Special teams' stats take a hit in loss

~ St. Louis' kickoff coverage fell from 16th to 28th in the NFL after giving up two touchdowns.

ST. LOUIS -- The St. Louis Rams watch film of their kickoff coverage every Thursday. It wasn't an enjoyable screening this week.

The Rams watched in detail Devin Hester's returns of 94 and 96 yards to help the Chicago Bears cruise past St. Louis 42-27 victory Monday night. Hester's first touchdown followed a 12-play, 99-yard drive for the first score of the game, and the second gave the Bears a three-touchdown lead midway through the fourth quarter.

The Rams' coverage team went from the 16th- to 28th-ranked squad in the league after the Bears totaled 228 yards on five returns. Opposing returners average 24.5 yards per attempt against St. Louis, which in one night joined Indianapolis as the only team to allow two touchdowns on kickoff returns this season.

Coach Scott Linehan said the Rams had done a good job for most of this season stopping long returns. However, Hester's performance proved a cautionary tale that Linehan said would not go unheeded. The typical kick coverage practice that is always part of his team's weekly regimen got some extra attention Thursday.

"The biggest thing we have to work on is our errors and getting those corrected while we are still working for the next game," Linehan said.

The Bears had a plan on what to emphasize heading into Monday's game to exploit the Rams.

Hester said his coaching staff had noticed while watching film that St. Louis over-pursued toward the direction the ball was kicked.

When Jeff Wilkins put the kickoff to Hester's right following the Rams' opening touchdown, he caught the ball at the 6-yard line, cut back toward his left and went 94 yards for his fifth touchdown of the season. He later added his record sixth touchdown return.

"It looks like the gates of heaven just opening up for me," Hester said following the game in St. Louis.

The chore for the Rams' special teams does not get much easier Sunday at Oakland. Chris Carr has averaged 26.2 yards in his 53 kickoff returns this season, the second most attempts in the league behind Arizona's J.J. Arrington with 57.

Linehan, who worked at Miami and Minnesota before joining St. Louis this year, said the Rams must do what they did for most of the season if they are to avoid another meltdown. He said his team kept most returns from getting beyond the 30-yard line for much of the season and they were "covering better than we covered in a number of places I've been."

Hester's performance did not necessarily change his mind but did raise concerns.

"You cannot give up big plays and expect to win because the field position is what gets out of whack," Linehan said. "And in this case, it wasn't field position -- they were scoring. It totally stole all of our thunder."