 27 players, a much higher 74 percent draft success rate.

The point is, Devaney can no longer use the Zygmunt regime that ruined the Rams roster as an excuse, as his fingerprints are all over this year’s disappointing winless team.

The reason the Rams have been exposed can be attributed to poor play and coaching, but Devaney’s hands are just as dirty evidenced by his own draft and personnel decisions.

The Rams have a chance to upset the Packers coming off a bye, but there is no doubt who will be fielding the deeper and more talented team from top to bottom.

If you believe in Rally Squirrels, or you believe in the "Any Given Sunday" possibility that the Rams might beat the Packers, then why not take a chance on yourself and your friends this weekend? 

On Saturday October 15th, teams of four will be competing in the Bud Light Fan Camp out at Rams Park in Earth City, with the winning team getting from the St Louis area getting flown to Honolulu for the 2012 Pro Bowl.  Each co-ed team -- two men, two women -- will be participating in a series of Training Camp-like activities designed to test your football skills, and if you have no skills (like me), your capacity for laughing at yourself whilst enjoying frosty cold beverages.

Activities include: 

• Quick Kick: Kick footballs through inflatable uprights.
  
  
• Precision Pass: Try to hit passing targets.
  
  
• EA SPORTS Gaming Zone: Two four-person teams battle in an EA SPORTS Madden NFL 12 competition. 
  
  
• Flag Frenzy: Try to gain the most points in a game of four-on-four flag football.
  
  
• Cannon Catch: Catch line drives and loft passes.

Fans can register for Fan Camp in advance of the event at www.facebook.com/BudLight or on-site at St. Louis Rams Park on October 15, beginning at 3 p.m. If you go, come back here to share your experience. 

The St. Louis Rams (0-4) return from their week 5 bye for a matchup at historic Lambeau field against the Green Bay Packers (5-0). The Packers are coming off of a week 4 game against Atlanta where they fell behind to an early 14-0 deficit. They were able to overcome that, beating the Falcons 25-14. At 5-0, this is the Packers best start in 50 years, and they are on an 11 game winning streak, dating back to last year.

The injury bug continued to bite the Rams over the bye week. Receiver Danny Amendola, due to a setback in his recovery, was found to have a torn triceps muscle and was placed on injured reserve. The Rams also lost cornerback Bradley Fletcher for the season to a torn ACL after he got tangled with Mike Sims-Walker in one-on-one drills in practice. Former Raider WR Nick Miller replaced Amendola, and is expected to fill contribute with kick/punt return duties. Former Giants CB Brian Jackson was also signed, and is expected to contribute on special teams and provide much needed depth in the defensive backfield. 

 In the week 4 matchup against the Washington Redskins, the Rams continued their struggles on both sides of the ball, albeit the score wouldn't reflect that. It was simply another week of quarterback Sam Bradford taking hit after hit, with the Redskins amassing seven sacks. Brian Orakpo and rookie Ryan Kerrigan wreaked havoc in the Rams backfield, barely giving Bradford time to make a three step drop, let alone a five step drop. The task is no easier this weekend, facing outside linebacker Clay Matthews on his home turf. The Packers defense is ranked #3 against the run. Their one "weakness" may be the pass defense, currently ranked 30th in the league.

On offense, the Packers are nothing short of a juggernaut. They are currently ranked #4 in total offense and passing yardage, albeit only #22 in rushing yardage. Quarterback Aaron Rodgers is having his best year to date, starting by completing 129 of 180 passes for 71.7% of his passes for 1,721 yards, 14 touchdowns, and only 2 interceptions. 

As always, there are three things to watch for in this week's matchup.

Okay. In early October it’s not quite the Frozen Tundra of NFL lore, but it might as well be. For a team as young as this Rams group they have yet to experience an environment as hostile and tough on opponents as Lambeau Field. It has been a tough four games for any owner of a Rams player. Only DX has had value over more than one game.

