SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Sam Bradford was in street clothes, and A.J. Feeley was off target with his throws.

That meant a long day for the St. Louis Rams and their offense.

St. Louis struggled to get the ball past midfield and managed only 157 yards of offense while being shut out for the first time in more than two years in a 26-0 loss to the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday.

Just another emotional blow in a season that can’t end soon enough for the Rams.

“We didn’t do a lot of things very well,” said Feeley, who committed two turnovers and was sacked four times. “They had us on our heels the whole time. As soon as we got something going, we somehow staggered a little bit and put ourselves in a bad situation.”

Feeley, starting in place of the injured Bradford, was only 12 of 22 for 156 yards. He missed several open receivers, fumbled near the Rams’ own goal line and threw an interception on the first series in the third quarter.

The journeyman quarterback didn’t get much help from St. Louis’ running game, either. Steven Jackson and Jerious Norwood each had 19 yards rushing while the Rams (2-10) were held to a meager 1.3 yards per carry.

“We knew we were facing a team that was looking to clinch the NFC West, so we knew we were going to get their best,” Jackson said. “Our defense did a really good job in the first half but overall, (the 49ers) were able to make plays, come up big in defensive situations and eventually they were able to crack it open.”

It didn’t help that the Rams kept getting hurt.

Feeley injured his right thumb early in the fourth quarter while left guard Jacob Bell left with knee and ankle injuries. Left tackle Adam Goldberg (ribs), defensive end Eugene Sims and cornerback Justin King were also knocked out of the game, but all three returned.

Coach Steve Spagnuolo is optimistic Bradford will be able to play in the Rams’ next game at Seattle on Dec. 12.

“He was very sore all the way through and it never really changed,” Spagnuolo said. “He was more than willing to give it a shot … but (we) did not think it was smart to take a chance that something worse could happen to him.”

While the Rams are stumbling, the 49ers are surging after clinching the NFC West division title and a spot in the playoffs.

Frank Gore helped run San Francisco (10-2) right into the postseason, becoming the 49ers’ career rushing leader by passing late Hall of Famer Joe Perry and finishing with 73 yards.

Alex Smith threw second-half touchdowns of 52 and 56 yards to Michael Crabtree and Kyle Williams, and David Akers kicked four field goals to help Jim Harbaugh join George Seifert (1989) and Steve Mariucci (1997) as the only rookie coaches in franchise history to win a division title.

The only downer came when star linebacker Patrick Willis left the game in the first half with a right hamstring injury.

San Francisco became the NFL’s second team to secure a playoff berth behind defending Super Bowl champion Green Bay.

Despite further problems converting in the red zone early, San Francisco shut out an opponent for the first time since a 35-0 home win at Candlestick Park on Oct. 4, 2009. That was also the Rams’ last shutout.

The Niners also avenged a late-season loss from 2010 that was still plenty fresh. They had won five straight before losing at St. Louis in the second-to-last week.

Smith, who didn’t start that last game against the Rams, completed 17 of 23 passes for 274 yards with four sacks and no interceptions to finish with a career-high 142.3 quarterback rating. Gore ran for 2 yards early in the second quarter to give him 7,345 career yards rushing, moving him past Perry (7,344) for most in franchise history.

Akers kicked a 36-yard field goal on San Francisco’s second possession of the game to go up 3-0 with 4:54 left in the first quarter.

Ray McDonald knocked the ball away from Feeley midway through the second quarter to force a fumble and Aldon Smith recovered deep in St. Louis territory. That gave the 49ers first-and-goal at the 6, but they again failed to get into the end zone, settling for Akers’ 19-yard field goal.

“We just can’t seem to put anything together,” Feeley said. “We have to do a better job, plain and simple.”

Akers booted a 28-yarder 1:41 before halftime for his 31st field goal of the year, topping Jeff Wilkins’ single-season franchise mark of 30 set in 1996.

That gave the 49ers nine field goals — with only three TDs — in the last 14 trips to the red zone before Crabtree’s TD catch.

Davis dropped a would-be 40-yard touchdown catch in the end zone late in the second quarter on a perfectly thrown pass from Smith. Davis later had a catch and fumble for San Francisco, which hasn’t scored a first-half touchdown since Week 9 at Washington.

Rams DE Chris Long’s second-quarter sack on Smith gave him one in six straight games.

