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|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ATL at NO | CAR at ARI | CLE at CHI | DEN at BAL | HOU at BUF | JAX at TEN | MIA at NYJ | MIN at GB |
| NYG at PHI | OAK at SD | SEA at DAL | SF at IND | STL at DET | |||
Week 8 Game Recap: St. Louis Rams 17, Detroit Lions 10
St. Louis Rams
| QB Marc Bulger, Pass: 17 - 35 - 176 - 0 TD / 1 INT, Rush: 3 - 1 - 0 |
Bulger had a somewhat quite game for the Rams, but managed to keep the offense moving and let Steven Jackson take over and bring home the win. Bulger was under pressure for certain parts of the game but in general, Steven Jackson kept the defense honest. Bulger simply just had a bad game. He completed less than 50 percent of his passes, had several key throws dropped and wasn't able to get his receiving corps involved in the game. Only seven of his 17 completions went to WRS. The rest were to RB or TE. He checked down a lot, and frequently had balls batted down at the line of scrimmage. The interception was one of those types of passes that were tipped at the line and the DE came down with the ball for the INT. Bulger ultimately kept things moving though, and the Rams were able to come away with their first win.
| RB Steven Jackson, Rush: 22 - 149 - 1, Rec: 3 - 17 - 0 (5 targets) |
Jackson came in the league second only to Adrian Peterson in total yards from Scrimmage. Based on both of their performances, he now leads the league. By the fourth quarter, with the game on the line, Jackson put the team on his back and carried them to victory. His TD run to put the Rams up for good was the second 17+ yard gain in a row for Jackson at that point. He simply decided that he wanted his team to win and blew by everyone to the end zone. The play before he gained 17 yards and was only stopped because he ran over the referee, deep in the Detroit Secondary. It frequently took two or three defenders to bring him to the ground. He continues to be the heart and soul of the Ram offense, and he keeps them in every game with his solid running and pass-catching ability. If the Rams ever figure out how to use the passing game to keep defenses honest, Jackson is going to bust loose in the second half of the season.
| WR Keenan Burton, Rec: 5 - 54 - 0 (6 targets) |
Burton finished the game as the leading receiver for the Rams. That translated into a whopping five receptions for 54 yards. Burton's key contributions were mostly on short come-back and button-hook routes where he would catch the ball facing the line of scrimmage, and spin up the field for extra yardage. He also had a few sideline routes that he was able to convert into first downs. The Rams struggled on offense, and although Burton opened the game with a nice 22 yard reception, his stats were a reflection of general poor play from the entire team. He should be considered the primary target on the WR group now -- for whatever that is worth.
| WR Danny Amendola, Rush: 1 - 0 - 0, Rec: 1 - 13 - 0 (3 targets) |
Amendola was limited in his offensive contributions, making a bigger impact on kick and punt returns. However, on the kickoff after the Lions tied up the game, Amendola took a hard shot and did not return. On later return opportunities, the Rams turned to Quincy Butler and he ended up losing yards.
| WR Donnie Avery, Rec: 1 - 15 - 0 (5 targets) |
Avery was targeted a few times throughout the game, but his only reception came on the opening series -- a short catch and run for 15 yards. He also had several key drops throughout the game. For the most part, Avery was a non-factor in the game.
| TE Randy McMichael, Rec: 2 - 16 - 0 (6 targets) |
McMichael was the primary target when it came to St. Louis TE's. However, because of Bulger's poor play, he finished the game with only two receptions for 16 yards. He was the target of a couple other key plays, but was unable to come down with anything. He has returned to the primary TE receiver spot ahead of Daniel Fells, but was still limited by the poor QB play.
| TE Daniel Fells, Rec: 1 - 36 - 1 (2 targets) |
Fells had the biggest reception of the game for the Rams, catching the flip from Josh Brown on the fake field goal and running 36 yards to give the Rams a big lead before halftime. Fells had a few other targets come his way, but he was unable to come down with the receptions. He came up big when it counted though, and was a big part of the Rams first victory in a long time.
