Raiders Are Sad Sacks in 22-17 Loss to Rams

At this stage, the Raiders have lost a lot more than they’ve gained by acquiring quarterback Jay Schroeder.

Schroeder hasn’t played a down for the Raiders since being sent west by Washington two weeks ago because Steve Beuerlein has handled the quarterback duties. And in the trade the Raiders gave up offensive tackle Jim Lachey, considered one of the finest at his position in the NFL.

Beuerlein passed for 375 yards Sunday as Schroeder watched from the sidelines, but Beuerlein was sacked nine times for 70 yards in losses as the Raiders dropped a 22-17 decision to the Rams in front of a crowd of 84,870 at the Coliseum.

Veteran defensive end Gary Jeter, used primarily in passing situations, got five of the sacks.

Linebacker Kevin Greene’s sack of Beuerlein for a safety late in the third quarter broke a 10-10 tie and put the Rams (3-0) ahead for good.

The Raiders, playing with a makeshift offensive line because of injuries and the trade of Lachey, fell to 1-2.

“The coverage (by the Rams’ secondary) was outstanding, I can’t take all the credit,” said the 33-year-old Jeter, whose previous single-game high in sacks was three. “Great coverage makes for great sacks. For an old man with one foot out the door, it’s nice.

“We just wanted to win and show people we’re a quality team. It was rough out there. Everybody played with a lot of pride. Are the Raiders quality? I don’t know.”

The Rams clinched the victory when Jim Everett threw a 54-yard touchdown pass to Aaron Cox with 2:13 left in the game, making it 22-10. A 49-yard scoring pass from Beuerlein to Tim Brown with 1:34 left completed the scoring.

“Obviously, the big play was the long pass to Aaron Cox,” Rams Coach John Robinson said. “I guess we just wanted to keep everyone here until the end of the game.”

Beuerlein was tripped up by Greene in his own end zone with 2:41 remaining in the third quarter for a safety that broke a 10-10 tie.

“I shouldn’t have gotten sacked,” Beuerlein said. “I got tripped by somebody. I got whipped in the end zone with somebody’s leg pretty well.”

Said Greene: “I tripped him, I think. Unconsciously, I stuck my leg out and I got him.”

The safety came three plays after Rich Camarillo’s 38-yard punt was downed at the Raiders’ 2-yard line.

After the Raiders’ free kick, the Rams went 30 yards in eight plays to get into position for a 46-yard field goal by Mike Lansford with 14:34 left in the game.

Neither team posed a serious scoring threat after that until Everett’s pass to Cox. The touchdown was set up by Johnnie Johnson’s interception of a Beuerlein pass at the Rams’ 45-yard line with 4:34 remaining.

“We moved the ball pretty well the whole game, but penalties and breakdowns killed us,” Beuerlein said. “You can’t take anything away from them. They’re a darned good football team, but no doubt we could have gotten on the board a few more times. They’re a great team up front, they put a lot of pressure on the quarterback.”

The Rams took a 7-0 lead on a 6-yard run by Greg Bell with 4:18 left in the first quarter, capping an 80-yard, 11-play drive in which Bell carried six times for 49 yards. Bell finished with 109 yards from 21 carries to lead all rushers in the game.

The teams exchanged field goals in the second period--the Rams getting a 37-yarder from Lansford with 12:04 left in the quarter and the Raiders getting a 29-yarder from Chris Bahr with 15 seconds to go before halftime.

The Raiders tied it 10-10 on a 30-yard pass from Beuerlein to Marcus Allen, capping a 74-yard, five-play march with the second-half kickoff.

“This was a game for the bragging rights of Los Angeles,” Everett said. “I wish we could play them every year.”

The Rams and Raiders had met twice before Sunday since the Raiders moved south from Oakland in 1982, with the Raiders winning both times, 37-31 in 1982 and 16-6 in 1985.

Because the teams are in different conferences, they play each other only once every three years.

The Beuerlein-to-Brown touchdown pass came on a fourth-and-14 play. The Raiders attempted an on-side kick after the score, but the Rams recovered.

The Raiders got the ball back a final time with 22 seconds left at their own 13-yard line when the Rams punted.

On the game’s last play, a long pass by Beuerlein was deflected before being caught by James Lofton for a 57-yard gain. Lofton was bumped out of bounds by Vince Newsome at the Rams’ 30 as time expired.

Beuerlein completed 19 of 38 passes with the one interception by Johnson. Everett completed 13 of 24 passes for 178 yards without being intercepted and was sacked three times.

The Raiders wasted a scoring opportunity on their first possession. They drove from their 46-yard line to the Rams’ 3 before a holding penalty against John Gesek wiped out a touchdown run by Allen on a fourth-and-inches play. Bahr was then wide left on a 30-yard field-goal attempt.

After going ahead 7-0 and forcing a punt, the Rams moved from their own 20-yard line to the Raiders’ 20 before the drive stalled. Lansford then kicked his first field goal to make it 10-0.

Everett suffered a slight concussion midway through the drive and was replaced by Mark Herrmann, who completed all three of his passes for 23 yards to help the Rams get in field goal range.

Everett returned on the Rams’ next possession, after Bahr was wide left on a 49-yard field goal attempt.

The Raiders went 57 yards in 13 plays to get into position for Bahr’s field goal, which made it 10-3.

With the score tied 10-10 late in the third quarter, the Rams got as far as the Raiders’ 30-yard line before Greg Townsend sacked Everett for a 10-yard loss, pushing the Rams out of field goal range.

Camarillo then put the Raiders in a hole with his 38-yard punt. The Rams got their safety three plays later.