“The effort’s always there with this group,” Long said. “That’s not something I feel like anybody can question, but execution can definitely be questioned. The effort’s good, but that’s not going to win us any ballgames.”

Sam Bradford was in street clothes, and A.J. Feeley was off target with his throws.

That meant a long day for the St. Louis Rams and their offense.

St. Louis struggled to get the ball past midfield and managed only 157 yards of offense while being shut out for the first time in more than two years in a 26-0 loss to the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday.

Just another emotional blow in a season that can’t end soon enough for the Rams.

“We didn’t do a lot of things very well,” said Feeley, who committed two turnovers and was sacked four times. “They had us on our heels the whole time. As soon as we got something going, we somehow staggered a little bit and put ourselves in a bad situation.”

Feeley, starting in place of the injured Bradford, was only 12 of 22 for 156 yards. He missed several open receivers, fumbled near the Rams’ own goal line and threw an interception on the first series in the third quarter.

The journeyman quarterback didn’t get much help from St. Louis’ running game, either. Steven Jackson and Jerious Norwood each had 19 yards rushing while the Rams (2-10) were held to a meager 1.3 yards per carry.

“We knew we were facing a team that was looking to clinch the NFC West, so we knew we were going to get their best,” Jackson said. “Our defense did a really good job in the first half but overall, (the 49ers) were able to make plays, come up big in defensive situations and eventually they were able to crack it open.”

It didn’t help that the Rams kept getting hurt.

Feeley injured his right thumb early in the fourth quarter while left guard Jacob Bell left with knee and ankle injuries. Left tackle Adam Goldberg (ribs), defensive end Eugene Sims and cornerback Justin King were also knocked out of the game, but all three returned.

Coach Steve Spagnuolo is optimistic Bradford will be able to play in the Rams’ next game at Seattle on Dec. 12.

“He was very sore all the way through and it never really changed,” Spagnuolo said. “He was more than willing to give it a shot … but (we) did not think it was smart to take a chance that something worse could happen to him.”

While the Rams are stumbling, the 49ers are surging after clinching the NFC West division title and a spot in the playoffs.

Frank Gore helped run San Francisco (10-2) right into the postseason, becoming the 49ers’ career rushing leader by passing late Hall of Famer Joe Perry and finishing with 73 yards.

Alex Smith threw second-half touchdowns of 52 and 56 yards to Michael Crabtree and Kyle Williams, and David Akers kicked four field goals to help Jim Harbaugh join George Seifert (1989) and Steve Mariucci (1997) as the only rookie coaches in franchise history to win a division title.

The only downer came when star linebacker Patrick Willis left the game in the first half with a right hamstring injury.

San Francisco became the NFL’s second team to secure a playoff berth behind defending Super Bowl champion Green Bay.

Despite further problems converting in the red zone early, San Francisco shut out an opponent for the first time since a 35-0 home win at Candlestick Park on Oct. 4, 2009. That was also the Rams’ last shutout.

The Niners also avenged a late-season loss from 2010 that was still plenty fresh. They had won five straight before losing at St. Louis in the second-to-last week.

Smith, who didn’t start that last game against the Rams, completed 17 of 23 passes for 274 yards with four sacks and no interceptions to finish with a career-high 142.3 quarterback rating.

Gore ran for 2 yards early in the second quarter to give him 7,345 career yards rushing, moving him past Perry (7,344) for most in franchise history.

Akers kicked a 36-yard field goal on San Francisco’s second possession of the game to go up 3-0 with 4:54 left in the first quarter.

Ray McDonald knocked the ball away from Feeley midway through the second quarter to force a fumble and Aldon Smith recovered deep in St. Louis territory. That gave the 49ers first-and-goal at the 6, but they again failed to get into the end zone, settling for Akers’ 19-yard field goal.

“We just can’t seem to put anything together,” Feeley said. “We have to do a better job, plain and simple.”

Akers booted a 28-yarder 1:41 before halftime for his 31st field goal of the year, topping Jeff Wilkins’ single-season franchise mark of 30 set in 1996.

That gave the 49ers nine field goals – with only three TDs – in the last 14 trips to the red zone before Crabtree’s TD catch.

Davis dropped a would-be 40-yard touchdown catch in the end zone late in the second quarter on a perfectly thrown pass from Smith. Davis later had a catch and fumble for San Francisco, which hasn’t scored a first-half touchdown since Week 9 at Washington.

