Rams left dealing with injuries after defeat to Bears

ST. LOUIS -- Rams coach Mike Martz only wanted his team to emerge healthy from their exhibition game against the Chicago Bears.

He didn't get his wish.

St. Louis lost 19-17 to the Bears on Friday night, and that was just the start of the bad news.

Receiver Terrence Wilkins hurt his ribs; rookie strong safety Steve Bellisari sustained a partial tear of the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee; safety Nick Sorenson left with a thigh bruise; and receiver Torry Holt bruised his ribs.

"The only one out of that group that we're actually worried about obviously is Wilkins," Martz said. "He was very instrumental in what we do. He was just coming around and feeling good about returning punts and returning kickoffs. He was learning the full wide receiver stuff.

"He got to the point where he was coming up to speed. It's a shame this has happened to him. It looks like it's probably a three-week deal."

Wilkins might miss the season opener Sept. 8 at Denver.

The game had an exciting ending for Chicago. Fourth-string quarterback Ken Mastrole threw a 15-yard touchdown pass to Kenny Christian with 55 seconds left.

"It felt great to do something to help the team win," Christian said. "I didn't care if I played four plays or 40. I wanted to do something to help the team."

Mastrole, who came in for just one series, led the Bears (1-1) on an eight-play, 81-yard drive for the game-winning score.

The Rams (0-2) played without halfback Marshall Faulk, who sat out his second consecutive game. Faulk is healthy, but Martz didn't want to take any chances.

Halfback Trung Canidate rushed for 89 yards on 21 carries and caught two passes for 50 yards.

"I got a lot of good work in," Canidate said. "I was able to check my run reads, my blitz pickups, my route running. I was able to work on it all."

Elsewhere

BROWNS: Wide receiver Kevin Johnson agreed to terms on a four-year, $13.85 million contract extension with Cleveland, just days after the team gave his agent permission to shop for a new deal.

Johnson, who was eligible to become a free agent after this season, agreed to the new deal just before the Browns' preseason home opener against the Detroit Lions.

COLTS: Dominic Rhodes, the team's leading rusher last year, will miss this season because of a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee.

Rhodes was injured while running a sideline pass route during the final 30 minutes of practice Thursday night. An MRI taken Friday night revealed the injury, and an announcement was made Saturday.

-- From wire reports