PRO FOOTBALL / TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS 24, RAMS 14 : RAM NOTEBOOK : Blocked Kick Raises Questions

Special teams coach Wayne Sevier emerged from the locker room Sunday and asked what play reporters wanted to discuss after the Rams’ 24-14 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Was it David Lang’s 57-yard kickoff return, the longest by a Ram this season? Rookie Toby Wright’s blocked field goal, the first by a Ram since Alvin Wright in 1988? Or Todd Kinchen’s 40-yard punt return?

None of the above. What happened on Tony Zendejas’ 48-yard field-goal attempt that was blocked by Charles McRae?

With two minutes remaining and the Rams trailing, 17-14, McRae batted down Zendejas’ low kick, which Tampa Bay’s John Lynch recovered and returned 27 yards.

“We were asking him (Zendejas) to do something on the verge of being very tough with the wet conditions on the field and a slight breeze,” Sevier said. “In those conditions, I thought it would take a great kick to do it.

“He felt like he hit it pretty good and drove it, McRae just got his hand up on it.”

Sevier didn’t fault the Rams’ blocking on the play. McRae said he got a “good jump” and knocked it down.

“The kick was pretty low and I got my arm on it,” McRae said.

McRae’s block was the first by a Buccaneer since Dec. 6, 1992, when he knocked down an attempt by Zendejas in a 31-27 Ram victory.

“I felt it was a high-percentage kick,” Ram Coach Chuck Knox said. “From my angle, it just appeared that Tony kicked it low.”

Kinchen’s 40-yard punt return was the longest against the Buccaneers’ top-ranked coverage team this season. Before Sunday, the Buccaneers had allowed only 42 yards in punt returns all season, and nine yards was the longest.

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The Rams’ trash-talking antics Sunday upset Buccaneer middle linebacker Hardy Nickerson, who lashed out in the locker room after the game.

“I don’t know where their (Rams’) heads are at . . . maybe in the ground,” Nickerson said. “They came in here jawing at us, calling us names. That only made us play harder and rub their noses in it.”

Nickerson was particularly upset with Ram cornerback Todd Lyght, who tried to listen in on a Buccaneer sideline huddle during the two-minute warning before halftime.

Backup quarterback Trent Dilfer and Tampa Bay Coach Sam Wyche yelled at Lyght before Nickerson grabbed him by the jersey and shoved him away. The teams were assessed offsetting penalties for taunting.

“I’ve never seen anyone do that in all my time in football,” Nickerson said of Lyght’s antics. “I guess he was just listening in or trying to get a cup of water or something.

“Doing something like that is a lack of respect. Teams have been doing that all year, Washington taunted us in warm-ups last week. If they would read the papers, they would see we’re on a three-game winning streak.”

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Super sub: When Tampa Bay receiver Courtney Hawkins injured his knee in the first quarter, the Buccaneers’ passing game didn’t go down with him thanks to third-stringer Charles Wilson.

Wilson replaced Hawkins, the Buccaneers’ leading receiver, and burned the Rams with four catches for a career-high 176 yards, including touchdown receptions of 71 and 44 yards. It was the first 100-yard-plus receiving game by a Buccaneer this season.

Wilson, a four-year pro from Memphis State, started briefly early in the year but was pushed out when Lawrence Dawsey returned in Week 7 from a knee injury. Wilson entered the game with only 20 catches for 368 yards and three touchdowns on the season and came in when Hawkins strained ligaments in his left knee.

Wilson surprised the Ram secondary when he stretched a catch to 53 yards after Ram defensive backs Darryl Henley and Anthony Newman collided trying to make the tackle. Ten more yards were tacked on when Ram safety Marquez Pope grabbed Wilson’s facemask making the tackle, setting up Michael Husted’s 20-yard field goal that gave the Buccaneers a 3-0 second-quarter lead.

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Add injuries: Ram linebacker Chris Martin left the game because of a strained calf. Guard Leo Goeas (ankle), linebacker Joe Kelly (sore abdomen) and linebacker Thomas Homco (foot) returned to the game.

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Running on empty: It was another tough game for tailback Jerome Bettis, who gained only 23 yards in 13 carries against a Buccaneer defense ranked 27th in the league against the rush. His Sunday totals give him 970 yards in 296 carries for the season, with games against Chicago and Washington remaining.

After four consecutive 100-yard-plus games early in the season, Bettis hasn’t rushed for more than that since Oct. 2 against Atlanta.

“They did a pretty good job up front,” Bettis said. “We knew they would be a feisty group up front.”

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Add rushing: Tampa Bay rookie tailback Errict Rhett celebrated his 24th birthday Sunday by rushing 31 times for 119 yards and a touchdown, only the second 100-yard-plus game against the Ram defense this season.

The Giants’ Rodney Hampton rushed for 112 yards Oct. 16 against the Rams. New Orleans rookie Mario Bates had 96 yards and three touchdowns against the Rams two weeks ago.

“Rhett’s a good, strong player,” Ram middle linebacker Shane Conlan said. “I felt worthless in the first half. He made a lot of good cut-back decisions and played a lot better than I thought he would.”

Rhett has 893 yards for the season, including 589 in the past five weeks. He ran for 192 yards in 40 carries last week against Washington.

Notes

Wide receiver Jessie Hester extended his streak of games with at least one catch to 76 with six catches for 82 yards, including a 12-yard touchdown pass from Chris Chandler in the fourth quarter. . . . The Buccaneers’ victory Sunday broke the Rams’ six-game winning streak against Tampa Bay.

Times staff writer T.J. Simers contributed to this story.