Now comes the waiting.
The Rams players who were unsure of their job status entering Thursday night's final preseason game will spend the next 24 hours or so hoping that their phone won't ring. No call means that they'll continue to receive an NFL paycheck.
The Rams have until 5 p.m. Saturday (St. Louis time) to reach the regular-season roster limit of 53. That means 22 players must go before then.
Quarterback Thaddeus Lewis, an undrafted rookie from Duke, has been locked in a battle with second-year pro Keith Null for the No. 3 spot behind Sam Bradford and A.J. Feeley. Lewis and Null both put strong accents on their résumés Thursday in the Rams' 27-21 victory over the Baltimore Ravens.
"I felt like I did pretty good," Lewis said after hitting on six of eight passes for 89 yards and a 26-yard touchdown to wideout Brandon McRae. "I got the chains moving. I felt like I managed the game pretty well."
Lewis wasn't able to pull away from Null, though. Null, a sixth-round draft pick last year, went seven for 10 for 90 yards, with a 3-yard TD pass to wide receiver Brandon Gibson and an interception on a ball that was deflected.
"I just went out there and did what I could do to control what I could control," Null said. "Now it's just in the coaches' hands. But I feel confident."
Lewis had the statistical lead in the preseason games. He completed 22 of 28 passes for 155 yards and two touchdowns, with one interception. Null finished 17 of 37 for 191 and two TDs, with two interceptions.
Running back Keith Toston, an undrafted rookie from Oklahoma State, might have gained some ground in the competition for the backup spot behind Steven Jackson. Toston picked up 47 yards on 10 carries. But Kenneth Darby, the most experienced of the reserve backs, rolled up 39 yards on just six attempts.
The third contender, Chris Ogbonnaya, had 31 yards on 16 carries.
"Any guy that's in the situation I'm in ... you put it all on the line. And that's what I feel like I did tonight," Toston said. "I feel like I took advantage of every opportunity that I got. Hopefully it's enough to make this team."
Toston was the Rams' leading ballcarrier in the preseason, with 127 yards on 39 carries. But Darby had a better yards-per-carry average, 3.7, with 99 yards on 27 attempts. Ogbonnaya had 70 yards on 36 tries, a 1.9 norm.
FEELEY FEELS READY
Feeley, out since suffering thumb and elbow injuries two weeks ago in Cleveland, threw several deep balls during pregame warmups and said he expects to return to practice Monday.
"I'm going to try to go," Feeley said. "It's a matter of taking snaps. Driving the football, I have the strength. It felt good. Today was the first day that I really stepped on it a little bit."
INJURY UPDATE
Safety Kevin Payne left in the third quarter with an injury to his left knee. Tackle Eric Young also suffered a knee injury late in the fourth quarter. Tight end Daniel Fells tweaked his knee, which had been bothering him. Fullback Dennis Morris hurt his ankle.
SITTING IT OUT
The Rams' inactive list included RB Steven Jackson, LB Na'il Diggs, WR Danario Alexander, QB A.J. Feeley (thumb), WR Laurent Robinson (foot), S James Butler (knee) and DE James Hall (hip).
RAM-BLINGS
Ex-Rams quarterback Marc Bulger didn't see action for the Ravens. ... Travis Fisher, a former starting cornerback for the Rams, is a backup for Baltimore. ... The Rams also were 3-1 in the preseason last year.
