| Sam Bradford was hurried, hit or sacked 26 times by the Bears on Sunday. (AP Images) |
Nobody is talking about a resurgent Sam Bradford, not after the Rams generated 160 yards in a 23-6 loss in Chicago.
But the truth is Bradford is playing well under extremely difficult circumstances. He’s the NFL’s 13th-best quarterback through three games, according to Pro Football Focus, which grades every player on every play.
Consider that Bradford has played behind a different offensive line each week. Only one of five originally projected starters lined up Sunday at Soldier Field, where Bradford was hit, hurried or sacked an astounding 26 times.
“We are going to continue to work with them,” coach Jeff Fisher said of the O-line. “We are going to have another week to work together and we’ll continue to do the same things we have been doing with these guys. You coach them up; you get them in positions where they can be successful. And then you have got to adjust.”
Bradford has been victimized by bad drops, like Brandon Gibson’s flub on a deep ball at the Chicago 5. That would have been a 35- to 40-yard gain. It was one of five dropped passes Sunday.
And Steven Jackson is averaging 3.4 yards a carry.
Despite all that, Bradford is completing 64.2 percent of his throws, which would be the highest percentage of his career. His ankle has not been an issue, as Bradford is rolling out to buy time for receivers to separate.
Now the schedule only gets harder. In the next two weeks, Bradford will face the league’s top two defenses in Seattle (13 ppg) and Arizona (13.3 ppg).
Both games are at home, which should help the shaky pass protection.
In St. Louis’ first home game, a 31-28 win over Washington, Bradford played perhaps the best game of his three-year career. He hit 26 of 35 throws for 310 yards, with three touchdowns and one interception, and ran for 10 yards.
He needs more help from his teammates to produce similar numbers Sunday.
Get more Rams updates and analysis from Larry Hartstein @CBSRams.