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Victory eases frustration of failures in red zone
GREEN BAY, WIS. — Scoreboard operators around the NFL no longer quake at the sight of the Rams' offense taking the field. Yet quarterback Marc Bulger and his mates seem to squeeze out just enough.
"We might not be where we want to be; we all love to score points," running back Steven Jackson said. "But we're moving the ball effectively, through the air and on the ground. And I have no complaints once you have a 'W' on the board."
The perfectly balanced attack that coach Scott Linehan dialed up -- 30 pass plays, 30 runs -- amassed 327 yards and two touchdowns Sunday in a 23-20 victory at Lambeau Field. But the Rams squandered three other opportunities inside the Green Bay 10-yard line, and only a late fumble by Packers quarterback Brett Favre spared them a wrenching defeat.
"We had great field position," Bulger said. "But it didn't work out, and we've got to get better at that."
The Rams got into the end zone on two of their first four possessions. Bulger connected with wide receiver Torry Holt for a 6-yard touchdown and a 7-0 lead. Then Bulger found wideout Kevin Curtis for a 3-yard TD that gave the visitors a 14-10 halftime lead.
"It's always good to get in the end zone," said Curtis, who hadn't scored this season. "But as long as we've got more points at the end of the game, whatever it is, it's enough."
Still, the Rams could have put away the Packers and avoided the tense moments at the end, had they been more efficient near the goal line. Kicker Jeff Wilkins provided all their second-half scoring on field goals of 31, 26 and 20 yards.
Wilkins was called on when promising drives stalled after reaching the Green Bay 9, 8 and 1-yard lines. It's been a season-long theme, save for last week's 41-point outburst vs. Detroit.
"We're getting it done," said wideout Shaun McDonald, who contributed two catches for 30 yards and a 28-yard punt return. "All that matters is the 'W.' We've got four right now, and we're trying to get this next one and go into the bye 5-1."
The Seattle Seahawks, two-time defending NFC West champs, stand in the way of that aspiration: They will visit the Edward Jones Dome on Sunday, and center Richie Incognito noted that unless the Rams stop wasting chances, their luck could come to an abrupt halt.
"When we play the better teams, like Seattle, we're not going to get away with stuff like that," he said. "No field goals; we've got to put up six."
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