St. Louis defense hassles Seahawks QB Hasselbeck

~ Rams collected a season-high five sacks.

Seattle quarterback Matt Hasselbeck walked sluggishly in the locker room Sunday, showing no signs of excitement that his team had just rallied from a 12-point halftime deficit to beat the Rams.

"Honestly, I am exhausted," Hasselbeck said. "I've got nothing left. I need a cheeseburger or something."

The St. Louis Rams were unable to protect a 19-7 halftime lead Sunday, losing to Hasselbeck and NFC West foe Seattle 24-19 at the Edward Jones Dome in front of a crowd of 65,423.

The loss dropped the Rams to 2-9. Seattle, the division leader, improved to 7-4.

The Rams, however, could at least take one positive away with them from a game which saw backup quarterback Gus Frerott, in for Marc Bulger (concussion), fumble an exchange from center on a 4-and-1 play at the Seattle 1-yard line with 30 seconds remaining. The Rams' defense pressured Hasselbeck all day and prevented the Seahawks from finding a consistent offensive rhythm, especially in the first half.

Yet the trouble for the Rams was that Seattle did make adjustments at halftime and was able to capitalize on a few big plays in the second while also keeping St. Louis' offense silent.

"It was not a Tylenol-free day," Hasselbeck said when discussing the pressure of the Rams' defense.

"They got into the tempo or the rhythm of what we were trying to do and they were pass rushing -- they really were," the quarterback added. "They were blitzing our protections a good amount."

The Rams sacked Hasselbeck five times for 34 yards. That was the most sacks St. Louis has recorded in a game this season. Three of them came during the first half -- two by middle linebacker Will Witherspoon on Seattle's opening drive -- for a combined 21 yards lost.

When Hasselbeck was asked whether he knew Witherspoon well, he replied: "I know about him now. He's a good player."

Lineman Adam Carriker maintained the defensive intensity for the Rams when Seattle got its second offensive chance. Carriker tackled Seattle running back Maurice Morris in the end zone for a safety to give the Rams a 2-0 lead.

The Rams also made two other big stops in the first half.

One came with 6:01 remaining in the first quarter. After Seattle's Patrick Kerney intercepted a shovel pass from Bulger at the St. Louis 30, the Rams didn't allow them to score, as Seattle ultimately misfired on a field goal attempt.

The other big stop by the Rams came late in the second quarter. The Seahawks, going with a no-huddle shotgun offense, drove 54 yards to the St. Louis 20. But Oshiomogho Atogwe intercepted a Hassebeck pass in the end zone that was intended for wide receiver Nate Burleson.

The Rams led 19-7 at halftime, with the only Seahawks points coming on a kick return by Josh Wilson.

The Seahawks only gained six yards rushing in the first half on four carries by Morris, who was held to 79 yards for the game on 16 carries. Run defense has been one of the team's strengths all season. St. Louis has not allowed a running back to gain more than 94 yards this season.

"We just came out, made our effort and came after them," Witherspoon said. "We played well as a group. Nobody shut it down at any point in time. As a whole unit I think we just went out there and tried to get it done."

In the second half, the Sea-hawks made some adjustments and were able to put together scoring drives of 51, 67 and 80 yards.

"They are a good team and they have a very talented defense," Burleson said. "They did a good job at getting in our faces early. The adjustment we made was getting the ball out a little bit faster. Trying to get the ball in the playmakers' hands, like [D.J.] Hackett and Bobby [Engram], and just work the middle a little bit more. Matt just did a great job of controlling the game in the second half."

Hasselbeck was 10-of-20 passing for 104 yards in the first half. He was 21 of 38 in the game for 249 yards. He threw one touchdown and one interception.

"They've got to be scratching their heads because they lost that game today, but I think we're scratching our heads, too," Hasselbeck said.