Rams go back to Keenum as starting quarterback over Foles

Not long after he struggled again Sunday in a 27-3 home loss to the Arizona Cardinals, St. Louis Rams quarterback Nick Foles knew he was being replaced the following week by Case Keenum.

Rams coach Jeff Fisher made that statement during his postgame news conference and Foles was asked how felt about the decision. Perhaps it didn’t come as too much of a surprise since Keenum might have been playing against Arizona had he been cleared through the NFL concussion protocol earlier in the week.

Keenum, who suffered a concussion Nov. 22 in a loss to the Baltimore Ravens, did dress for Sunday’s game as the backup to Foles after being cleared through the protocol. Keenum did not see any action as Foles completed 15-of-35 passes for 146 yards and no touchdowns with one interceptions.

“I respect Coach Fisher and I love Case Keenum,” said Foles, who has thrown only one touchdown pass and five interceptions in his last six games. “I want to be out there, but at the same time I respect Coach Fisher and I’m going to do everything I can to help Case along and help him succeed out there, help this team succeed.”

While Foles didn’t always have a lot of time to throw, when he did he still was victimized by errant passes or dropped balls by receivers.

While the Rams may have felt their passing game would improve with a new quarterback and a new offensive coordinator in Frank Cignetti, it hasn’t really happened.

The Rams’ offense remains mired near the bottom of the NFL in scoring, passing and third-down conversions. All that blame can’t be played on the quarterback, but Foles is 190-for-337 for 2,052 yards with more interceptions (10) than TD passes (seven).

“We’ll go ahead this coming week and Case will be the starter,” Fisher said. “Not blaming this on Nick, but I don’t have the philosophy where a player is going to lose their job just because of an injury.. As I mentioned to you, Case did not get the reps on Wednesday and Thursday and that’s the reason why he did not statr today.”

Rookie quarterback and third-round draft pick Sean Mannion was inactive for the Cardinals game and remains third on the depth chart.

Rams injuries continue

The Rams lost cornerback Janoris Jenkins and tight end Lance Kendricks with concussions on Sunday.

“They’re both OK, according to the doctors now, but we have to put them into the (concussion) protocol immediately,” Fisher said after the game.

Jenkins was sent to the locker room for concussion evaluations twice on Sunday — both times after being hit by teammates. He left for good early in the second half after colliding with linebacker Mark Barron.

Early in the game on a 20-yard pass play to Arizona’s Michael Floyd, Jenkins was leveled by Rams safety T.J. McDonald. Jenkins went to the locker room for evaluation and returned, then had to go back after being hit by Barron.

The second collision occurred on the same play when Arizona rookie running back David Johnson caught a 10-yard TD pass that helped push the Cardinals’ lead to 17-3.

Big day for Johnny Hekker

Arguably the Rams most consistent performer Sunday was punter Johnny Hekker. The Pro Bowl punter had eight punts for a 48.3-yard net average and put five of his eight punts inside the 20-yard line. Hekker also tied his career with a 68-yarder.

Like his teammates, Hekker took the loss hard.

“We’ve got great coaches that we trust in,” Hekker said. “We’re just going to continue to work and something will change. I can’t really tell you what that is and I’m not a magician, but we’re going to get things right.”

There has been speculation about Fisher’s job security based on the team’s 24-35-1 record during his four seasons.

“Coach Fisher has had our back, we’ve got Coach Fisher’s back,” Rams defensive end Chris Long said. “He’s a heck of a football coach. At the end of the day we have to make plays on the field. We’re far too often in a position to make plays and we don’t make plays.

“Just do your job. “

More big numbers for Larry Fitzgerald

Arizona veteran receiver Larry Fitzgerald continued his resurgent season on Sunday against the Rams, collecting his 1,000th career reception and surpassing the 1,000-yard receiving mark for the seventh time in his career and first time since 2011.

Fitzgerald, who leads Arizona with 91 catches for 1,047 yards and seven TDs, was asked about reaching more career milestones.

“it’s nice, but it’s even better to have had three consecutive seasons with 10 wins,” he said. “Coming here in 2004 ... it’s something really special to be here that long and see a complete transformation. It makes you feel proud and special to be a part of it. It was a great day.”

This story was originally published December 6, 2015 at 8:06 PM with the headline "Rams go back to Keenum as starting quarterback over Foles."