Close calls or not, 3-game losing streak has put 3-6 Rams in a hole

St. Louis Rams quarterback Kellen Clemens looks toward the scoreboard after throwing an incomplete pass in the fourth quarter of an NFL football game against the Tennessee Titans, Sunday, Nov. 3, 2013, in St. Louis. The Titans won 28-21. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson) (The Associated Press)

St. Louis Rams wide receiver Austin Pettis tries to catch pass in the end zone as Tennessee Titans cornerback Jason McCourty defends in the fourth quarter of an NFL football game Sunday, Nov. 3, 2013, in St. Louis. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson) (The Associated Press)

ST. LOUIS – Softening the blow, Jeff Fisher reminded St. Louis Rams players that 11 other teams lost on Sunday.

It's happened to the Rams three weeks in a row, though.

The Rams (3-6) finished a 15-point setback at Carolina without quarterback Sam Bradford, done for the year with a left knee injury. They were tantalizingly close in their first Monday night home game since 2006, 1 yard shy of the winning touchdown against Seattle. Last week they tied it late in the fourth quarter against Tennessee, turned it over and surrendered the deciding score on consecutive plays, then ran out of downs at the Titans 26 in the final minute.

So, they're coming close.

Still, the bottom line isn't pretty for a franchise that had appeared poised for a breakthrough in the second season under Fisher and general manager Les Snead. They were 9½ -point underdogs for Sunday's game at Indianapolis (6-2).

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