Rams fall apart after early TD in 45-7 loss
WEMBLEY, ENGLAND (AP)
It all started so well for the St. Louis Rams on their first trip to
the famous Wembley Stadium. It all ended so badly.
Sam Bradford led the Rams (3-5) to a 7-0 lead on their first
possession, but Tom Brady and the Patriots (5-3) took over from there
Sunday and won 45-7 in the NFL's sixth regular-season game in London.
''We just got beat in every phase of the game. We got dominated,''
Bradford said. ''I don't think there's any other way to put it.''
The Patriots elected to kick off after winning The Opening toss. Once
they did, Bradford went to work.
After a New England penalty on the first play, Bradford completed a
14-yard pass to Steven Jackson. Then came a 5-yard pass to Austin Pettis.
After a pair of short runs by Jackson to bring up third-and-2, Bradford
sent Chris Givens deep, and connected on a 50-yard touchdown pass.
Eighty yards on five plays.
''You can't ask for a better start to the game. First time we touched
the ball we go down and score,'' Bradford said. ''It just all fell
apart from there.''
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| Oct
28, 2012; London, England; St. Louis Rams quarterback Sam Bradford (8)
during the 2012 International Series game at Wembley Stadium. The
Patriots defeated the Rams 45-7. (Joe Toth/ US Presswire) |
Bradford ended up 23 of 31 for 205 yards, but the Rams offense just
couldn't put anything else together while the defense couldn't stop the
Patriots.
''What is required to beat a team that well on both sides of the ball
is a near perfect game, and obviously we were unable to do that
today,'' Rams coach Jeff Fisher said. ''Tom got a hot hand and had a
good sense and those guys made a lot of plays for him.''
One thing Fisher will need to address in the coming weeks is penalties.
The Rams were flagged 12 times for 102 yards, compared to eight
penalties for 42 yards for the Patriots.
''It's inexcusable,'' Bradford said. ''We've got to start holding each
other to a higher standard because obviously when we do that, we're not
going to score points.''
The Rams played as the home team, but much of the 80,004 fans at rainy
Wembley - the home of England's national soccer team - were cheering
for New England every step of the way.
Brady led four straight touchdown drives to give New England a
commanding 28-7 lead by halftime, and then hit Brandon Lloyd for a
9-yard score to start the third quarter.
Brady passed for 304 yards with four touchdowns and tight end Rob Gronkowski caught eight passes for 146 yards and two scores. Lloyd also
had two touchdown catches, while Stevan Ridley ran for 127 yards and a
score as the Patriots put themselves atop the AFC East heading into
their off week.
''I know the game got out of hand today, but that's the Patriots,''
Brady said.
The Rams also have a bye next week, giving them a chance to regroup and
get ready to face the 49ers in San Francisco in two weeks.
''Our bye comes at a good time. Obviously, we've had a rough stretch
the last couple of weeks,'' Bradford said. ''The bye should allow us to
refocus and get back to playing the way we know we can.''
It'll have to be better than Sunday, when both the offense and defense
failed to figure out the Patriots.
''It's embarrassing the way we played tonight,'' Bradford said. ''Just
embarrassing.''
NOTES: The Rams had originally agreed to
return to London in 2013 and 2014 but pulled out of the deal. ... The
NFL will stage two regular-season games in London in 2013 for the first
time. ... The Patriots didn't punt until 2:36 left in the third
quarter. ... Rams wide receiver Danny Amendola missed his third
straight game with a right shoulder injury. ... Flamboyant London Mayor
Boris Johnson addressed the crowd before the game, saying he was proud
to welcome ''this glorious descendant of rugby union football'' to
Wembley.
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