Detroit Lions
| QB Matthew Stafford, Pass: 14 - 33 - 168 - 0 TD / 1 INT, Rush: 1 - 4 - 1 |
This was Stafford's first game back since he was injured in week four against the Bears. The rookie was clearly rusty in his return and looked out of sync for most of the game. It didn't help his cause that his #1 WR Calvin Johnson was inactive for the game. To help him get back into the swing of things, the Lions looked to run the ball early and often, focusing on runs and short passes to RBS on the first eight plays of the game. However, when he tried to go downfield, he hit Bryant Johnson on a nice outside corner and Johnson rewarded the solid throw by not securing the ball and it hit the ground incomplete. Johnson and #2 WR Dennis Northcutt continued to drop passes throughout the game, and it clearly hurt Stafford's performance. He spread the ball around between the three TEs and three RBs in an attempt to get the offense moving. Stafford looked solid on the one scoring drive early in the fourth quarter, and made a solid decision to pull the ball down and run with it for the score. However, for the rest of the fourth quarter, Stafford continued to struggle and was clearly out of sync with the receiving corps on the final series.
| RB Kevin Smith, Rush: 16 - 45 - 0, Rec: 4 - 49 - 0 (5 targets) |
Kevin Smith was the lone bright spot of the Lions in this game. As Stafford struggled in his first game back from injury and superstar Calvin Johnson sat inactive on the sidelines, the Lions turned to Smith to be their spark on offense. He opened the game with four straight carries, ran hard for the entire game and even took a few designed screens for solid gains as well. Unfortunately he was injured late in the third quarter and was removed from the game. He returned for one place but he didn't play for most of the fourth quarter. The Lions were looking to give him more rest by using Maurice Morris more and this injury gave them the chance to do it.
| RB Maurice Morris, Rush: 14 - 63 - 0, Rec: 1 - 19 - 0 (1 targets) |
The Lions hope to develop Maurice Morris in a NYG style RBBC setup to help give Kevin Smith more rest and keep him fresh throughout the season. In this game, Morris not only gave Smith a break, but also stepped in when Smith was sidelined with an injury. He filled in well, finishing the game with more rushing yards on fewer attempts than Smith, and even chipped in a nice 19 yard catch and run early in the second quarter. He made the most of his limited attempts, but is still considered the backup to Smith on the depth chart.
| RB Aaron Brown, Rush: 2 - 15 - 0, Rec: 2 - 13 - 0 (4 targets) |
Brown ran hard when he had the ball and was an excellent receiving option out of the backfield as well. With Calvin Johnson inactive and Kevin Smith limited due to injuries, Brown saw additional playing time one the offensive side of the ball. They Lions like to move him around, starting him in the backfield and swing him out for a quick screen or slant. They like to pitch the ball to him as well to get him to the outside where his speed and quickness offset the straight-ahead running styles of Maurice Morris and Smith.
| WR Bryant Johnson, Rec: 2 - 43 - 0 (8 targets) |
Bryant Johnson had a terrible game. As the #1 WR on the team with Calvin Johnson sidelined with an injury, Bryant had a golden opportunity to step up. Instead he dropped more passes than he caught and clearly was not on the same page as QB Matt Stafford for most of the game. They connected on one deep pass to start the fourth quarter. It eventually led to Stafford's TD run and tying the game. Aside from that, Johnson was a total non factor.
| WR Dennis Northcutt (5 targets) |
Northcutt dropped every pass that he had a chance to catch. He was adequate as a kick and punt returner, but otherwise, he was a non-factor from a fantasy prospective.
| TE Brandon Pettigrew, Rec: 2 - 17 - 0 (4 targets) |
Pettigrew was targeted early in the second quarter for the second time. He was double covered but Stafford tried to force the ball in anyway. Pettigrew took a hard shot and was injured on the play. He returned later in the game and had a nice catch and run at the end of the third quarter. Backups Will Heller and Casey Fitzsimmons both saw action in this game, but Pettigrew was the clear #1 TE.