Denver’s fifth drive ended in a 42-yard Paul Ernster punt that Shaun McDonald returned to the Denver 44-yard-line; it would have been a net of 25 yards if not for a holding penalty that knocked the Rams back to their 29-yard-line — meaning the Rams will take their first snap inside their territory since the 9:53 mark of the first quarter — some 15 minutes and 31 seconds of clock time ago.
The punt was set up when Plummer was sacked for a 10-yard loss on third-and-1 from the Denver 29; cornerback Fakhir Brown came in unblocked from the left side and knocked Plummer to the turf.
Heading into this drive, 22 of St. Louis’ first 26 plays came on the Broncos’ side of the field — including 22 in succession. It only took two plays for the Rams to get back into Denver territory after Marc Bulger located Torry Holt up the left sideline for 23 yards.
Once again, though, it turned into nothing more than a field goal. Jeff Wilkins hit a 51-yard kick to put the Broncos down 12-0. The Broncos gained nine yards on the first three plays of their next possession, opted to go for it on fourth-and-1 from the 30 and kept the drive alive after Mike Bell gained two yards running to the right side.
Tags: St. Louis