Rams DE Chris Long’s second-quarter sack on Smith gave him one in six straight games.

“The effort’s always there with this group,” Long said. “That’s not something I feel like anybody can question, but execution can definitely be questioned. The effort’s good, but that’s not going to win us any ballgames.”

St. Louis struggled to get the ball past midfield and managed only 157 yards of offense while being shut out for the first time in more than two years in a 26-0 loss to the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday.

Just another emotional blow in a season that can’t end soon enough for the Rams.

“We didn’t do a lot of things very well,” said Feeley, who committed two turnovers and was sacked four times. “They had us on our heels the whole time. As soon as we got something going, we somehow staggered a little bit and put ourselves in a bad situation.”

Feeley, starting in place of the injured Bradford, was only 12 of 22 for 156 yards. He missed several open receivers, fumbled near the Rams’ own goal line and threw an interception on the first series in the third quarter.

The journeyman quarterback didn’t get much help from St. Louis’ running game, either. Steven Jackson and Jerious Norwood each had 19 yards rushing while the Rams (2-10) were held to a meager 1.3 yards per carry.

“We knew we were facing a team that was looking to clinch the NFC West, so we knew we were going to get their best,” Jackson said. “Our defense did a really good job in the first half but overall, (the 49ers) were able to make plays, come up big in defensive situations and eventually they were able to crack it open.”

It didn’t help that the Rams kept getting hurt.

Feeley injured his right thumb early in the fourth quarter while left guard Jacob Bell left with knee and ankle injuries. Left tackle Adam Goldberg (ribs), defensive end Eugene Sims and cornerback Justin King were also knocked out of the game, but all three returned.

Coach Steve Spagnuolo is optimistic Bradford will be able to play in the Rams’ next game at Seattle on Dec. 12.

“He was very sore all the way through and it never really changed,” Spagnuolo said. “He was more than willing to give it a shot … but (we) did not think it was smart to take a chance that something worse could happen to him.”

While the Rams are stumbling, the 49ers are surging after clinching the NFC West division title and a spot in the playoffs.

Frank Gore helped run San Francisco (10-2) right into the postseason, becoming the 49ers’ career rushing leader by passing late Hall of Famer Joe Perry and finishing with 73 yards.

Alex Smith threw second-half touchdowns of 52 and 56 yards to Michael Crabtree and Kyle Williams, and David Akers kicked four field goals to help Jim Harbaugh join George Seifert (1989) and Steve Mariucci (1997) as the only rookie coaches in franchise history to win a division title.

The only downer came when star linebacker Patrick Willis left the game in the first half with a right hamstring injury.

San Francisco became the NFL’s second team to secure a playoff berth behind defending Super Bowl champion Green Bay.

Despite further problems converting in the red zone early, San Francisco shut out an opponent for the first time since a 35-0 home win at Candlestick Park on Oct. 4, 2009. That was also the Rams’ last shutout.

The Niners also avenged a late-season loss from 2010 that was still plenty fresh. They had won five straight before losing at St. Louis in the second-to-last week.

Smith, who didn’t start that last game against the Rams, completed 17 of 23 passes for 274 yards with four sacks and no interceptions to finish with a career-high 142.3 quarterback rating.

Gore ran for 2 yards early in the second quarter to give him 7,345 career yards rushing, moving him past Perry (7,344) for most in franchise history.

Akers kicked a 36-yard field goal on San Francisco’s second possession of the game to go up 3-0 with 4:54 left in the first quarter.

Ray McDonald knocked the ball away from Feeley midway through the second quarter to force a fumble and Aldon Smith recovered deep in St. Louis territory. That gave the 49ers first-and-goal at the 6, but they again failed to get into the end zone, settling for Akers’ 19-yard field goal.

“We just can’t seem to put anything together,” Feeley said. “We have to do a better job, plain and simple.”

Akers booted a 28-yarder 1:41 before halftime for his 31st field goal of the year, topping Jeff Wilkins’ single-season franchise mark of 30 set in 1996.

That gave the 49ers nine field goals — with only three TDs — in the last 14 trips to the red zone before Crabtree’s TD catch.

Davis dropped a would-be 40-yard touchdown catch in the end zone late in the second quarter on a perfectly thrown pass from Smith. Davis later had a catch and fumble for San Francisco, which hasn’t scored a first-half touchdown since Week 9 at Washington.

