Rams’ Defense Does It Again
The St. Louis Rams needed a last-minute defensive stand for a victory over the Tennessee Titans, and Leonard Little flashed back -- not to his team’s 2000 Super Bowl win, but to a memory from seven days ago.
Marc Bulger threw three touchdown passes and the Rams survived a controversial replay ruling in the fourth quarter to hang on for a 31-27 win Sunday. A week earlier, the Rams held off a down-to-the wire drive by the Arizona Cardinals to win.
“I had thoughts of last week,” Little said. “We played pretty good last week except for the last drive, and we knew if they got into the red zone they’d have a chance to throw it into the end zone. They never did get that far.”
The Rams (2-1) got their one Super Bowl championship when Mike Jones’ overtime-saving tackle of Kevin Dyson at the one preserved a 23-16 win over Tennessee. In the teams’ first game since, the Titans drove to the St. Louis 23 in the final minute and had two shots at the end zone before running out of downs.
“I thought it was coming together,” Titan Coach Jeff Fisher said.
The Titans converted three turnovers into 17 points, and the Rams got an 85-yard interception return from Adam Archuleta for a touchdown.
Torry Holt caught nine passes for 163 yards in the first three quarters, and Kevin Curtis’ 10-yard catch on the first play of the fourth quarter was the go-ahead score for the Rams.
Steve McNair completed 24 of 39 passes for 261 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions for the Titans (1-2). It took Tennessee, which was leading, 10-0, and appeared close to another score early in the second quarter, a long time to recover from Archuleta’s return.
Bulger was 21 for 28 for 292 yards with an interception; he also fumbled three times, losing two.
The Titans outgained the Rams, 111 yards to five, in the first quarter and scored on a 16-yard pass from McNair to Ben Troupe and a 41-yard field goal.
Bulger said the Rams were confused at first by Tennessee’s defense.
“Half is not enough protection, half is my fault, and half is them just doing a good job,” Bulger said. “I know it’s 150%, but I’m a little tired now.”
The third interception of Archuleta’s career reversed the momentum. He jumped on a short route for Drew Bennett and had an open field for the return that got the Rams on the board early in the second quarter.