ST. LOUIS (AP) – The St. Louis Rams had not allowed a touchdown in three straight games.
But they had trouble stopping anything Sunday, allowing a season-worst 514 yards in a 37-27 loss to the New York Giants that clinched their eighth straight losing season.
”I mean, 500 yards of offense, you can’t do that,” linebacker Jo-Lonn Dunbar said. ”I don’t care who you’re playing, you can’t do that. It’s disappointing for us to play like this in front of our home crowd for the last game of the season.”
Eli Manning was 25 for 32 for 391 yards and three touchdowns. The Rams had allowed only four touchdown passes in their previous eight games.
”We’ve been playing better defense than that, obviously,” coach Jeff Fisher said. ”Defensively we just gave up too many big plays and didn’t get the turnovers. Give them credit for getting their plan executed.”
The Rams also lost their cool. Safety T.J. McDonald was flagged in the second quarter for taunting Odell Beckham Jr., and linebacker Alec Ogeltree was given a 15-yard penalty for unnecessary roughness when he slammed Beckham down several yards out of bounds after a catch late in the first half.
That incident led to a brawl behind the Giants bench and the ejection of three players.
”Emotions got into the game. We took it a little far,” McDonald said.
”It’s not all about the extra stuff after the play or what somebody said about you,” defensive tackle Michael Brockers said. ”It’s all about playing football between the whistles. That’s where we have to be more mature and just understand this is a game. That stuff after the play, we just got to give that up.”
Giants rookie Andre Williams had 110 yards rushing on 26 carries in place of the injured Rashad Jennings, and Rueben Randle also topped the century mark with six catches for 132 yards and a score.
New York won handily despite committing 12 penalties for 141 yards – 96 of them in the first half. The Giants excelled in every other phase, scoring 10 points off two first-half turnovers while committing none and dominating in time of possession.
Beckham has 79 receptions, most in NFL history for a player in his first 11 career games and five more than the previous franchise rookie mark by Jeremy Shockey in 2003. He’s had at least 90 yards receiving in eight consecutive games and could tie the NFL record of nine straight by the Cowboys’ Michael Irvin in 1995 in the finale against Philadelphia.
His 11 touchdown catches on the season broke a team record set in 1948 by Bill Swiacki.
Beckham’s 9-yard TD catch in the first quarter capitalized on a fumble by Benny Cunningham on a kickoff return and put the Giants up 10-0 along with ending the Rams’ 12-quarter streak without allowing a TD.
The Giants had a short field after rookie Orleans Darkwa forced the fumble while Cunningham attempted to spin free.
Attendance was announced as 55,851, but there were thousands of empty seats at the Edward Jones Dome, which holds 66,000.
”It’s pretty disappointing, but you got to also understand where they’re coming from,” Rams running back Tre Mason said. ”It’s common sense. We have to give them a good show.”
Notes: Shaun Hill was 24 for 32 for 290 yards with TD passes to Lance Kendricks and Chris Givens in the second half. … The Rams allowed four field goals in their last game, a 12-6 loss to the Cardinals. They shut out the previous two opponents, Washington and Oakland.
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Online: AP NFL website: www.pro32.ap.org and www.twitter.com/AP-NFL
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