The facts: The St. Louis Rams fell to 2-9 with a 23-20 home defeat to the Arizona Cardinals.
The upside: Even the worst defeats tend to feature a bright spot or two.
The upside: Even the worst defeats tend to feature a bright spot or two.
- Nick Miller's 88-yard punt return for a touchdown gave the Rams a 7-0 lead. This tied for the third-longest punt return in franchise history. It was the Rams' first punt return for a touchdown since Dante Hall had one against Dallas in 2007.
- Chris Long collected his 10th sack of the season, a career high. Long and his father, Howie, joined Clay Matthews Sr. and Jr. as the only fathers and sons to record double-digit sack seasons since sacks became an official stat in 1982. Chris Long now has a sack in each of the Rams' last five games, a career-long stretch.
- Rookie Austin Pettis made a spectacular leaping grab for a 35-yard gain.
- Former Cardinals cornerback Rod Hood picked off a pass against his former team. Linebacker James Laurinaitis also picked off a pass, while linebacker Brady Poppinga forced and recovered a fumble. Pressure from Gary Gibson set up Laurinaitis' pick.
- The Rams prevented touchdowns on three of four red zone possessions for Arizona.
- Rookie first-round draft choice Robert Quinn collected his fifth sack of the season.
- Sam Bradford threw no interceptions.
- Receiver Brandon Lloyd's 16-yard scoring reception was his fourth since joining the Rams. He has one touchdown in each of the team's last three games.
- Safety Darian Stewart now has sacks in back-to-back weeks.
- The Rams allowed 106 net yards passing.
Mike Sando | email
NFL- NFC West Blogger
- Joined ESPN in 2007
- Lives in the Seattle-Tacoma area with his wife and two sons
ABOUT THIS BLOG
Mike Sando
Sando joined ESPN.com in 2007 after nine seasons covering the Seattle Seahawks for the Tacoma (Wash.) News Tribune. He lives in the Seattle-Tacoma area with his wife and two sons.
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