Bull.
We did take advantage. We shut them the freak down. They got into the red-zone one time. They averaged 4.3 yards per play. They scored 0 TDs. They scored only 12 points and 3 of those 12 are on the offense.
The ball bounces the way it bounces. You can't help that. The offense went 3 and out again and again. And yet the defense continued to hold. They kept the game close.
The offense blew it.
Your criticism is completely unfair. Jenkins is supposed to make two diving INTs? He's supposed to recover a ball he didn't know was there until too late? A fumble that HE FORCED. McLeod is supposed to pick off passes that just didn't bounce his way?
crap happens. The defense got unlucky bounce after unlucky bounce and still held it together. Lets be honest, if this game played out the same way it did 10 times, in at least 5 of those 10 games, we would have forced 3-4 turnovers. We just didn't get the lucky bounces tonight.
Mason's fumble bounces right to the Arizona defender. Arizona's fumble ends up just far enough behind Jenkins and far enough in front of Laurinaitis that Arizona's guy can recover it. Arizona's deflected passes just seem to find a way to avoid any Rams defender. Jenkins is inches from making two diving INTs.
We got terrible bounces tonight. But the defense still managed to shut Arizona down. The offense managed to shut itself down.