Through two games of the 2015 NFL season, the St. Louis Rams have already hit a peak and a valley. A Week 1 win over the Seattle Seahawks had the Rams flying high – but all that momentum came crashing down with a Week 2 loss to the Washington Redskins.
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Both of these games did have one common factor – an offensive line that struggled to open holes for the Rams running backs. Through the two games, the Rams leading rusher is wide receiver Tavon Austin at 57 yards on eight carries. His 7.1 yards per carry are a vast difference from the 3.66 yards per carry the team is averaging. Without Austin, the Rams are averaging just 2.7 yards per carry.
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These rushing numbers have all come behind one offensive line unit of (left to right) Greg Robinson, Jamon Brown, Time Barnes, Rodger Saffold and Rob Havenstein. The group averages just over 6-feet 4-inches tall and over 322 pounds per player, making them a team build to excel in the running game. The question is, where are things going wrong for the Rams offensive line in the running game?
The major problem is that the Rams offensive line is allowing penetration on running plays. While the team does not lack strength, their inability to win at the line of scrimmage does not allow backs such as Tre Mason and Benny Cunningham to locate and attack the hole.
The first play shows Seahawks defensive end Cliff Avril breaking through Greg Robinson, getting three yards into the backfield as the ball is being handed off. This forces Isaiah Pead to bounce the run back to the inside where weak-side defensive Cassius Marsh has worked his way down the line and into the backfield to drop Pead for a 1-yard loss.
Next shows the problem extending to the right side of the line. First, both Rob Havenstein and Tim Barnes give ground at the line of scrimmage before Tre Mason receives the handoff. From there, the Redskins defense breaks through the line and has mason cornered with three unblocked players three-yards deep in the backfield. They drop Mason for a 4-yard loss on the play.
While many are hopeful the running attack will change drastically with the expected debut of Todd Gurley in Week 3, the offensive line problems will make it hard for any back to be successful. Gurley has the explosive factor, but will need the line in front of him to win at the point of attack if the Rams want to have any success running the ball this season.
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