RAM NOTEBOOK : Young Hurts Knee, May Miss 3 Weeks

Ram defensive end Robert Young might have lost more than just a share of the NFL lead in sacks Sunday.

Young said he expects to miss two to three weeks after suffering what he thought was a slight tear in the anterior cruciate ligament of his right knee.

Young was scheduled to undergo an MRI exam Sunday night after the Rams’ 37-6 loss to the New Orleans Saints. He said team doctors told him he could be out two to three weeks if surgery wasn’t necessary.

Young injured the knee while chasing Saint quarterback Wade Wilson in the second quarter.

“Two of their linemen got me,” Young said. “One cut me high, one cut me low.”

Young’s replacement, Gerald Robinson, finished with only one tackle.

It was the second serious injury in Young’s three-year career. He was slowed by a separated shoulder during last year’s exhibition season.

He entered Sunday’s game tied with New Orleans linebacker Renaldo Turnbull for the lead in sacks with seven. But Turnbull had one sack for a six-yard loss to none for Young.

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Special Teams Follies: The Saints’ Tyrone Hughes returned a punt 74 yards for a fourth-quarter touchdown, but the Rams’ biggest special teams’ gaffe came on punter Tommy Barnhardt’s 18-yard run on a fake punt in the third quarter.

Barnhardt’s run gave the Saints a first down at the Ram 33 and set up Morten Andersen’s 43-yard field goal.

“They scouted us well,” said Ram rookie Deral Boykin, who tackled Barnhardt on the play. “It was the perfect call at the perfect time. It was a great play.”

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Scoring Explosion: The Rams’ defense had given up only three fourth-quarter points--a field goal to the Green Bay Packers in the opener--entering Sunday’s game.

But the Saints, not known for keeping scoreboard keepers busy, scored 21 fourth-quarter points against a Ram defense held without a sack for the first time this season.

In fact, the 21 points is the most scored on the Rams in any quarter this season. Green Bay’s 14 third-quarter points in a 36-6 Packer victory was the previous high.

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Stoked: Ram defensive end Fred Stokes returned a fumble 51 yards in the fourth quarter, his longest in 12 career returns.

Stokes grabbed the ball after defensive tackle Sean Gilbert stripped it from Wilson at the Ram 31. Stokes rambled down the right sideline before tight end Irv Smith caught him at the New Orleans 18.

“I should have just looked forward and run as far as I could,” Stokes said. “I knew one of the receivers or somebody would catch me, because of where I picked up the ball up.”

Notes

Saint rookie tailback Derek Brown, a former Servite High standout, rushed for 57 yards in 14 carries before spraining both ankles the third quarter.

Saint tight end Hoby Brenner, a former Fullerton High star, injured his right ankle in the second half and was on crutches. He caught three passes for 28 yards. “It’s either a severely sprained ankle or a chipped bone,” Brenner said.

Times staff writer Chris Foster contributed to this story.