St. Louis Rams vs. Seattle Seahawks: 5 Positives to Take Away from 34-31 Victory

Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

3. Tim Barnes (and the rest of the offensive line)

The Rams’ offensive line, which boasted a combined 16 starts among players not named Rodger Saffold going into Sunday’s game, had predictable struggles at times in the season opener. With that said, there were definite positives as well. Center Tim Barnes had a big block on running back Benny Cunningham‘s 42-yard reception that was probably more impactful than any single block the player he replaced, Scott Wells, made during his three-year stint with the Rams. Barnes, a veteran of just four career starts, had a very solid game against Seattle and showed why the Rams chose him as their starter over Demetrius Rhaney and Barrett Jones.

While he had some noticeable missteps on Sunday, rookie right tackle Rob Havenstein showed an impressive ability to recover and finish blocks. “The Big Crab Cake” had some trouble bending his knees enough to get good leverage on pass blocks, but he flashed his well-noted strength once he established some power, and he didn’t create too many problems for Nick Foles. Left guard Jamon Brown didn’t stand out as much, other than when he came out and yielded a series to veteran backup Garrett Reynolds, but considering the general ineptitude of Rams guards in recent years, it’s probably a good thing that he generally went unnoticed on Sunday.

Next: 2. Tavon Austin