St. Louis, MO

Quarterback Sam Bradford threw two touchdown passes as the St. Louis Rams handed the Arizona Cardinals their first loss of the season with a 17-3 battering during their NFC West showdown Thursday at Edward Jones Dome.

Bradford completed just seven of 21 passes for 144 yards but the Rams tough defense made up for his poor play by sacking playmaker Kevin Kolb a franchise-record nine times and limiting the Cardinals to a measly 34-yard field goal by Jay Feely in the first quarter.

Linebacker James Laurinitis and cornerback Cortland Finnegan tallied 10 tackles and one sack each while defensive end Robert Quinn accounted for three sacks on Kolb, who finished 28-for-50 for 289 yards with no touchdown.

Despite their first loss at St. Louis since 2004, the Cardinals still lead the NFC West with a 4-1 record while the Rams have remained unbeaten in three home games for a 3-2 mark, good for third in the division.

"There's probably a whole laundry list of things we need to get better at," Cardinals coach Ken Whisenhunt said after the game. "We have to get back to the protection we had the first couple of games."

Bradford looked great on the first drive, completing four of five heaves and capping it with a seven-yard touchdown pass to tight end Lance Kendricks after just two minutes and 21 seconds.

Arizona's quick attack, however, proved costly as it lost top wide receiver Danny Amendola to a shoulder injury after a 44-yard touchdown catch in the opening drive.

Without one of his favorite targets, Bradford struggled in the ensuing drives, throwing 10 straight incomplete passes at one point but his 51-yard touchdown pass to Chris Givens in the fourth period was enough to secure the victory.

After the game, sources received information that Amendola, who was seen with his right arm in a sling, suffered a broken collarbone. He will undergo CT scan Friday morning to detect the extent of the injury.

"Yeah, it's big, I'm not gonna lie," Bradford said when informed about Amendola's condition. "Obviously, he's a big part of the offense. A lot of what we do runs through him. He went down last year and it really hurt us. I feel confident about our guys we got this year and I think it just opens up a spot for someone to step up and make some plays."

 

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