By Bill Coats
Of the Post-Dispatch
Monday, Sep. 20 2004
The Rams' 34-17 loss at the Georgia Dome truly was a game of inches.
Specifically, the 3 inches that separated rallying St. Louis from a first down
late in the third quarter and stripped away its building momentum.
After trailing 14-0 early in the second period and 17-7 at the half, the Rams
had trimmed Atlanta's edge to 17-14 and were driving for the lead. A pass from
quarterback
Marc Bulger to wide receiver
Torry Holt on the left sideline made
it second down and a quarter of a foot to go at the Falcons 25-yard line.
Bulger took a shot at wideout Isaac Bruce in the end zone on second down that
fell incomplete. On third down, running back Marshall Faulk tried to slip
through the left side but was stuffed by tackle Ed Jasper for a 2-yard loss.
Jeff Wilkins drilled a 48-yard field goal, but the Falcons had retained a share
of the lead at 17-17.
"Sometimes those plays go overlooked, but that was really a pivotal play,"
Atlanta coach Jim Mora said. "Momentum had shifted a little bit, it had gotten
a little bit quiet. Our team did a great job of rallying."
From that point on, the Falcons dominated. They ran 26 plays, producing 162
yards, two touchdowns and a field goal; conversely, the Rams had just nine
offensive attempts and netted a mere 12 yards. And, of course, zero points.
Rams coach Mike Martz agreed Monday that the failed third-down play blunted his
outfit's charge. "It did," he said. "And had we not lost the yardage on that
play, we probably would've gone for it on fourth down."
Martz said he decided against a quarterback sneak because in a similar
situation earlier, the Falcons had "covered all three down linemen and put the
two linebackers inside." But they changed their alignment, and Faulk had
nowhere to go.
"I was surprised, to be honest with you," Martz said. "The play that we ran, we
felt . . . we had a real good shot at it."
Bruce tops NFL
If Bruce maintains his pace, he'll put together one of the most productive
seasons in his 11-year career. After two games, Bruce leads the league in
catches (17) and is third in yardage (214). That projects to 136 receptions for
1,712 yards over 16 games.
Bruce, 31, was at his best in 1995, the Rams' first season in St. Louis, when
he grabbed 119 balls for 1,781 yards.
Right behind Bruce is teammate
Torry Holt, who led the NFL in receptions and
yards last year. Holt is second in catches (16) and yards (217), which projects
to 128 receptions for 1,736 yards.
Bulger ranks second in passing yardage (557) and seventh in quarterback rating
(95.5).
Polley has fracture
Linebacker Tommy Polley dressed for Sunday's game but didn't play. Martz said
the rib injury that has been bothering Polley has been diagnosed as a fracture.
"It's pretty painful," Martz said. "As he mends and gets better, he will get
more and more involved each week with the defense."
Polley, a starter since early in his rookie season (2001), lost his job to
rookie
Brandon Chillar during training camp.
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