Reclaiming home turf
Rams pound Jets to end 8-game home losing streak
Posted: Sunday October 11, 1998 10:30 PM
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Foley was 5-for-15 for 76 yards and threw two interceptions before being benched AP |
ST. LOUIS (AP) -- The St.
Louis Rams took out more than a year of frustration on the New York Jets.
St. Louis (2-3) forced five turnovers in a 30-10 victory over the New
York Jets on Sunday that ended the Rams' eight-game losing streak at the
Trans World Dome. They hadn't won at home since September 21, 1997, a 13-3
victory over the New York
Giants.
"Everybody was telling us we were going to get murdered," free safety Keith Lyle said. "We were
sick of losing."
All of the eight losses could have gone either way, with a combined
differential of 48 points. Close or not, the Rams' loyal fan base had begun
to wane, with 9,499 no-shows marring the team's 28th consecutive sellout.
"These people are ripe and deserving," coach Dick Vermeil said. "It's
nice to get them a victory."
Amp Lee, playing a
prominent role at running back due to injuries, ran for two touchdowns, and
St. Louis played error-free ball.
"He's been wanting the rock," running backs coach Wilbert Montgomery
said. "Today, he got the opportunity, and he capitalized."
Jets quarterback Glenn
Foley, who missed the previous two games with a rib-cage injury, had a
miserable day. Foley was 5-for-15 for 76 yards and two interceptions, each
of which led to a St. Louis touchdown, before coach Bill Parcells yanked
him in favor of Vinny
Testaverde with 3:13 to go in the third quarter and the Jets (2-3)
trailing 23-3.
Parcells wasn't blaming Foley, he was blaming the entire team.
"We had 45 guys dressed for this game and we had 12 coaches coaching.
Everybody stunk, everybody," Parcells said. "That's as much as I can say."
Testaverde didn't do much better, going 9-for-18 for 96 yards and another
big turnover. Roman
Phifer forced a fumble on a flea-flicker attempt and D'Marco Farr returned the
ball 16 yards to the 12, setting up Lee's second touchdown on
fourth-and-inches that made it 30-3 with 14:22 left.
Testaverde didn't do much better, going 9-for-18 for 96 yards and another big turnover AP | |
Parcells said he didn't know who would start next Monday night at New
England. Testaverde has been the starter for both victories.
"Let me just see what goes on," Parcells said. "Like I said, it wouldn't
have made any difference who was playing today."
Lee, the Rams' third-down back, scored his first rushing touchdowns since
December 3, 1995, when he played for Minnesota. He got every-down status
after Robert Holcombe
strained his Achilles' tendon and Jerald Moore hurt his
shoulder, even though both eventually returned. Lee finished with 53 yards
on nine carries, plus six catches for 62 yards.
Tony Banks was
18-for-24 for 171 yards and a touchdown. He had 15 straight completions in
one stretch.
The Jets, who have lost five straight to the Rams, have 16 turnovers in
the first five games. Playing without running back Curtis Martin, out with a
thigh injury after successive 100-yard games, didn't hurt New York too
much.
His replacement, Leon
Johnson, rushed for 56 yards on 13 carries and had a 17-yard touchdown
catch in the fourth quarter.
The Rams handed the Jets the first three points when Farr was called for
offsides on a punt from the St. Louis 40. With the extra 5 yards, the Jets
called on kicker John
Hall, who kicked a 54-yard field goal.
The rest was all St. Louis. Todd Lyght knocked the
ball loose from Foley on a sack and Mike D. Jones recovered, returning the
ball 5 yards to the 6 to set up a 7-yard scoring pass from Banks to Derrick Harris.
Jeff Wilkins had a
52-yard field goal and Lee scored on a 1-yard run set up by his 29-yard
catch in the second quarter for a 17-3 lead at the break. Wilkins' field
goal was set up by an interception in the end zone by Eric Hill.
Wilkins, who is 5-for-5 from 50 yards and beyond for his career, added
field goals of 30 and 34 yards in the second half before missing a
29-yarder with six minutes to go. He's 8-for-10 after slumping with 12
misses in 37 attempts last year. Extra points
Hall's 54-yard field goal in the first quarter matched the longest ever
against the Rams. Steve Mike-Meyer had a 54-yarder for San Francisco on
November 9, 1975. ... Banks, who had 15 fumbles last year and an NFL-record
21 his rookie year, fumbled for the first time this season on a scramble in
the second quarter. Mo
Lewis recovered and ran a few yards before fumbling it back to St.
Louis' Orlando Pace.
... This was the Jets' first game in St. Louis since 1991, when they lost
in an exhibition to Kansas City. ... Vermeil is 3-0 for his career against
the Jets, with the last meeting in 1978.
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