Heading into this matchup there is not much to like either. Defending champs, at home, against what has been a very disappointing and underachieving Rams team. Other than Steven Jackson or Danario Alexander I would be hesitant putting any Ram in my starting line-up this week. Bradford is a desperation play at best. The offensive line has not held up thus far and nothing leads me to believe they will provide him any more time to throw this week than in previous games.

The silver lining, and I hate myself just a bit for what I am about to say, is that there should be a lot of garbage time against Green Bay. Looking to being playing from behind, most likely from the opening kickoff the Rams will be throwing a lot. And with the game well in hand and Green Bay lulled to sleep by the start of the 4^th quarter the potential is there for a big play or two and some meaningless scoring. However…what is meaningless to the actual outcome could be quite meaningful to a fantasy owner.

Here are this week’s plays.

Steven Jackson: Packers are quite stingy against the run giving up the 4th fewest FPG to RBs but he should get as many touches as possible and GB giving up 7 catches per game to RBs. Which helps because by all accounts Rams will be out of this early and looking to throw.

Cadillac Williams: Packers are giving up over 7 catches per game to RBs if desperate. A healthy Steven Jackson means little to no rushing work for the Cadillac. Take a look at Week 4: Zero carries. Only real chance is if Jackson goes down early.

Sam Bradford: Packers do give up 4th most FPG to QBs right now and he should be playing from behind so a chance for garbage time production. Packers do give up big plays in the secondary, but they also generate turnovers. Beware.

Josh Brown: Great kicker but the fear is they fall way behind thus rendering him useless. May have a garbage time field goal or two. And the Rams well documented Red Zones failures could mean an opportunity as well.

Lance Kendricks: Has a chance if they have to throw it a lot as expected but not easy to trust. He was all sorts of disappointing in the four weeks before the bye. He will be a part of the game plan but who knows how much.

Danario Alexander: Green Bay secondary may be improving but a big play is possible with a lot of pass attempts. Someone desperately needs to step up for the Rams, and Alexander, with his big-play potential, is as good a guess as any. And has been THAT target through 4 games. Unfortunately, what works against him: unpredictability among Rams WR’s and unpredictability as to where the holes in the Packers' secondary lie from week to week.

Mike Sims-Walker: He's the Rams' leader in targets (26), and the Packers have allowed the seventh-most fantasy points per game to opposing WR’s. But be leery until he shows he can make the big catch. Which he has not so far.

Brandon Gibson: Packers are still giving up 4th most FPG to WRs and Sam Bradford might lean on Gibson as a possession type, knowing he's going to have to throw a good share once the Packers put him in an early hole. Heads up, there's PPR sleeper potential here.

Austin Pettis: He's the Rams' No. 4 WR…nuff said

Greg Salas: See above and change to No. 5 WR…

Rams D: Pass rush has been non-existent of late and no secondary …AT ALL and it's Aaron Rodgers. But Packers without 2 of their starting O-line in Clifton & Bulaga will help.

IDP Leagues

Chris Long: #14 DL play according to ESPN. With Chad Clifton out this week and the Packers relying on the pass as much as they do Long will have his chance to pick up a sack or two.

Quintin Mikell: #13 DB play according to ESPN. Surely to be very active on Sunday as often the Packers pass. Mikell has had knack for finding the ball so an interception isn’t out of the realm of possibility.

Craig Dahl: Most likely to be matched up against TE Jermichael Finley so he’ll have the opportunity for a lot of tackles and pass defenses. At the same time he is more than likely going to be scored on…a lot.

James Hall: Again, the loss of Clifton helps a Ram D-lineman. But it doesn’t just open the door. Hall will look to take advantage early of how often Rodger’s will pass. If the Packers get ahead early which we all expect them to and turn to the run he value will take a slight hit but he will continue to be in on the tackles.

