Nick Wagoner, ESPN Staff Writer 9y

W2W4 revisited: St. Louis Rams

EARTH CITY, Mo. -- Looking back at three things to watch from the St. Louis Rams' 37-27 loss to the New York Giants on Sunday:

1. Beckham is burning: The Rams were well aware that Giants receiver Odell Beckham Jr. was the straw stirring New York's offense for the past eight or so weeks. It mattered not as the Rams couldn't stop him. Beckham went for eight catches, 148 yards and two touchdowns while simultaneously infuriating the Rams' secondary to the point of frustration. That frustration boiled over and turned into a sideline melee in the second quarter. Beckham felt he was being targeted and the Rams felt Beckham's first touchdown celebration -- spinning the ball -- was disrespectful. Beckham got the last laugh on a number of fronts, though, and the Giants rolled up 514 yards of total offense.

2. Dueling pass rush: The Rams' pass rush was as absent as it's been since the first four games of the season when they had just one sack. Rams safety T.J. McDonald got home for a sack early in the game but otherwise Giants quarterback Eli Manning was rarely under duress. When he was, Manning made the Rams pay. Manning was 13-of-15 when the Rams blitzed Sunday, including 6-of-7 for 181 yards and a touchdown when under pressure. The Giants, meanwhile, were able to get after Rams quarterback Shaun Hill for a pair of sacks but were able to pressure him seven times. He was 1-of-7 in those situations for 1 yard.

3. Red zone success: The Rams' defense hadn't even been allowing opponents to get inside their 20-yard line over the past three weeks with just one trip from Arizona into the red zone along the way. And the Rams managed to keep the Cardinals out of the end zone on that one. The Giants had no such troubles, breaking inside St. Louis' 20 on seven occasions with three of those drives resulting in touchdowns. The Rams' defense broke down at nearly every level in this one and the red zone was no different. The Rams' offense, meanwhile, was much better at finishing drives this week as they scored touchdowns on two of three attempts. But since the Rams' offense wasn't able to put together drives like New York, this one ultimately didn't make as much of a difference.

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