Rams Burned by Beuerlein : Pro football: Former Raider passes for two touchdowns to lead Cardinals to 24-13 exhibition victory.

Before Saturday’s night exhibition opener, Phoenix Coach Joe Bugel announced that his team would no longer place a high priority on winning exhibition games.

But the Cardinals were matched against the Rams, and the Rams had lackluster plans of their own.

Phoenix used the passing of quarterback Steve Beuerlein to open a 17-3 halftime lead and went on to improve its exhibition record to 8-1 over the past three years with a 24-13 victory over the Rams before 36,803 in Sun Devil Stadium.

Beuerlein, the Servite High graduate who left Dallas to sign as a free agent with the Cardinals during the offseason, relieved an injured Chris Chandler in the second quarter. He threw a 24-yard touchdown pass to running back Larry Centers to break a 3-3 tie, and then with 44 seconds remaining in the half found tight end Butch Rolle all alone in the end zone for a two-yard touchdown.

Bugel, who indicated the Cardinals will use this exhibition season to evaluate their younger players, has not named a starting quarterback for the regular season. But Beuerlein appeared to push himself ahead of Chandler at the Rams’ expense.

Chandler completed six of 10 passes for 51 yards before being knocked out of the game by Ram defensive end Robert Young with a sprained ankle. Beuerlein, the former Raider, shredded the Ram secondary with a 12-for-18 performance for 163 yards.

The Rams, meanwhile, appeared intent on going nowhere until they unleashed their kiddie corps in the second half.

“We did some good things,” Ram Coach Chuck Knox said. “Our No. 1 defense played good. So did our No. 1 offense. We just have to take it up another step, improve and get better.

“There were more good things than bad. The big thing is we stayed with our substitution schedule and got a look at all of our players. You saw Jerome Bettis; he had another (long) run called back.”

Bettis, the Rams’ first-round pick from Notre Dame, started slowly but then pounded the Cardinals’ defense for 29 yards on eight carries. He also had a 14-yard run negated by a holding penalty against guard Keith Lonek.

“Unlike practice, the preseason gives me a chance to mesh with my teammates at game’s speed,” Bettis said. “The hitting, blocking and catching I can do every day in practice. As the season goes on I expect to see more time at fullback. Either position (tailback or fullback) is fine with me, I just want to be on the field contributing.”

Tight end Troy Drayton, the Rams’ second-round pick, pulled duty as a blocker in the first half. In the second half, he caught a 24-yard pass over the middle but then later juggled and dropped a short third-down pass.

“I was a little antsy to get into my first game,” Drayton said. “I wanted to get into the mix of everything. I caught my first pass and I feel real good about that. But I did make a lot of mistakes. I just have to look at those mistakes and improve upon them. Everyone at this level is so much stronger and faster, but I thought I matched up pretty well.”

The Rams, desperate for help at wide receiver, were forced to open with free agent Richard Buchanan in the starting lineup after Henry Ellard injured an ankle Friday in practice.

Buchanan caught one pass for 13 yards in the first half, and then Sean LaChapelle, the team’s fifth-round pick, earned an opportunity to impress. LaChapelle caught four passes for 42 yards, including a difficult reception in traffic across the middle.

LaChapelle also finished the game’s scoring with a two-yard touchdown catch on a ball thrown by Mike Pagel with 1:57 left.

“I enjoyed all of it,” LaChapelle said. “The Rams have a good corps of receivers, and I am just trying to earn a spot. I believe my role, if I make it, will be as a possession receiver.”

The Rams continued to showcase their youth with the introduction of Russell White in the fourth quarter. White, their No. 3 choice in the draft, ran six times for 26 yards and caught a pair of passes for 33 yards.

But the 101-degree heat appeared to take its toll on White, and he was forced to give way to free-agent running back Jay Berry.

The Rams’ look to the future appeared bright with the play of their top draft selections, but the first-half play of their veterans was most forgettable.

The team’s upgraded defense, which included the free-agent signings of Shane Conlan, Henry Rolling and Fred Stokes, could not keep pace with the Cardinals’ attack. Phoenix gained 215 yards in the first half and averaged 4.9 yards a rush.

On offense, quarterback Jim Everett started for the Rams, took 10 snaps and placed Tony Zendejas in position for a 23-yard field goal before being replaced by T.J. Rubley in the second quarter.

On the Rams’ first possession Everett handed the ball to running back Anthony Thompson, who was immediately tackled for a two-yard loss. Everett went back to Thompson on the following play, Thompson fumbled and Cardinal safety Dave Duerson recovered at the Ram 18.

The Cardinals were forced to settle for Greg Davis’ 27-yard field goal and a 3-0 lead. The Cardinals had an opportunity to score on their second possession after advancing to the Ram seven, but a holding call pushed them back, and Cameron Bair’s 35-yard field goal attempt went wide right.

The Rams showed some life on Everett’s third drive, with Everett hitting four consecutive passes, and Thompson running effectively. But on third and five at the Cardinal five, Everett was forced to throw the ball into the stands. Zendejas put the Rams on the scoreboard.

Thompson, who was released by the Cardinals last season after being selected in the second round of the 1990 draft, rebounded from a nightmarish start with 28 yards on seven carries.

“I felt good, but a little rusty at first,” Thompson said. “I think I had my back against the wall . . . I have to protect the ball better than I did on the first series.”

Rubley added an entertaining touch to the Rams’ attack with a pair of runs for 16 yards, but the heavy rush from the Cardinals played havoc with his passing. He completed four of nine for 65 yards.

The Cardinals took a 17-6 lead into the fourth quarter and then padded their advantage with Johnny Bailey’s two-yard touchdown run.

The Rams, who play the San Diego Chargers in Anaheim Stadium Saturday night, replied with LaChapelle’s touchdown reception to account for the final score.