James Laurinaitis: #8 LB play according to ESPN. Laurinaitis is one of the league's better IDP options at linebacker, and he can be expected to post especially strong numbers if the team's offense keeps struggling. With the Packers passing a lot look for him to be active.

Robert Quinn: With Clifton out and a lot of the focus on Long Quinn’s speed of the edge could earn him a sack. Tackles will be less as Green Bay’s pass to run ratio is heavily in favor of the pass. However his tendency to over pursue along with Rodgers mobility could negate any sacks he has a chance at.

Ah the Red Zone, I suppose it can be confusing. Think about it, growing up we are taught that red means stop.  So maybe it’s an issue of perception. Perhaps moving forward Devaney can ask that TV, Radio and Stadium personnel refer to that last 20 yards as the Green Zone. Green meaning go and all.

If it was up to me and the Rams could only work on one thing during the bye week it would be their Red Zone efficiency. Through the quarter mark of the season only Jacksonville (3) and Seattle (8) have made trips inside the 20 less often than St. Louis. So it should be no mystery to anyone the Rams are near the bottom of the league in scoring. Something needs to be done about this, AND NOW.

In looking back at the first four games of the season the Rams seem unorganized, often rushed and even chaotic in their time in the Red Zone. The Rams defense is not built (at least anymore) to win games and field goals are not going to get it done against the class of the league in Green Bay and New Orleans. Nor will it against the lesser haves of the NFC West. This is why everyone was on board pairing offensive guru Josh McDaniels with franchise QB Sam Bradford.

Well, in the words of Judge Smails from Caddyshack…”we’re waiting.”  Amongst their ten red zone possessions, the Rams have run 24 plays that began with a first down inside the 20. And the Rams have only gained positive yards on six of those plays. Against all odds three of Bradford’s four completions have been for touchdowns. A great percentage in what is a terribly small sample size. Another mark against this offensive unit.  There have been penalties on six of the ten drives for 55 yards. Put it all together and you have 40 snaps for 69 yards and a 2.16 average.

But the biggest failure of all, almost reading like a misprint in Monday’s box score. A Red Zone possession that ended with a punt.  Maybe good luck in Haiti but in America…that’s just bad football. According to Howard Balzer of 101espn.com there have been no punts on red zone drives in the other 63 NFL games played this season. And this was the first time the Rams had punted in the 597 red zone drives they have had since 1999.

Below I take a look at every play ran by the Rams inside the Red Zone this season and their end result.  Afterwards I sprinkle in some percentages and breakdowns to truly paint the picture of the Rams ineptitude inside the twenty. I caution you to read on at your own risk. The story told by the numbers below is not one for the faint of heart…or really anyone who enjoys good football. 

Key:  Red = Run Play     Blue = Pass Play    Italics= Penalty      Bold = End Result

Eagles

• 1-1-PHI 1 -C. Williams right tackle to PHI 1 for no gain
• 2-1-PHI 1 -PENALTY on STL B. Bajema, False Start, 5 yards, enforced at PHI 1 - No Play.
• 2-6-PHI 6 -S. Bradford pass incomplete short right to L. Kendricks.
• 3-6-PHI 6 -(Shotgun) -S. Bradford pass incomplete short left to D. Amendola.
• 4-6-PHI 6  -Josh Brown 23 yard field goal is GOOD

Giants

• 1-1-NYG 1 -S. Bradford pass incomplete short right to L. Kendricks.
• 2-1-NYG 1  -C. Williams left tackle to NYG 2 for -1 yards
• 3-2-NYG 2  -(Shotgun) -S. Bradford pass incomplete short right to G. Salas
• 4-2-NYG 2  -Josh Brown 21 yard field goal is GOOD
  
  
• 1-10-NYG 15 -(No Huddle) -C. Williams right tackle to NYG 7 for 8 yards
• 2-2-NYG 7 - (Shotgun) -S. Bradford pass incomplete short left to M. Sims-Walker.
• 3-2-NYG 7 -S. Bradford pass incomplete short left to G. Salas
• 4-2-NYG 7  -Josh Brown 25 yard field goal is GOOD
  
