Rams Can’t Break Their Fall, 20-10

The Rams extended the wrong losing streak here, theirs , and showed no signs of stopping at three with capable streak-stretchers such as the Minnesota Vikings and New York Giants next on the schedule.

If the Rams were planning on playing this season in bunches--five consecutive victories here, five consecutive losses there--they seem smack-dab in the bunch that’s rotting off the vine.

Remember, the Chicago Bears were working through their own mini-dramas Sunday, attempting to shake the effects of a three-game losing streak, an injury-depleted defense and a quarterback controversy that officially broke out with 5:50 left in the half, when Jim Harbaugh replaced Mike Tomczak.

Still, the Bears had plenty left to defeat the Rams, 20-10, in front of 65,506 at Soldier Field.

The Rams are in need of a football repairman. Their third consecutive loss was similar to the first two; the Rams couldn’t stop the rush, run the ball, or keep balls from flying over their cornerbacks’ heads.

Stop themselves? The Rams did that well.

There were glimmers of progress, especially on defense, as the Rams played the Bears to a 3-3 snug-fest late into the third quarter. But two big pass plays later, one over corner LeRoy Irvin, the other over corner Jerry Gray, set up the touchdown and field goal that sent the Rams to their corner.

As opposed to past weeks, when sieve was the operative word in describing the Rams’ defense, the secondary held its own for nearly three quarters before giving in. A fine week for the offense not to show up.

“I’ve been in the league 10 years and every day shows up in my face,” Irvin said later. “I wonder what I’ll look like tomorrow?”

Bear defensive end Richard Dent, by the way, was able to wrap up a sore thigh and play some, leaving a piece of his helmet in tailback Greg Bell’s chest on one vicious third-quarter tackle--you had to hear it to believe it--while also chipping in with a fumble recovery and a sack of Jim Everett.

Sacks are becoming old hat for recent Ram opponents, an effective wrench thrown into what was once an effective offensive machine. The Bears took Everett down three times Sunday, making that 10 sacks against the Rams in three weeks. Everett was sacked only eight times in the first five games, all victories.

Do you sense any connection?

With the running game limping along with 84 more net yards Sunday, Everett is left to the mercy of the rush.

“It makes sense,” Everett said of the strategy. “It’s something we have to deal with, especially with Minnesota next week. I’m sure you’ll see them do the same thing.”

Everett, rushed on many of his timing passes, completed only 13 of 35 passes for 185 yards with two interceptions. He has completed 46% of his passes in the losing streak, 65% in the five victories.

“He’s like all the rest of us,” Ram Coach John Robinson said. “We’re a football team out of sync. We were sailing along for a while.”

Now, all masts are down.

Sunday’s game didn’t get going until late in the third quarter, both teams mired in a defensive struggle highlighted only by Bear Coach Mike Ditka’s second-quarter decision to replace Tomczak with Harbaugh, although it couldn’t be considered a stroke of genius.

Tomczak threw 11 consecutive incompletions at one point in the half, making the decision almost unavoidable.

Harbaugh was a spark, no doubt, leading the Bears on a second-quarter march to a field goal, which tied the score, 3-3.

How was Tomczak taking it?

“I’m not going to get down every time something goes wrong,” he said. “I didn’t have a first half and it showed. That’s why he took me out. I was excited, even though, because we started to put points on the board.”

The Rams had their best chance in the third quarter, with a first and 10 on the Bears’ 43-yard line in a 3-3 game.

Bell, who didn’t start because of lower back strain, fumbled when the ball was stripped from him by William Perry, Dent recovering at the 44. It was only Bell’s second fumble in 147 carries this season, but the timing couldn’t have been worse.

Harbaugh took over and marched the other way, the key play a 24-yard pass interference call on Rams’ safety Anthony Newman, accused of jumping over tight end Cap Boso’s back at the Ram 24. The flag was thrown late, much to Newman’s dismay.

“I touched the ball before I touched him,” Newman claimed later. “The flag seemed to come five minutes later. There were no flags when I first looked. I guess that’s part of football. Flags happen.”

After using a 14-yard pass to fullback Brad Muster to get inside the Ram five, the Bears scored on third down on a one-yard Muster run, giving the Bears their first lead at 10-3 with 39 seconds left in the quarter.

The Rams went three-plays-and-out on their next possession, with the Bears taking over on their 30. Chicago moved to the Rams’ 37, where Harbaugh burned Irvin on third and six by lofting a 36-yard pass to Wendell Davis. Harbaugh dived in from the one, making it 17-3 with 11:11 left.

The Rams cut the lead to seven on a one-yard Bell run with 6:03 remaining, but the Bears came back, Harbaugh hitting Dennis McKinnon on a 41-yard pass over Gray to set up Kevin Butler’s 46-yard field goal with 2:47 left.

“In the fourth quarter, two passes were thrown over our head and basically took us out of any chance to win,” Robinson concluded.

Irvin concluded three good quarters of defense weren’t good enough.

“People have lost respect for us,” Irvin said. “That’s what hurts. We’re not dominating anybody. We had Buffalo on the ropes and let them off. We had these guys on the ropes and let them off the ropes. It hurts.”

It’s no secret that the Rams haven’t had much spunk since the dramatic Monday night loss to Buffalo two weeks ago.

“It all started in Buffalo, mentally, losing that type of game,” Everett conceded.

And another one Sunday, three in a row if you’re keeping tabs. And another long plane ride home.

“This is not the game to point fingers,” said Bell, limited to 32 yards in 12 carries. “Everyone here lost this game.”

Ram Notes

Dale Hatcher probably saved his job with a strong kicking effort, finishing with a 44.4 average in seven punts. Hatcher entered the game as the National Football Conference’s lowest-rated punter. “I made up my mind, I knew I was up against the wall,” Hatcher said. “This was a good test to see what I was made of. I prayed about it a lot.” Hatcher said he wasn’t nervous beforehand, even knowing his career possibly lay in the balance. “I was more nervous in practice than here,” he said. “I just had that good feeling. That’s the real me. That’s the way I should be kicking.”

Bear quarterback Jim Harbaugh completed 10 of 13 passes for 157 yards. When Tomczak left, he had completed only four of 16 passes for 29 yards. . . . The Rams reported no serious injuries. . . . Gaston Green started the game at tailback but was out after five carries and 14 yards.

Greg Bell said afterward his back felt fine in warmups and that he could have started. “He’s been making the decisions about how he wants to play me,” Bell said of Robinson. “I didn’t question his decision.” Bell, however, did make it clear he wanted to play. “I just kept standing in front, helmet in hand,” he said. “I was getting antsy.”