PRO FOOTBALL / DAILY REPORT : RAMS : Gary Smarting but Says He’s OK

Running back Cleveland Gary was off crutches, but still limping Monday after taking a helmet to the thigh in Sunday’s 27-0 victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers.

“My thigh muscle just locked up on me,” Gary said. “That’s a 29-inch thigh, and that’s a lot of muscle.”

“It’s just one of those injuries that every running back gets.”

Gary said he expects to be ready to play against the New York Giants on Sunday.

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Jerome Bettis, who leads the team in rushing with 100 yards in 21 carries, suffered a bruised breastbone after falling on the ball against the Steelers. The injury is not expected to keep him from practicing.

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The Rams jumped ahead of the Steelers in the first half, 14-0, after Gary avoided a blitzing safety and ran through the arms of four other Steeler defenders and scored on a six-yard run.

After reviewing the play on videotape Monday, Gary said: “I have no idea how I was able to get through those guys. It must have been instinctive.

“I saw the blitz coming, and because (quarterback) Jim (Everett) and I know each other so well, I didn’t take the handoff from him like I usually do. The guy would have gotten me right away, so I sort of sidestepped and then went on.”

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Defensive tackle Sean Gilbert and defensive end Robert Young share the NFC lead with four sacks each. . . . Despite Everett’s showing against the Steelers, he is the league’s lowest-rated passer moving into the third week of the season. Denver’s John Elway, who has completed 69.8% of his passes, is No. 1 with a rating of 112.1. Everett, who has completed 50.7% of his passes, has a rating of 48.5.