It Sure Wasn’t Easy Way : Rams: A fumble here, a completion there could have ended L.A.’s dream.
This being the craziest Ram season in recent memory, how about a few wallet-size recaps of various thrills and spills along the road to next Sunday’s NFC championship game against the 49ers in San Francisco?
They’re great stuff for parties. For instance, did you realize that had Patriot quarterback Steve Grogan completed one of those last-minute, end-zone pass attempts in New England, the Rams would have been eliminated from the playoffs? And there’s much more.
Looking back, the Rams played nine games this season that could be classified as stomach-turning, including three overtime contests. They were 6-3 in those games. Seven were decided in the last 16 seconds or less, five as time expired.
The ratings that follow are based on a chewed-fingernail formula:
FIVE NAILS
Dec. 24 at New England, Rams 24, Patriots 20--We’ll start here because of the playoff significance. The Rams clinched a wild-card spot but came thisclose to elimination: The Patriots had three shots at the end zone from the Rams’ four-yard line with nine seconds remaining and couldn’t score. What’s more, Grogan missed a wide-open Eric Sievers in the back of the end zone on second down.
Had Grogan connected, the Rams would have been knocked out of the playoffs on Christmas night by virtue of Minnesota’s victory over Cincinnati.
Nov. 26 at New Orleans, Rams 20, Saints, 17 (overtime)--The Rams trailed, 17-3, in the fourth quarter, then scored two touchdowns in the final 2:46 to send the game into overtime. Mike Lansford’s 31-yard field goal won it. The play of the game was Kevin Greene’s backfield tackle of tailback Dalton Hilliard in overtime, on third and one at the Ram 45.
The player of the game was Flipper Anderson, who set the NFL’s single-game reception record with 336 yards on 15 catches. Quarterback Jim Everett chipped in with 454 passing yards.
Nov. 5 at Minnesota, Vikings 23, Rams 21 (overtime)--Trailing, 18-7, the Rams scored two touchdowns in the final 7:20, Greg Bell’s one-yard run with 28 seconds left giving them a 21-18 lead. Then it was lights out. Wade Wilson threw a 43-yard desperation pass to Hassan Jones, and Rich Karlis kicked a 40-yard field goal--his seventh of the game--with eight seconds left, tying it, 21-21.
Mike Merriweather blocked Dale Hatcher’s punt for a safety on the Rams’ first possession in overtime.
Jan. 7 at New York, Rams 19, Giants 13 (overtime)--Jackie Slater called heads, a field judge called pass interference, and Ernie Zampese called play “844” from the press box, all leading to a 30-yard scoring pass from Everett to Anderson 1:06 into overtime and a rematch with San Francisco at Candlestick Park. Other than that, not much action.
FOUR NAILS
Oct. 16 at Buffalo, Bills 23, Rams 20--The Rams thought they had stolen this one after Everett connected with Anderson on a 78-yard touchdown pass with 1:22 left, putting the Rams ahead, 20-16. Then the legend of quarterback Frank Reich was born. Reich, subbing for injured starter Jim Kelly, drove his team downfield in the final minute and completed a game-winning, eight-yard touchdown pass to Andre Reed with 16 seconds remaining.
Oct. 1 at San Francisco, Rams 13, 49ers 12--The Rams took Round One at Candlestick Park on Mike Lansford’s 26-yard field goal with two seconds left. Now, the rest of the story. . . . The 49ers were grinding out the clock for an apparent victory when, with 2:59 remaining, Ram nose tackle Alvin Wright punched the ball loose from fullback Tom Rathman’s grasp at the Ram 19. Kevin Greene recovered and Everett drove the Rams 72 yards in nine plays to win.
Dec. 3 at Dallas, Rams 35, Cowboys 31--The Cowboys might have finished the season 2-14 had a referee not confused quarterback Troy Aikman’s audible signal for a timeout on Dallas’ final drive, which ended as time expired on the Ram 13 with a completed pass to receiver Cornell Burbage. Burbage, it turned out, had run the wrong route, and Dallas didn’t have a receiver in the end zone when the game ended.
The Rams trailed, 31-21, in the fourth quarter before scoring twice in the final 3:58 on Everett passes of 39 yards to Ron Brown and 23 yards to Aaron Cox.
Dec. 11 vs. San Francisco, 49ers 30, Rams 27--The Rams led, 27-10, in the fourth quarter at Anaheim Stadium when trouble started. Doug Smith’s center snap stuck in the mud inside the 49er five-yard line with 6:41 left and the Rams leading by 10 points. Former Raider Matt Millen recovered at the five, where on first down, Joe Montana threw short to John Taylor, who ran 95 yards for a touchdown to cut the Rams’ lead to four--as Mike Cofer missed the extra point.
The 49ers scored the game-winn touchdown on a one-yard Roger Craig run with 3:42 left. San Francisco scored 20 consecutive points in the final 10:04.
TWO NAILS
Sept. 24 vs. Green Bay, Rams 41, Packers 38--The Rams watched a 38-7 halftime lead evaporate as fast as Don Majkowski’s passes whizzed through their secondary. Amazingly, Majkowski, who had cut the Rams’ lead to seven, had the Packers on the one-yard line with 11:23 remaining when Brent Fullwood fumbled.
The Rams managed only a field goal in the second half. It turned out to be the difference.
Still, they needed a heroic, 46-yard Greg Bell run in the final two minutes to run out the clock on the Packers, who had scored on five of their six possessions in the second half.
Bell finished the game with 221 yards rushing, a career high.
Ram Notes
Quarterback Jim Everett threw to seven different receivers in the Rams’ 19-13 victory Sunday. . . . “We called the same play five times, and Jim sprayed the ball to five different receivers,” said tight end Pete Holohan, who finished with five catches and 48 yards. “When we’re rolling, we’re good at spraying it around.” . . . Add Holohan: He said the Rams’ experience in close games this season gave his team the advantage in overtime. “We’ve been in like five or six of these all year,” he said. “So, when we won the toss, we really felt like we were going to score.”
Asked how he viewed Sunday’s controversial pass interference call on the Giants’ Sheldon White, Everett responded, “Pretty much on my back.” Everett was knocked down on the play. . . . Tackle Irv Pankey, on how he slowed down All-Pro linebacker Lawrence Taylor in the second half: “The type of player he is, he pursues people all over the field, and he got a little worn down, especially because we had the ball for a while between the 20s.”