Rams DE Chris Long’s second-quarter sack on Smith gave him one in six straight games.

“The effort’s always there with this group,” Long said. “That’s not something I feel like anybody can question, but execution can definitely be questioned. The effort’s good, but that’s not going to win us any ballgames.”

Copyright 2011 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

AP Photo/Seth Perlman

Seattle Seahawks running back Marshawn Lynch, right, runs for a 5-yard gain as St. Louis Rams safety Darian Stewart, left, defends during the third quarter of an NFL football game, Sunday, Nov. 20, 2011, in St. Louis. The Rams won 24-7.

The first quarter made Pete Carroll wince. Soon enough, the Seattle Seahawks coach was smiling.
In the first eight or so minutes, the St. Louis Rams had two interceptions, a blocked punt and their first touchdown in the opening quarter since the season opener.
“We came out and played so miserably,” Carroll said.
The Rams (2-8) had only seven points, though. The rest of the way was all Seattle, especially on defense, in a 24-7 victory on Sunday. The misery was on the other side of the field.
“Nobody wavered at all, nobody lost their minds on it, nobody got down in the dumps about it, and you could just feel it change,” Carroll said. “You knew it was a matter of time before we got on top of this thing and got going.”
Chris Clemons had three of the Seahawks’ five sacks and two forced fumbles on Sam Bradford, both of them leading to touchdowns. Seattle shut down Steven Jackson, too.
The Rams managed just 185 yards, Seattle’s best showing and St. Louis’ second-worst.
“We just have to keep fighting and get ready for the next opponent,” Jackson said. “Try to do a little more film study or whatever it is that’s called upon you. Continue to fight, that’s really what it is at this point.”
Wide receiver Sidney Rice provided early flash for Seattle (4-6), completing a 55-yard option pass to open the game, catching a touchdown pass and drawing a pass interference call to set up a field goal at the end of the half for a 10-7 lead.
Marshawn Lynch scored for the fourth straight week, although he missed on a third straight 100-yard game, finishing with 88 yards on 27 carries.
“They all don’t start off the way you want them to,” Lynch said. “It’s all a matter of how you finish it.”
Running behind a patchwork line, Jackson was held to 42 yards on 15 carries, ending a run of three straight games of 125 or more yards. The Rams opened without both starting tackles, with Rodger Saffold (pectoral) placed on injured reserve on Saturday and Jason Smith (concussion) out for the fourth straight week. Practice squad callup Kevin Hughes became a regular after fill-in tackle Mark Levoir (pectoral) was hurt in the first half.
Brandon Lloyd’s 30-yard catch was the Rams’ first touchdown in the first quarter since the opener, set up by Quintin Mikell’s interception. That was it for the NFL’s lowest-scoring team, which managed 1 yard or less a dozen times on first down.
“We’re definitely having some issues on our first- and second-down plays and that’s tough, especially with a team like Seattle, they have excellent pass rushers and an excellent secondary,” Lloyd said. “When you get in third and long and short passing situations, then that’s where they thrive.”
The Seahawks won on consecutive weeks for the first time, following up on an upset over Baltimore, and have won 12 of 13 in the series. They improved to 2-4 on the road in a game notable for sloppy play and 19 punts, including a season-high 10 by the Rams’ Donnie Jones.
The Rams’ game plan leaned heavily to four-wideout sets and empty backfields.
“We thought they might run the ball more because Steven Jackson had been running so well the past few games,” Seattle linebacker Leroy Hill said. “But they tried to spread us out and it worked in our favor.”
Lynch scored on a 3-yard run in the third quarter, five plays after Bradford fumbled at the St. Louis 25, and Justin Forsett broke several tackles on a 22-yarder on third-and-11 to clinch it with 4:21 to go. The clincher came three plays after Red Bryant intercepted a pass tipped at the line by Brandon Mebane.
The Rams’ defense kept it close for a while and had four sacks, but the offense never made it to the red zone and crossed the 50 only three times.
Bradford has fumbled nine times this season, six of them resulting in turnovers.
“I’m beyond frustrated right now,” Bradford said. “I’ve never been a part of a team that’s been in this situation. I don’t like it. I’m not going to quit.”
Notes: Rams LB Josh Hull (hamstring) was sidelined early in the first quarter. … WR Mark Clayton had a fair catch on a punt return for St. Louis after Austin Pettis (knee) was hurt in the second half. … Former L.A. Rams QB Vince Ferragamo was introduced on the sideline in the first quarter. … The last Seahawks player to get three sacks was Patrick Kearney Dec. 12, 2007 against Arizona.

