Rams News

Chargers hand Rams preseason defeat

Sunday, August 16, 1998

By Jim Thomas
Of The Post-Dispatch

SAN DIEGO: The Rams checked out of the Hotel California after the '94 season, and haven't won there since.

Their losing streak in the Golden State as a St. Louis-based franchise reached seven games - three preseason and four regular-season - with Saturday's loss to the San Diego Chargers at Qualcomm Stadium.

Over that span, the Rams have lost to San Francisco three times in the regular season, Oakland once apiece in preseason and regular season, and now the Chargers twice in the preseason.

The Rams will take an 0-2 record into next Saturday's game with Dallas at the Trans World Dome.

The Rams continued their first-quarter preseason scoring futility under coach Dick Vermeil. In six preseason games last year and this year, the Rams have failed to score a single point in the first quarter. They didn't even come close Saturday night.

Two first-quarter possessions, encompassing eight plays, produced only 29 yards, and one first down. With quarterback Tony Banks playing only the first quarter, the Rams got only as far as their 44 yard-line on either of those possessions.

The Rams didn't have the ball much because San Diego's offense - led by rookie quarterback Ryan Leaf - was busy and productive.

The Chargers marched 73 yards for a John Carney field goal on their opening possession, with Leaf completing five of six passes on the drive. The big-gainer was a 33-yard completion on third down and 7 to Charlie Jones, who got behind Rams cornerback Todd Lyght.

Lyght got more than even in the second quarter, when he returned a Leaf interception - which bounced off the hands of Webster Slaughter - 73 yards for a touchdown with 4 minutes 24 seconds remaining in the first half. But even then, the Chargers had a 17-7 lead.

After the Carney field goal, St. Louis was forced to punt on its first offensive possession of the game. Long snapper Jeff Robinson's snap - a little high - was mishandled by punter Rick Tuten, who was swarmed by San Diego tacklers at the Rams' 20. On third and 5, Leaf found tight end Freddie Jones open in the middle of the end zone for a 15-yard touchdown with 3:29 left in the opening quarter.

The Chargers came right back with a 71-yard scoring drive, good for a 17-0 lead two minutes into the game on a 1-yard TD leap by Leaf.

The Rams were outgained by a whopping 257-59 in the first half, with Leaf completing 13 of 22 passes for 200 yards. His Rams counterparts, Banks and Steve Bono, combined to complete only seven of 14 for 42 yards.

The Rams put together two scoring drives in the third quarter behind Bono. Jerald Moore, seeing his first action of the preseason, scored on a 1-yard TD run to cap an 89-yard march. The drive featured a 46-yard completion to Malcolm Floyd, who carried to the Chargers' 4.

On the Rams' next possession, Bono found Az-Zahir Hakim for an 8-yard TD pass on what was a 44-yard drive. Robert Holcombe saw his first preseason action on this drive, carrying five times for 14 yards.

Carney's second field goal of the night gave San Diego a 34-20 lead midway through the fourth quarter.

Linebacker Michael Hamilton added some exclamation points for the Chargers
when he raced 75 yards for a TD with an interception of a Will Furrer pass that
appeared to deflect off a referee into Hamilton's hands. But the Rams got those
seven back on their next possession, when Furrer connected on a 3-yard
touchdown pass to Donnell Baker that reduced San Diego's lead to 14 points -
41-27.

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