  
• 1-10-NYG 16 -C. Williams left tackle to NYG 13 for 3 yards
• 2-7-NYG 13- (Shotgun) -S. Bradford pass short middle to G. Salas to NYG 9 for 4 yards
• 3-3-NYG 9 -(Shotgun) -S. Bradford pass incomplete short left to D. Alexander
• 4-3-NYG 9 –Josh Brown 27 yard field goal is GOOD
  
  
• 1-10-NYG 19 -S. Bradford pass incomplete short left to D. Alexander.
• 2-10-NYG 19 - (Shotgun) -S. Bradford pass incomplete short middle to D. Alexander.
• 3-10-NYG 19 - (Shotgun) -S. Bradford pass deep left to D. Alexander for 19 yards, TOUCHDOWN.

Ravens

• 2-8-BAL 23 -C. Williams left guard to BAL 14 for 9 yards PENALTY on J. Smith, Unnecessary Roughness, 15 yards, enforced between downs.
• 1-10-BAL 29 -S. Bradford pass short right to A. Pettis to BAL 26 for 3 yards
• 2-7-BAL 26 -S. Bradford pass deep right intended for D. Alexander INTERCEPTED by L. Webb
• ****disclaimer. This is being included because the initial result got the Rams into the Red Zone***
  
  
• 1-10-BAL 19 - (Shotgun) -S. Bradford pass incomplete short left to L. Kendricks. PENALTY J.Bell, Chop Block, 15 yards, enforced at BAL 19 -1
• 1-25-BAL 34 -S. Bradford pass deep right to B. Gibson for 34 yards, TOUCHDOWN.

Redskins

• 1-3-WAS 3 -(Shotgun) -S. Jackson left guard to WAS 4 for -1 yards
• 2-4-WAS 4 -S. Bradford pass incomplete short left to B. Miller. PENALTY R. Saffold, Offensive Holding, 10 yards
• 2-14-WAS 14 -S. Bradford pass incomplete short right to S. Jackson.
• 3-14-WAS 14 - (Shotgun) -S. Bradford pass incomplete short middle to L. Kendricks.
• 4-14-WAS 14  -Josh Brown 32 yard field goal
  
  
• 1-10-WAS 20 -(Shotgun) -S. Bradford pass incomplete short left to S. Jackson .PENALTY on WAS Roughing the Passer, 10 yards, enforced at WAS 20 - No Play.
• 1-10-WAS 10 - (Shotgun) -S. Bradford pass incomplete short middle to S. Jackson.
• 2-10-WAS 10 - (Shotgun) PENALTY on STL-L . Kendricks, False Start, 5 yards
• 2-15-WAS 15 - (Shotgun) S. Bradford pass incomplete short middle to L. Kendricks.
• 3-15-WAS 15 - (Shotgun) S. Bradford pass short left to S. Jackson for 15 yards, TOUCHDOWN.
  
  
• 1-10-WAS 19 -(Shotgun) -S. Bradford pass incomplete short middle to 84-D. Alexander.
• 2-10-WAS 19 -(Shotgun) S.  Jackson up the middle to WAS 16 for 3 yards. PENALTY on STL, Illegal Shift, 5 yards, enforced at WAS 19 - No Play.
• 2-15-WAS 24 - (Shotgun) S. Bradford sacked at WAS 34 for -10 yards.
• 3-25-WAS 34 - (Shotgun) S. Bradford sacked at WAS 39 for -5 yard. FUMBLES and recovers at WAS 39 by - S. Bradford to WAS 39 for no gain.
• 4-30-WAS 39 -D. Jones punts 37 yards to WAS 2.

