Open and Slammed-Shut Case for Rams : Pro football: They open the second Knox Era with their 11th consecutive loss as the Bills roll, 40-7.

It was an opener, all right.

Before 79,001 at Rich Stadium, the Rams got opened at the seams Sunday by the Buffalo Bills, who opened their assault on a third consecutive Super Bowl trip with a 40-7 victory that marred the opening of the new Chuck Knox era.

This was supposed to be a game that set the tone for Knox’s new, disciplined style of football, keeping the Rams competitive in games until the bitter end. But even last year’s 3-13 team didn’t lose a game this resoundingly.

This was supposed to be a game that showcased the offense’s new, pass-dominated one-back offense and the new confidence of quarterback Jim Everett.

This was supposed to be a game that eased fears that the Ram defense would be overmatched over and over again.

But after Sunday, all of those supposed-to-be’s are left wide open to question and criticism.

“A loss is a loss,” said running back Robert Delpino. “But to get beat this bad. . . . I don’t care if it’s Buffalo or New England or the Giants.

“I don’t think any team is that much better than us. Thirty-something points? I’d never think that. Some critics might think a lot of teams are 30 points better than us. I don’t believe it.

“But they overwhelmed us.”

In Knox’s first trip back to Buffalo after ending a five-year coaching run there in 1982, he found out exactly how far away his new team is from the big time.

The Bills took a 21-0 lead before the second quarter was four minutes old, got 363 total yards without really concentrating on their passing attack, intercepted four Everett passes and sacked him three times.

Bill defensive end Bruce Smith had two of those sacks. Running back Thurman Thomas had four touchdowns and 136 combined yards from scrimmage.

“I thought if we could keep it close, we would have a chance to win it,” Knox said after the rout. “We took some chances. We knew what we had to do. We knew, for example, our offense had to score some points.

“We’re a young defensive football team, we’re probably going to make some mistakes. So we came out trying to move the football, throwing it, mixing the run in early . . .

“I came in thinking if we really executed well and made some things happen, we had a chance to win the football game. Of course, I always feel that way.”

The Rams were penalized 15 yards for an illegal block by tight end Jim Price on their first play from scrimmage, and continued backward from there.

The offense was manhandled by Smith and the Bills’ pass rush, and Everett complemented his four interceptions by completing only 18 of his 35 passes for 160 yards.

“No one likes to turn the ball over,” Knox said. “There were some reasons for some things that happened out there today. There were some protection problems, it wasn’t as good as it should’ve been. You can’t lay the blame on him for the interceptions.”

The Ram defense, without its two top ends because of injuries, stopped Buffalo’s first drive, then collapsed. Thomas gained 82 yards in 18 carries during the first half alone. Altogether, Buffalo gained 207 yards on 34 carries, and quarterback Jim Kelly completed 13 of his 19 passes for 106 yards.

“They could’ve had their entire starting defense in there,” Thomas said, “and we still would’ve come out smoking.”

Said Ram cornerback Todd Lyght: “They played a great game. They did whatever they wanted. They were getting away with it.

“The defense was creating a lot of turnovers, a lot of pressure on the quarterback. . . . And if you give the ball up that many times, you can’t win any games.

“They were running the ball, we couldn’t stop the run. And they were pretty much throwing wherever they wanted.

The most embarrassing touchdown was the Bills’ fourth, a two-yard pass to tackle-eligible Mitch Frerotte, alone and dancing as the half was about to close.

The Bills, in fact, spent most of the fourth quarter getting James Lofton the NFL all-time receiving yardage record. He finally passed Steve Largent’s mark of 13,089 on his sixth catch. While the crowd went into a frenzy, the referee presented Lofton the game ball as the Rams loitered around like humbled party-crashers.

“I think the best thing that can happen for us is to put us behind us, soon as possible,” said Ram tackle Gerald Perry, who struggled unsuccessfully against Smith.

“Because either way you slice it, that was a good team out there.

“Eventually, I think if we just hold together, even through what happened today, it’ll all click.”