St. Louis Rams Stun the New Orleans Saints 31-21: Fan’s Reaction

On Sunday, Oct. 30, the St. Louis Rams beat the New Orleans Saints 31-21 in arguably the season's biggest upset thus far. Steven Jackson ran for 159 and two touchdowns to lead the Rams to their first victory of the season.

Honestly, only the most gullible of fans would have believed the team could beat the Saints. New Orleans entered Sunday's matchup averaging just over 34 points per game. The way the Rams have played defense this season, I thought St. Louis would be lucky to leave with a 28-10 loss.

However, the Rams came out looking nothing like the team that began the year 0-6. Maybe the celebration surrounding the St. Louis Cardinals motivated them, or perhaps they were tired of getting beat up every week. I don't know what it was, but it felt great to see the Rams play hard every down.

What really surprised me was the defense's performance. One of the Rams' greatest strengths last season was their ability to pressure the quarterback and create turnovers. This year, the defensive line has been nowhere near as effective as it was in 2010. In some games, the unit has completely disappeared. But against the Saints, Chris Long(notes) and the defense had a field day with a combined six sacks for 42 yards lost. Additionally, the team created two turnovers, including Darian Stewart's(notes) 27-yard interception return for a touchdown.

As I watched all of this unfold, I couldn't help but wonder where this Rams' team has been all season. This wasn't the defense that gave up 294 yards rushing to the Dallas Cowboys just a week ago. Instead, the team bottled up Saints running backs Christopher Ivory(notes), Pierre Thomas(notes), and Darren Sproles(notes) for most of the game. Offensively, the club rallied around Jackson and blocked for him like I haven't seen them do in a couple years. I think the Rams were tired of getting embarrassed every week.

"We had to punch the Saints in the mouth today," Jackson said. "If you've ever been in a fight and tasted your own blood, that's what we were feeling—and if you're a man, you fight back.''

For once, the Rams did just that. They fought back and shocked football fans across the country. It wasn't a fluke victory either. The Rams shut down the Saints' running game and contained Drew Brees(notes) enough to limit the Saints' ability to exploit the weaknesses in the St. Louis defense.

The offense controlled the football and kept the pressure on New Orleans all afternoon. Today, I'm proud to be a Rams fan. I'm not naïve enough to believe the team will run the table or anything. There are too many holes for on the roster for that. However, the Rams stood tall for the first time this season, and at this point, that's all I can really ask for.

Derek Ciapala has been a Rams fan since he was a child and the team was in Los Angeles. His favorite Rams moments include Flipper Anderson's 336-yard receiving night against the Saints in 1989, and their miracle 1999 run to their first Super Bowl victory. You can follow him on Twitter @dciapala.

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