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Nick Foles Throws Four Picks, St. Louis Rams Fall 24-10

By Matt LaPan

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The St. Louis Rams traveled to Lambeau Field to take on the Green Bay Packers in a pivotal NFC matchup. The Rams were able to mostly contain Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay offense, four interceptions from Nick Foles doomed the Rams as they fell 24-10 to the Packers.

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The Rams started the game on offense, but were unable to get anything going. The Packers front seven forced a lot of pressure on Foles – forcing a 3-&-out.

Oct 11, 2015; Green Bay, WI, USA; St. Louis Rams quarterback Nick Foles (5) throws a pass during the second quarter against the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports

The Packers were able to move at will against the Rams, however. They took six plays to go 56 yards before Aaron Rodgers found rookie Ty Montgomery over the middle for an easy 31-yard touchdown. Both Trumaine Johnson and TJ McDonald left the middle of the field to cover the tight end, allowing Montgomery to run free. The score gave the Packers the 7-0 lead.

The Rams were able to get the ball moving a bit on their ensuing drive, taking a 10-yard reception from Foles to Brian Quick to move the chains. It was Quick’s first catch since a major shoulder injury in 2014. They also got big contributions from Todd Gurley and Benny Cunningham on the drive. They ended up having the drive stall, however, as the Packers’ pass rush hounded Foles and forces a Johnny Hekker punt.

The Packers appeared to be on the move again, but it was a diving interception from James Laurinaitis that stopped Green Bay. The interception ended a streak of 586 passes without an interception for Rodgers.

It was not long until the Packers pass rush got to Foles again. Just three plays later, Foles overthrew Todd Gurley due to immense pressure and was intercepted by Micah Hyde.

The Packers were not able to move on the drive. It was back-to-back stops from TJ McDonald that forced the Packers to go 4-&-out on the drive. The big play was the 4th down stuff from McDonald on Eddie Lacy to force the turnover.

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The Rams gave the ball right back to the Packers again, however. Another strong pass rush from the Packers got to Foles – who threw the ball up for grabs and threw his second interception of the 1st quarter. This time it was Quentin Rollins who gathered the interception and returned it for a touchdown. The touchdown gave the Packers a 14-0 lead. On the play starting guard Rodger Saffold suffered an apparent shoulder injury and was brought to the locker room.

The Rams carried that 14-0 deficit into the end of the 1st quarter. They gained just 47 yards in the 1st quarter. They also had five penalties for 25 yards in the quarter.

As the Rams started the 2nd quarter, they finally got the ball moving. They used the run game to the outside to combat the aggressive play calling from the Packers. They carried seven consecutive plays  – five times with Gurley, once with both Austin and Foles – before getting a long pass interference play. From there, a short shovel pass to Austin got the Rams into the end zone for the first time. The drive went 80 yards in nine plays to cut the deficit to 14-7.

The Packers started to move the ball again on their next drive as Rodgers found open receivers any time the Rams blitzed. Then the Rams tricked Rodgers with coverage, allowing Trumaine Johnson to dive for an interception. It was the second of the game for the Rams, giving them great field position.

Oct 11, 2015; Green Bay, WI, USA; St. Louis Rams wide receiver Stedman Bailey (12) rushes with the football as Green Bay Packers safety Micah Hyde (33) defends during the second quarter at Lambeau Field. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports

The Rams continued to fight back as they went on another scoring drive late in the half. They went nine yards on seven plays before Greg Zuerlein put through a 42-yard field goal. The Rams cost themselves the potential for a touchdown with a false start called on Jamon Brown on 2nd-&-6 form the Green Bay 19 yard line. They were unable to recover, and settled for the touchdown. The field goal cut the deficit to 14-10, Packers.

That score held into the half. The Rams were out gained 165 to 110 in the half, but scored 10 unanswered points in the 2nd quarter. Nick Foles was just 6-of-16 for 38 yards with one touchdown and two interceptions in the half. For the Packers, Aaron Rodgers went 10-of-17 for 109 yards with a touchdown and two interceptions. Todd Gurley led all rushers with 64 yards on 17 carries. Both teams had two turnovers, but the Rams had seven penalties in the half compared to just two penalties for the Packers.

The Packers opened the 2nd half with a huge scoring drive. On just the 4th play of the 2nd half, Rodgers found James Jones over the middle of the field, he turned the ball up field for a 65-yard touchdown completion. The play was the longest allowed on the season from the Rams, and gave the Packers a 21-10 lead.

The Rams offense was not able to answer, as the Packers started to pressure Foles again. Clay Matthews continued to be a thorn in the Rams side, pressuring Foles on back-to-back plays to end the drive.

The Rams looked to get back on the board following a stalled Packers, but were unable to convert on a field goal chance for the first time in 2015. The Rams had a great special teams play earlier in the drive when punter Johnny Hekker executed a near-perfect fake punt and completed a 20-yard pass to Cody Davis. But after the drive stalled, Datone Jones partially blocked a 50-yard Greg Zuerlein field goal attempt.

The Rams were able to get the ball back just three plays later. For the first time on the day Robert Quinn got to Aaron Rodgers, this time getting a strip-sack. Rodgers tried to fight for the fumble recovery, but Lamarcus Joyner jumped on the ball to give the Rams the ball in Green Bay territory.

Oct 11, 2015; Green Bay, WI, USA; Green Bay Packers cornerback Sam Shields (37) breaks up the pass intended for St. Louis Rams wide receiver Brian Quick (83) during the second quarter at Lambeau Field. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports

Despite the short field, the Rams offense did not move the ball on the drive. They were forced to attempt a 53-yard field goal, but Zuerlein missed the attempt and gave the ball back to the Packers.

The Packers were able to convert a long field goal on the ensuing drive, but a penalty called the field goal back. That forced the Packers to punt, giving the Rams the ball back. Their drive started with a 55-yard run from Todd Gurley. The Rams drove all the way to the Green Bay 5 yard line before Nick Foles threw his 3rd interception of the day on a pass directly into coverage.

The Rams defense bowed their backs once again on the ensuing Packers drive, forcing another 3-&-out. The Rams had a chance to get on the board but missed another field goal, this time from 63 yards. The Packers got the ball back and hit a 35-yard field goal to take a 24-10 lead.

The Rams came out firing, completing a 68-yard pass to Stedman Bailey with less than one minute left in the game. Nick Foles threw his 4th interception just three plays later, ending the game and giving the Packers the 24-10 victory.

The Rams held the Packers to just 323 yards on the day, but turned the ball over four times. All four turnovers were Nick Foles interceptions. He finished 11-of-30 for 141 yards with one touchdown and the four interceptions. Folks completed a 68-yard pass on the final drive to increase his passing totals.

The lone bright spot for the Rams was Todd Gurley who set career-highs with 30 carries for 159 yards. The Rams fall to 2-3 with the loss as they enter their Bye Week.

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