Bradford was sacked five times, lost two fumbles and threw an interception in the Seattle Seahawks’ 24-7 victory on Sunday.

The Rams were held to 185 yards, their second-lowest total of the season and the best effort of the season by the Seahawks.

“I’m beyond frustrated right now,” Bradford said. “I’ve never been on a team that has been in this situation. I don’t like it. I hope this is the only time in my career that I’m ever in a situation like this.”

Steven Jackson had a tough day, too. Running behind an injury-filled line, Jackson was held to 42 yards on 15 carries to end a run of three straight games of 125 or more yards.

The Rams (2-8) opened without starting tackles with Rodger Saffold (pectoral) and Jason Smith (concussion). Practice squad callup Kevin Hughes was called on to play after fill-in tackle Mark Levoir injured his right shoulder in the first half.

“We just couldn’t get it together,” Jackson said. “We knew they were pretty good against the run. As the injuries occurred and things went down, we became pretty much isolated to doing certain things.”

Wide receiver Sidney Rice completed a 55-yard pass to open the game, caught a touchdown pass and drew a pass interference call to set up a field goal in the first half for Seattle.

Chris Clemons had three of Seattle’s five sacks of Bradford and also forced the Rams quarterback to fumble twice, both of which led to touchdowns.

“We did a lot of the things that we talked about as a team that we couldn’t do if we wanted to win the game,” Bradford said. “So, obviously, we have to take those things into account and not make those mistakes.

“We just have to keep going, keep fighting.”

Marshawn Lynch scored for the fourth straight week, although he missed on a third straight 100-yard game, finishing with 88 yards on 27 carries.

The Seahawks (4-6) won on consecutive weeks for the first time, following up on an upset over Baltimore, and have won 12 of 13 in the series.

Seattle improved to 2-4 on the road in a game notable for sloppy play and 19 punts, including a season-high 10 by the Rams’ Donnie Jones.

Lynch scored on a 3-yard run in the third quarter, five plays after Bradford fumbled at the St. Louis 25, and Justin Forsett broke several tackles on a 22-yarder on third-and-11 to clinch it with 4:21 to go. The play came three plays after Red Bryant intercepted a pass tipped at the line by Brandon Mebane.

With under seven minutes to go in the first quarter, the Rams had two interceptions, a blocked punt and their first touchdown in the opening quarter since Jackson scored on a 47-yard run on St. Louis’ first offensive snap of the season against the Eagles.

After that, they couldn’t get going. A defense that totaled four sacks kept it close for a while, but the Rams never made it to the red zone and crossed the 50 only three times.

“I thought the defensive guys were battling their butts off,” coach Steve Spagnuolo said. “It’s hard to play defense when you’re behind and it’s hard to win games when you only score seven points.”

Seattle took a 10-7 lead on Steven Hauschka’s 19-yard field goal to end the half, one play after Justin King was called for interference in the end zone against Rice.

Rice executed a flea-flicker on the game’s first play, hitting Mike Williams in stride with a step on King for a 55-yard gain to the Rams 30. On the next play, Jackson was intercepted by Chris Chamberlain.

The Rams didn’t take advantage of that turnover, but Quintin Mikell’s pick on the Seahawks’ next series set up Brandon Lloyd’s 30-yard touchdown catch. Lloyd fell down on his route and then sprang to his feet to catch cornerback Richard Sherman by surprise.

Rice made his second big play on a 14-yard catch that tied it 7-all midway through the second quarter.

The Rams’ 10 first-down snaps in the half produced minus-2 yards.

Notes: Rams LB Josh Hull (hamstring) was sidelined early in the first quarter. … WR Mark Clayton had a fair catch on a punt return for St. Louis after Austin Pettis (knee) was hurt in the second half. … Former L.A. Rams QB Vince Ferragamo was introduced on the sideline in the first quarter. … The last Seahawks player to get three sacks was Patrick Kearney Dec. 12, 2007, against Arizona.

Copyright 2011 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.