Flummoxed Rams defy the odds with unlikely downward spiral

ST. LOUIS -- The outlook appears more and more bleak every week for the defending NFC champions.

In the preseason, the Rams were the oddsmakers' pick to play in their third Super Bowl in four seasons. Now they're 0-3 -- one more loss than all last season.

A discombobulated offense, their claim to fame during their rise to power, is taking the blame. Kurt Warner threw four interceptions, the last one a back-breaker on Derrick Brooks' scoring runback in the final minute of the Rams' Monday night 26-14 loss to Tampa Bay. Warner, the NFL's MVP last year, is 15th in quarterback rating after three games with a lone touchdown pass and seven interceptions.

More than in past seasons, he appears to be locking on his primary receiver, especially when facing pressure.

"All week we have been telling each other to keep our eyes on Kurt Warner," Bucs cornerback Brian Kelly said. "All game, we were getting good jumps on the ball. For some reason he has been looking real hard at his receivers, so we just sat in our zone and had to read him."

Coach Mike Martz denies that it is a problem.

"He's never tracked a receiver, unless it's man-to-man coverage, and then it doesn't matter because the defensive back doesn't see it," Martz said. "I think some of those things are way off base, and I think that's certainly one that's way off base."

The offensive line shares criticism for the precipitous drop in points produced. The Rams have scored two fewer touchdowns per game thus far, averaging 17 points after putting up 31 last year.

Warner was sacked three times and harried all night behind a porous front. Tackle John St. Clair struggled before leaving with a hip flexor injury that's not expected to keep him out of this weeks' game against the Cowboys, and guard Adam Timmerman has limited mobility due to a knee injury.

The defense, which seems to need a half to get rolling, also has not played up to expectations. The Rams are always playing catch up, having been outscored 46-20 in the first half.

Then there's all the mistakes that continually doom the team. The Rams are near the bottom of the NFL in takeaway-giveaway ratio at minus-6.

"It's not one particular area," Martz said. "You have a dropped ball here or there, you have a protection breakdown or a missed block, whatever it is. A guy can play real well and have one or two bad plays, and it reflects on the outcome."

And now their meal ticket, Marshall Faulk, is hurt again. Faulk, who missed two games with a knee injury in each of the last two seasons, injured his neck in the second quarter when he was upended by Bucs linebacker Derrick Brooks.

Results of an MRI were expected Wednesday, but the team believes Faulk appears to have strained ligaments in his neck. His status remained unclear for Sunday's game against the Cowboys.

"It didn't appear to be nearly as dramatic or as serious as what we initially thought," Martz said. "That's good news."

The bad news: Only one team in the last five years has started 0-3 and made the playoffs, the 1998 Arizona Cardinals. At least the schedule gets a little easier with the Cowboys (1-2) coming to town on Sunday and the Rams looking forward to two games each with the Seahawks (0-3) and Cardinals (1-2) in the so-so NFC West.

The starting stretch appeared daunting heading into the season and the Broncos and Giants, two teams the Rams usually have problems with, beat them by a total of 12 points in Games 1 and 2. The Rams have been held to less than 20 points seven times since 1999, and the Bucs, who beat them 26-14 on Monday night, have done it three times in that span.

After last week's 26-21 loss to the Giants, Martz said the team was just a play or two away from being 2-0 instead of 0-2. Against the Bucs, the Rams also were in position to pull out a victory, trailing by five points, until Brooks' clinching interception.

"We get ourselves back in position every week to win the game and something always happens," Martz said. "You just cannot lose heart. You've got to keep fighting and work through those things.

"We've dug a hole here, and we've got to climb out ourselves."