The Rams battered the Cardinals 17-3 on Thursday night and handed Arizona its first loss of the season. St. Louis’ defense harassed Cardinals quarterback Kevin Kolb all night, sacking him nine times while allowing 282 total yards.
After the game, defensive stars Chris Long and James Laurinaitis joined the NFL Network set for interviews. Long, who had a sack, said the team and its fans were motivated by having a nationally-televised game.
“You couldn’t hear yourself think out there,” Long said of the crowd. “We haven’t had an NFL Network set, a Monday Night Football set, a camera hanging from the ceiling in five years here. And you could tell. The fans were awesome, and we really felt it as players.”
Watching the game, you could see how motivated the team was. They were constantly getting after Kolb. Second-year defensive end Robert Quinn was in Kolb’s kitchen all night, sacking him three times.
Though the offense still needs work, St. Louis’ defense looks good enough to keep them competitive in most games. If they can do that and continue winning, they may have some more nationally-televised games in their future. But even at 3-2, I don’t see them being a playoff team this season. Maybe next year.
