Steve Spagnuolo isn't normally a numbers guy, but sometimes stats are unavoidable. Such was the case with Sunday's 27-17 loss to Seattle.

"If you said our defense was going to hold Seattle to 265 total yards, a quarterback rating of 65, and 95 yards passing, I would've said that was going to be pretty good," Spagnuolo said.

When it come to pass defense, and total defense, those certainly are numbers you can live with.

But instead of earning a rare victory, the Rams got yet another loss — and a double-digit one at that — against a Seahawks squad that has won only two of nine games this season against teams not named St. Louis.

"Always a tough one to swallow when you feel like it's two even opponents playing a tough football game ... and then you kind of let it get away," Spagnuolo said. "I think it came down to turnovers and run defense."

On an offense that is averaging only 11.8 points a game, there is little margin for error. Legitimate chances to score haven't come around that often for the Rams, so turnovers (and missed field goals, for that matter) can be very deflating.

The turnover rate for quarterback Kyle Boller has been particularly alarming. In 14 quarters of play in place of an injured Marc Bulger, a period encompassing three starts and most of a fourth game, Boller has committed seven turnovers on five interceptions and two lost fumbles. That averages out to two turnovers a game, and 32 over a 16-game schedule, which obviously is way too many.

Worse yet is the fact that four of those seven Boller turnovers have been returned for touchdowns, including a 65-yard interception return for a score Sunday by Seattle cornerback Josh Wilson. That play snapped a 7-7 tie and gave the Seahawks the lead for good.

Of the three Boller turnovers that weren't returned for TDs, two came in the red zone. A third came from just outside the red zone — from the Seattle 23 Sunday — on a throw into the end zone.

"I know Kyle would like to have both of them back, I'm sure," Spagnuolo said, speaking of Boller's two interceptions against Seattle.

As for run defense, Spagnuolo offered no concrete answers Monday on how to fix what has been a growing problem.

"Now, we're not going to put full pads on and start tackling," Spagnuolo said. "So there are other things you can do. And we'll do those, and we have been doing 'em. It's technique and coaching. It's the players buying in and getting it done."

It's not getting done lately, however. Not even close. Seattle entered Sunday's game minus its top running back, Julius Jones, because of injury and ranked 32nd in rushing offense in the NFL. The Seahawks still piled up 170 rushing yards, including 130 by little-known Justin Forsett.

This coming Sunday, the Rams travel to Chicago to face a Bears team that is the new No. 32 — or last-ranked — rushing team in the NFL. (Seattle moved up to 28th after Sunday's field day in St. Louis.)

Two weeks from now it's NFL rushing leader Chris Johnson and the Tennessee Titans. It's scary to think of what Johnson might do against the St. Louis run defense unless things improve dramatically.

After bemoaning the missed tackles against Seattle after Sunday's game, Spagnuolo wouldn't elaborate Monday. When asked how many tackles were missed by the defense, he replied: "I'm not going there. We had enough that caused us to not play good defense."

More than in previous weeks?

"Too many," Spagnuolo replied.

At least one Rams defender said after the Seahawks game that it wasn't a case of players getting physically beaten on running plays.

"That's probably a safe assessment," Spagnuolo said. "Your pride as a defensive player doesn't think that way. And most of the time defensively it's somebody got knocked down, either with a low block, or somebody didn't stay in their gap.

"I know we say (gap control) all the time. But you listen around the league when there's run defense problems, that's usually it. And that's the same case here. It's just that it's happened a little too often."

Spagnuolo doesn't think there are problems with the Rams' scheme on run defense.

"We put 11 out (on the field), they put 11 out," he said. "You've got certain guys in a certain gap. We're doing that. We've just got to find a way to make sure that 11 guys are doing it all the time. ... If I thought it was one person every time, that person would be out — I'd have somebody else in there. That's not the case."

Spagnuolo did make one lineup change against the Seahawks, moving rookie defensive tackle Darell Scott into the lineup for what was his first NFL start.