PRO FOOTBALL / DAILY REPORT : RAMS : Bettis Remains the Only Bright Spot

Rookie running back Jerome Bettis leads the NFL in rushing with 1,227 yards, which puts him 62 yards ahead of Dallas’ Emmitt Smith, his nearest pursuer.

Bettis did not have a carry in the fourth quarter Sunday against Cincinnati, and two weeks ago against New Orleans he sat out the second quarter. Yet in those two games he has run 52 times for 336 yards.

Bettis has rushed for more than 100 yards for four consecutive weeks, the first time that has happened with the Rams since Charles White strung together five such games in 1987. In his last four games, Bettis is averaging 6.8 yards per carry.

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Starting guard Tom Newberry is expected to sit out his sixth consecutive game because of a knee injury Sunday when the Rams play Cleveland. Keith Loneker, who replaced Newberry before suffering a knee injury, will also remain sidelined.

Linebacker Shane Conlan, who was expected to sit out game because of a knee injury, has sat out two. But Conlan might be ready this week.