Jim Thomas of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch says the Rams defied expectations by pushing the unbeaten Saints from start to finish. Thomas: "The Rams became the first team in league history to play three straight home games against unbeaten teams. They came close to making more history with what would've been a staggering upset. But Marc Bulger's Hail Mary pass as time expired fell to the turf incomplete. And the Rams fell 28-23 to the still unbeaten Saints (9-0)." The Rams outgained the Saints.

Also from Thomas: Steven Jackson moved into third place on the Rams' all-time rushing list. On the down side, the Rams lost receiver Keenan Burton to a season-ending knee injury. Brandon Gibson's emergence should help offset the loss to a degree.

Bill Coats of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch breaks down the Rams' final drive against the Saints. Even if the Rams had scored on the final play, a holding penalty against Alex Barron would have negated the play.

Also from Coats: a Rams report card featuring a "B" grade for the receivers. Coats: "Rookie Brandon Gibson, forced into heavy action after Burton went down, was an instant hit. He finished with seven receptions for 93 yards, both season highs for Rams wideouts. Avery had the two scoring grabs, the first multi-TD game of his career. WR Danny Amendola had a bad drop on a slant that might’ve turned into a touchdown. TE Randy McMichael also dropped a ball. Nice outing for TE Daniel Fells, with three catches for 51 yards. Would’ve been even better if he could’ve held onto to the 2-point conversion pass in the final minutes."

Bernie Miklasz of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch came away impressed by what he saw from the Rams. Coach Steve Spagnuolo also saw progress. Spagnuolo: "Based on what happened out there today, I'd say yeah. I'd like to watch the film first. I'm sure there are enough things in there that will be disappointing, that we could have done better. But I'm hoping and I'm quite certain there will be a lot of things that we'll say, 'Hey, we've gotten better here, we've gotten there.' I just think the character in that locker room is what allows what happened today to happen."

Jeff Gordon of stltoday.com thinks the Rams should wait until the middle rounds before drafting a quarterback. Marc Bulger finished the game Sunday with a higher passer rating than Drew Brees. Bulger can be a productive quarterback with a little help from his supporting cast.

Steve Korte of the Belleville News-Democrat says Burton was injured when he fell awkwardly in the end zone. Spagnuolo: "Keenan Burton, I love. He's stepped up to become a leader, he's a workhorse in practice, I love that guy. I get disappointed for that guy."

Rod Kloeckner of the Belleville News-Democrat says Gibson earned high marks. Bulger: "For him to come in with Keenan getting hurt without a ton of work is impressive. I think we found a real good receiver there."

Turf Show Times' VanRam has no trouble awarding a moral victory to the Rams after their strong showing against the Saints. VanRam: "I'm giddy with delight. Let's nab a bit of rationality before we celebrate. Why? Because the Rams could have won this game. Should have won this game. A mistake free outing is rare even for the best teams -- case in point, New Orleans -- but the Rams had a couple of moments where they could have sealed the deal."

Turf Show Times' ram_rod hands a game ball to Bulger.