Sanders Is Kept in Check, but Game Isn’t : Rams: Defense carries out plan to stop Lions’ running back, but it’s not enough for L.A. victory.

Maybe if the result wasn’t another thoroughly frustrating Sunday afternoon, the Rams could have walked out of the Silverdome content that they had stopped Barry Sanders cold.

Not just stopped. They watched, waited and then hammered Sanders to the turf, gambling that the Detroit Lions’ passing attack with first-year quarterback Erik Kramer couldn’t make up the lost ground.

It was sound planning, and as it turned out, overwhelmingly successful. Rip out the Sanders engine, and the Lions’ modified run-and-shoot won’t run a lick, the Rams figured.

And if not for 185 yards and three touchdown passes by Kramer, maybe it would have produced the Rams’ fourth victory this season. Instead, all they got out of the deal was the gratification of belting Sanders around during a 21-10 loss Sunday.

The final rushing totals should have spelled certain doom for the Lions. The line for Sanders: 26 carries, 57 yards, an average of 2.2 yards and zero touchdowns. Throw out a 25-yard, cutback-filled run down the left sideline to the Ram 15, which set up the go-ahead touchdown, and an eight-yard run earlier in the drive, and Sanders’ day was truly awful.

Without those runs, Sanders gained 25 yards in 24 carries. Eight times the Rams stopped him for losses totaling 25 yards. But it seems that even when the Rams do something right, it still backfires.

“We came in trying to take away Sanders,” linebacker Larry Kelm said. “We knew in their offense, he’s the key guy.”

True enough, particularly under the Silverdome roof, where Sanders had averaged 115.8 yards in the Lions’ five previous games this year.

Defensive coordinator Jeff Fisher had the linemen lie in wait for Sanders, often getting a late start on rushing Kramer because of it.

“The defensive linemen held back until there was a clear separation between the quarterback and the back,” Fisher said. “Our line made it tough for him.”

Many times, the Rams’ linemen didn’t tackle Sanders, but delayed him long enough for help to arrive.

“We knew he was a cutback runner and liked to cut to his right,” Kelm said. “So that’s what we tried to stop.”

None of the Rams’ strategy came as a shock to the Lions, who were intent on passing in spite of Kramer’s inexperience.

Sure, Sanders said later, it would have been nice to run for his usual 100-plus yards, but there was no sense bashing his head against a brick wall.

“You have to take advantage of what’s working,” he said. “We definitely wanted a balanced attack today. You go with the cards that are dealt to you. It’s not a bad win. . . . Whatever works.”

And Sanders shrugged.

For one play, at least, he had the crowd roaring and the Rams lunging at air.

Late in the third quarter, with the Lions at the Ram 40 and driving, Kramer called an audible and dropped back as if to pass. Instead, he slipped the ball to Sanders on a draw. It was one of the few times the Rams didn’t react well.

Sanders blew through a huge hole in the line and broke left to the sideline for about 20 yards. As the defenders closed in, he cut to the right, picked up more yardage and cut again. This time, the Rams had him, and he went down at the 15.

“I can’t remember what the play was called (originally),” Kramer said. “They looked a little soft up front when we came up to the line of scrimmage. And we really needed to break one draw to get them to back off.”

Said Detroit Coach Wayne Fontes: “It was a great call by Erik and a great run by Barry. I think that play juiced us up.”

Two plays later, Kramer threw an 11-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Robert Clark for a 14-10 Detroit lead with 14:55 left.

From there, Kramer and the Lions’ defense were strong enough to silence the Rams for another week. It didn’t really matter that Sanders couldn’t work his magic.