PRO FOOTBALL : Perhaps Worst of All, None of the Rams Has an Explanation for It

Welcome to the Blooper Dome, where the Rams were making no excuses for the foul-ups, bleeps and blunders of a generally miserable Sunday afternoon.

Fresh off last Sunday’s 34-17 victory over Green Bay in which they played like a team contending for a division title, the Rams came here in search of more momentum. What they found was a bit of serious digression.

They were beaten, 29-3, by a team that entered the game with a 4-8 record and a new coach whose father calls himself Bum.

Afterward--after backup quarterback Jeff Kemp was thrown to the turf for a 13-yard loss on the game’s final play--no one could offer an explanation as to how the Rams could seem so invincible one week and so invisible the next. How do you figure this team? Answers were hard to come by.

Coach John Robinson: “I just don’t have a logical explanation. I was genuinely shocked by it.”

Linebacker Mel Owens: “I don’t know what to tell you. I can’t believe it either.”

Safety Johnnie Johnson: “Obviously, if we knew (the problem), we’d come to some kind of conclusion and correct it quickly.”

Guard Dennis Harrah: “I can’t explain it. They didn’t do anything differently. We just stunk.

“Ohhh boy . . . I sure wish I could hide right now.”

The Rams sought shelter after:

--Finishing with all of 164 yards in total offense. Against a team which came into the game ranked 26th in the National Football League in pass defense, starting quarterback Dieter Brock completed 5 of 10 passes for 46 yards and had 1 pass intercepted.

--Surrendering nine sacks--a Saints’ club record--for losses totaling 69 yards.

--Losing three fumbles, including one which Saints’ linebacker Jack Del Rio scooped up and returned 22 yards for a touchdown, after the loose ball eluded both Eric Dickerson and David Hill.

--Giving up 20 points in about six minutes in a nightmarish fourth quarter.

The Rams’ best offensive weapon was punter Dale Hatcher, who averaged 50 yards a kick. Too bad you don’t get points for punts.

But, according to Robinson, the offense can’t be too greedy when it comes to taking the blame.

“I don’t know if there was any particular phase of our game that was worse than any other,” Robinson said. “I thought we stunk in all phases.”

After a 7-0 start, the Rams have gone 2-4 and have seen the stuffing removed from what was once a comfortable cushion in the NFC Western Division. Their first loss came five weeks ago to the San Francisco 49ers, the team they play next Monday night. You remember the 49ers, don’t you? Quarterback named Joe? Big day last January? The what-happened-to team of 1985?

What’s happened to them is they’ve pulled within one victory of tying the Rams for the division lead. Next week at Candlestick Park, the Rams may be playing for the right to keep playing once the regular season is over.

“It becomes as big a game as we’ve ever played,” Robinson said.

Johnson: “It’s our most important game of the season, and that may be an understatement. Our season is next week.”

Sunday’s loss did little to provide much impetus for such a game. Robinson is left to figure out how to rid his team of its trend toward schizophrenia.

“We’ve simply got to have some kind of turnaround, or we’ll be in deep trouble,” he said.

“We’re kidding ourselves if we think teams are going to lay down for us. We’re kidding ourselves if we think we can just come out week after week and not put out and expect to be in the playoffs.”

With three games remaining, there is no time to kid around. The Rams are in need of answers.