Bengals...19 Rams...10

CINCINNATI -- Rain pelted Brock Berlin’s face as he settled in for his first regular-season snap in the NFL, calling signals in misty breaths.

From that moment on, it got wetter and worse. Rudi Johnson ran one yard for a touchdown, Shayne Graham kicked four field goals on a nasty day, and the Cincinnati Bengals took advantage of the St. Louis Rams’ novice quarterback for a 19-10 victory.

Berlin, who came to the NFL as an undrafted free agent, played because Marc Bulger and Gus Frerotte were injured for the Rams (3-10).

The Bengals (5-8) needed only to contain running back Steven Jackson and avoid mistakes to get a win. They were barely able to do it.

Fakhir Brown intercepted Carson Palmer’s first pass of the second half and returned it 36 yards for his first career touchdown. Jackson ran 18 times for 91 yards and caught four passes for 26 yards. But it wasn’t enough.

Quoteworthy: “The week before last, he was on the practice squad. We didn’t do enough to help him.” -- Randy McMichael, Rams tight end, on Brock Berlin