Spagnuolo on 4-6 Rams: We're still in it

ST. LOUIS — Getting whipped by the Atlanta Falcons and facing a tough stretch has not diminished Steve Spagnuolo's optimistic outlook. Being a member of the weakest division in the NFL can have that effect.

At 4-6, the St. Louis Rams are only a game out of first place, and everyone else in the NFC West also lost on Sunday. So even though their four-game home winning streak is history and they're 0-3 on the road and set to be the visiting team the next three weeks, nothing changes.

"We're still in the thick of it, and that's the way we're going to look at it," Spagnuolo said Monday. "We're going to focus on the prize we set out to accomplish at the beginning of the year, the NFC West."

Spagnuolo believes the Rams, who won only one game last season, are close to being able to play with any team. Though they lost 34-17 on Sunday, the Rams had the Falcons sweating before a botched shovel pass from the Atlanta 2 with 3:24 to go snuffed a drive that could have made it a 2-point game.

So close that the loss aggravated Spagnuolo to the point he didn't care to watch the Eagles and Giants, his two NFL coaching stops before St. Louis.

"I'll normally throw on whatever the Sunday night game is," Spagnuolo said. "I was done."

Tight end Michael Hoomanawanui lined up in the backfield and was the intended receiver on the shovel pass, but bumped into guard Adam Goldberg, who had gotten pushed back by the Falcons' rush. The ball went straight to safety William Moore and the Falcons pulled away, increasing their NFC-best record to 8-2.

"It's two points, the dome would have been going nuts, the guys would have been energized. Who knows?" Spagnuolo said. "That's the NFL."

Watching from the sideline, Spagnuolo was certain the call was golden and that the Falcons would concentrate on stopping Steven Jackson, enabling Hoomanawanui to waltz into the end zone. Instead, it ended Sam Bradford's NFL rookie-record run of 169 consecutive passes without an interception.

"I'm standing there saying 'We've got a touchdown here,'" the coach said. "It's unfortunate the way that happened."

Even after the interception, Spagnuolo hadn't given up hope. The Rams got the ball back with 2:59 left at their own 40 and with one timeout, but after a 5-yard completion on first down Bradford threw three straight incompletions.

Two plays later, Michael Turner ended any suspense with a 39-yard touchdown run.