Bruce, Ram Defense Stop Jets, 23-20

Isaac Bruce wasn’t embarrassed by being shut out in the first half Sunday. He was only moderately concerned. He knew better times were coming.

Bruce, the NFL leader in yards receiving, caught six passes for 69 yards and two touchdowns in the second half, leading the St. Louis Rams past the New York Jets, 23-20. He got plenty of help from a defense that recorded six sacks, a career-high 3 1/2 by tackle D’Marco Farr, and a safety.

“When you get stopped like that in the first half, you’ve just go to turn it around in the next half,” Bruce said after scoring touchdowns on passes of one and 11 yards from Mark Rypien, who was 12 for 23 for 101 yards. “We weren’t getting enough time in the first half, their defensive front and linebackers were holding us in check, and Aaron Glenn is quick and didn’t bite on any of my crazy moves.”

But Glenn came up with a leg cramp early in the second half, then was victimized for a 31-yard interference penalty on Bruce to the New York seven. Three plays later, Bruce beat Otis Smith in the corner of the end zone to take Rypien’s one-yard lob for a 14-10 lead.

After the Jets made it 14-13 on Nick Lowery’s 23-yard field goal, Greg Robinson’s 37-yard run set up Rypien’s 11-yard touchdown pass to Bruce, who beat Smith in the corner of the end zone.

“In the second half, we got our line, our quarterback and me into it,” Bruce said. “They put No. 45 [Smith] on me and he was the weaker DB. He switched on me and we tried to do the same as we tried against Glenn.”

They did it a whole lot better.

“Our style is playing man to man,” said Smith, who also had two interceptions and has six in eight games. “Sometimes we make the right plays, sometimes the plays are made on us. We didn’t loosen up in the second half, they just made some good plays on us.”

Rypien, who came in late in the second quarter when Chris Miller was knocked out because of a mild concussion, generally found Bruce with lob passes. Bruce’s 26-yard catch over Glenn helped St. Louis use up the clock.

“Glenn is a pretty good player and he put a good blanket on Isaac,” Rypien said. “But we were able to put a little pressure on them.

“In the second half, it was a matter of protection and getting that extra second from the line.”

Smith and safety Gary Jones kept the Jets (3-10) in the game with two interceptions each. But the best defense on the field belonged to the Rams (7-6), particularly Farr, who also got his first career interception. Rookie Kevin Carter’s sack of Boomer Esiason with 7:19 to go produced the safety.

“We were having fun, making it happen,” Farr said. “We had so much fun going after Boomer, it was like a racetrack out there.”

The Jets tried to make it a photo finish. They drove 65 yards in three plays, with Esiason connecting with Charles Wilson for a 23-yard score with 4:51 remaining.

Miller was hit by defensive end Marvin Washington, who appeared to be in the air approaching Miller when the pass was thrown. Washington drew a roughing penalty and was ejected.