(My Sportsbook) - The wheels may have officially come off the St. Louis Rams' wagon.

Following a disheartening 34-20 home loss to division-rival Arizona on Sunday, Rams quarterback Marc Bulger opened up about what he believes is a lack of drive among his teammates.

"There's more than one guy in this locker room who could care less that we're losing, or thinks it's okay to make mistakes," he said.

While the comment seems tailor-made to stir up locker room turmoil, on Monday Bulger gained mostly support from those he took to task, as well as from head coach Scott Linehan, who has seen his first season at the helm in St. Louis go from good to bad to worse.

The Rams are just 5-7 after opening the season by winning four of their first five games. Linehan thinks it's about time someone other than a coach emerged as a vocal motivator -- someone who will "take the bull by the horns."

"There can be some things said out there on the field, too," Linehan said Monday. "It doesn't have to be a coach...I think the players now can start kind of policing themselves. I think that's a good thing."

Bulger's comments may have been given more weight by the fact that, by all accounts, he is one of the quietest members of the team. Also, it seems he is right.

"I don't know if anybody's really arguing with him that there aren't guys who should care more," said offensive guard Adam Timmerman.

The sentiment was echoed by more than one teammate.

"[F]or him to come out and speak that way, it must have been something that he really felt," said wide receiver Torry Holt. "I think it's gotten all of our attention. Maybe that's what we need."

Added safety Corey Chavous, "If those are the types of things that he feels, then certainly it's something that needs to be addressed."

PLAYOFFS?

The Rams' recent struggles have them on the outside of the playoff race looking in. Along with the San Francisco 49ers and Minnesota Vikings, they are one of three teams that sit one game back in the NFC Wild Card race.

Four teams -- New York, Philadelphia, Carolina and Atlanta -- are tied for the Wild Card lead with four weeks remaining in the season.

The Rams' remaining schedule, against teams with a combined 21-27 record, seems favorable, although 10 of those losses belong to Week 15 opponent Oakland. Then again, Sunday's matchup against the Cardinals seemed favorable, too.

Linehan, for one, wasn't wearing his rose-colored glasses.

"We put ourselves in the worst possible position," he said. "It's certainly going to be an uphill battle."

STILL VULNERABLE

St. Louis' run defense remains vulnerable, even against a team with an offensive line as inept as the one fielded by the Arizona Cardinals.

On Sunday, the Rams allowed Edgerrin James to rush for 115 yards on 26 carries and also surrendered three rushing touchdowns to Marcel Shipp, all within 10 yards.

Teams continue to attack the weakness: Arizona called a run on 37 of its 62 plays on Sunday and gained an average of more than five yards per carry.

EMPTY STATS

While the defense struggles to stop opposing offenses, the high-profile members of the Rams offense continue to post impressive numbers.

Bulger threw for 314 yards and two touchdowns Sunday -- although he was also intercepted three times -- and ranks eighth in the NFL in passer rating, fourth in yards and ninth in touchdown passes.

Steven Jackson had 96 yards on 21 carries to surpass the 1,000-yard mark for the second straight season. Jackson has 1,028 and six touchdowns on 239 carries.

Torry Holt caught seven passes for 115 yards and a touchdown, bringing his totals this season to 70 receptions, 910 yards and eight scores. Only five players have caught more balls this season, and one is teammate Jackson, who has 72 receptions.

UP NEXT: HOME AGAINST THE BEARS

Stopping Chicago's suddenly-punchless offense won't be the Rams' biggest challenge when the Bears visit Monday night. It will be keeping Chicago's defense and special teams off the board.

Chicago clinched the NFC North with a 23-13 win over Minnesota on Sunday, despite quarterback Rex Grossman's throwing for only 34 yards and three interceptions.

True to form (for this season, at least) the Bears got a return touchdown from their special teams and an interception return for a touchdown from their defense.

The Rams won their last meeting with Chicago, a 23-21 victory in 2003, on a game-winning field goal from Jeff Wilkins.