Breakdown:

• Total Drives: 10
• Total Snaps: 40
• Run: 7 (22%)
• Pass: 25 (78%)
• Touchdowns: 3(30%)
• Field Goals: 5 (50%)
• Scoring: 80%
• Sacks: 2 for -15 yards
• Snaps from Shotgun: 19 (48%)
• Penalties on Rams: 6 for - 55 yards
• Turnovers: 1 interception
• Punts: 1
• Total Yards: (excluding FG’s) 69 yards
• Yards Per Play: 2.16
• 1^st Downs: 1

Looking into these numbers a bit further and that is a 78% pass to run ratio in the Red Zone. Which is one thing when you are back out near the 15 or 20, even the 10 yard line? But a lot of the Rams Red Zone plays have taken place inside the 10 and many inside the 5 yard line. A team absolutely has to be able to run and pound it in from there.

Steven Jackson has been banged up as has Cadillac Williams. But that is why Norwood is on the roster and especially why fullback Brit Miller were kept on the roster. If Spagnuolo cannot get the ratio of pass to run closer to 50/50 teams will continue to sit on the pass and thwart the Rams’ attempts. Besides, it is not as if Saffold & Company are giving Bradford much time to throw, let alone look around back there for a target.

For those overwhelmed by these impressive numbers I will go ahead and pick out the “highlights”. That comes out to 2.16 yards a play and the only 1^st down earned was via penalty against Washington. Couple that with a drop by Salas inside the 3 yard line, one by Kendricks IN THE ENDZONE, and a punt, yes, a freaking punt on a drive that started at the Redskins 19 yard line and what you have is a perfect formula for how to start a season 0-4.

It has been nine days since the Rams embarrassing effort against Washington. Leaving Spags with five more to get a better plan in place. Otherwise consider the Rams officially in the race for the #1 overall pick next summer.

Another week, another big loss. You know it's bad when even the bye week is beating you, but there's no other way to put it when you get in only two practices (thank you "player safety" rules in the new CBA) still manage to lose your top cornerback and your #1 receiver for the year.

The Rams also lost ground in the NFC West, as both the 49ers and Seahawks had impressive wins. With San Francisco now 4-1 and in complete command, fulfilling our preseason goals of winning the divison and making the playoffs is going to be that much harder to do.

While those are worthy goals in any season, they can no longer be the focus. The Rams need to focus on much more immediate goals, day-to-day and week-to-week improvement, to get back to where they need to be. Looking ahead, and following a new script, here is a step-by-step plan for how the Rams can salvage something positive out of this season.

1. Renew a commitment to details.

Steve Spagnuolo has no illusions about his team's need to progress.

"People credit us with making a big jump from Year One to Year Two, but the big jump was only because things were so bad in Year One," he told SI.com's Jim Trotter. "We've got so far to go. When I broke us down after last year, what I saw was that we played pretty good defense the first half of the season, but I don't think the schedule was as strong. Then the second half of the season, whether we wore down or were playing better teams, we didn't play as well. I don't think we can play that type of defense this season and get what we want."

So far, his words have been eerily prophetic. But with the defense directly under his control, it's fair to ask why we we've seen a big jump backwards. Part of the problem is the dicohotomy between playing smart and playing aggressively. Of course you'd like to have both, but Spags has asked his men to err on the side of aggressiveness, starting with his defensive captain, James Laurinaitis.

"James is smart, and he's really good at the finesse things we give him, but I want him to take the next step and sometimes not play perfect. Just worry about knocking the guy over in front of him."

This attitude of simply hitting the guy in front of you, or penetrating at the cost of losing gap integrity, or jumping into a penalty flag, has been killing the Rams on defense. It's time to tighten up the screws, particularly in the front seven.

Bradley Fletcher done for the year with an ACL tear suffered in practice.

Honestly, this is starting to get difficult.

