St. Louis looks for answers on offense, defense

ST. LOUIS -- Two blowout losses in two weeks have the St. Louis Rams groping for answers.

The Rams (0-2) were dreadful in a 38-3 opening-game loss at Philadelphia. They stayed with the Super Bowl champion Giants into the fourth quarter Sunday before three straight New York touchdowns turned a close game into a 41-13 loss in St. Louis' home opener.

Everything that could go wrong did. St. Louis quarterback Marc Bulger was sacked six times. Giants defensive end Justin Tuck blocked a fourth-quarter pass, caught it and returned it for a touchdown. Passes were dropped. Big gains were negated by penalties. Bulger, on the rare occasions he had time to throw, missed wide-open receivers.

The defense was no better. Defenders missed several tackles. The Giants had a 441-201 advantage in total yards. In two games, St. Louis has been outgained 963-367.

"This isn't the only two good offenses we're going to play," Rams coach Scott Linehan said. "We're going to play a lot more, and we're going to have to stop people. We're going to have to score points on offense and stop people on defense, and we're not doing it."

The Rams had high hopes entering this season despite a 3-13 showing in 2007. The offensive line was relatively healthy again and Al Saunders, the offensive coordinator behind Kansas City's powerful teams in the early 2000s, joined the coaching staff.

So far, the results have been disheartening. Even the lone St. Louis touchdown was something of a fluke, a 45-yard jump-ball pass from Bulger that defender Kenny Phillips tipped and Torry Holt caught while sprawled on the ground in the end zone.

"It's very shocking and disappointing we've played like this," running back Steven Jackson said. "We have to have that confidence that we can fight and play with anybody. It's going to happen. There are 14 more games. If everybody continues to play hard, it's going to happen."

Jackson missed all of the preseason in a contract holdout and hasn't exactly shaken off the rust, carrying 27 times for 93 yards in the two games combined.

Bulger, who was sacked 37 times in 12 games last season, has already been sacked 10 times in 2008. He found no bright spot in the fact that the Rams trailed by only a touchdown, 20-13, after the Holt touchdown with 10:46 to play, before the Giants pulled away.

"There's no consolation -- every game in the NFL comes down to the fourth quarter," Bulger said.

The Rams travel to Seattle on Sunday, Linehan once again faced with trying to turn around a team that is 3-15 since the end of the 2006 season. Bulger feels for his coach.

"Bottom line is we let him down again," he said.