A season that began with such promise is now shrouded in the black of mourning. Conversations among Rams fans turn to the once-taboo subject of a top-five pick. The brash will even bring up Andrew Luck. (Does he play cornerback?) The anger of game 4 has turned to sorrow, or worse, returned to the old apathy of the sad old days.

The Rams received a double-whammy of bad news from the medical world today. First, Adam Caplan reported that Danny Amendola will miss the rest of the season. (Amendola was in Texas today seeking a second opinion, but a torn triceps suffered in practice last week compounded on the dislocated elbow makes the diagnosis all but certain.) That in itself is difficult, but bearable, as Austin Pettis and Greg Salas will get that many more chances in the passing game to take over the role of Sam's security blanket. 

Later today, though, at the end of practice, it was reported that Mike Sims-Walker and Bradley Fletcher got tangled up during a scrimmage, and both landed badly. Sims-Walker escaped with a mild shoulder injury, but Fletcher suffered a torn ACL and will be done for the year. Because of player safety rules negotiated in the new CBA, the Rams were limited to two practices during their bye week. Even so, they couldn't escape a devastating injury.

Fletcher was the team's #1 corner, both by talent and by default, after injuries to Ron Bartell and Jerome Murphy. Counting reserve players Dionte Dinkins, Tim Atchison, Chris Smith (injured in training camp), Mikhail Baker (ditto), and the still recovering Marquis Johnson, Fletcher makes the eighth Rams cornerback to be felled by major injury in a short eight weeks. 

With Al Harris still only a part-timer, that makes Justin King and newly signed Rod Hood the Rams' new starting cornerback tandem. Presumably, Fletcher's injury will send Devaney hunting for more.

(A mystery: why didn't the Rams reach an injury settlement with Dinkins, when he was waived? Now healthy, the Rams are not allowed to re-sign him.)

In the short term, it means the Vegas lines for the upcoming games against Green Bay, New Orleans and Dallas will climb to stratospheric heights. And as opponents' passing offenses repeatedly target the devastated outside depth, more pressure is placed on the Rams' pass offense, which has been badly out of synch.

In the long term, it all but extinguishes any hope of winning the NFC West, with San Francisco suddenly playing the part of a legitimately dangerous team. Like the crew of the Endurance I alluded to yesterday, the Rams are faced with utter disaster, and the focus now turns to survival. In the coming days, we'll explore what this means for the Rams, strategically and otherwise.

It isn't news that the St Louis Rams struggled as a whole in their Week 4 game against the Redskins. But the work of folks like Pro Football Focus to break down film and grade performance on a play by play basis helps us understand where the breakdowns are happening, how the team is trending, and to identify positive performances that might be otherwise forgotten. 

Ben Stockwell at PFF wrote a synopsis of last week's "unconvincing win" by the Washington Redkins, highlighting a few key performances along the way. I don't know about the Washington viewpoint, but it was a pretty convincing loss by the Rams. Here are a few notes and trends that stood out to me, analyzing the raw data.

On Offense:

• Sam Bradford was the only player to grade positively in Sunday's atrocity, and no one from the running game provided any measurable impact on the game's outcome at all. While we applaud Steven Jackson's determination and leadership in playing a full game, you can't help but wonder whether a fresher Cadillac Williams could have been effective spelling Jackson on a series or three.

• Speaking of Bradford, he currently leads the NFL in an ignominious stat - being hit as he throws. These hits (10 of them on the year so far) are much more dangerous than the sacks Bradford is taking (18 on the year so far), where for the most part he has an opportunity to protect himself.

• As noted by Stockwell, Rodger Saffold had his worst day as a pro trying to defend Bryan Orakpo. He had similar troubles with the Redskin pass rusher last year, giving up four pressures, but their rematch was a whole order of magnitude worse. Saffold gave up six pressures and four sacks of Bradford all by himself. It was a brutally bad performance, and you can't help but wonder if there's more than is being told to the "lower leg injury" listed on the Rams' injury report. (Incidentally, Jason Smith had a quietly average day.)