"Adalius Thomas didn't know the specifics of the injury situation in the Patriots secondary, but the collection of new faces in the huddle spoke volumes.

And what Thomas did know for certain was that there is one surefire way a team can help its defensive backs: Put pressure on the quarterback.

Thomas (seven tackles, four solo) spearheaded a persistent rush by registering two sacks, while defensive end Richard Seymour added a team-high seven solo tackles, including a sack, as New England and its Band-Aid secondary emerged with a 23-16 triumph over the Rams yesterday at Gillette Stadium.

"I guess the injury bug's got a cloud over the top of us here," said Thomas. The Patriots defense was already playing without safety Rodney Harrison (injured reserve), and starting cornerbacks Deltha O'Neal (head injury) and Ellis Hobbs (shoulder) spent time on the sideline yesterday.

"I don't know who went out, but every time I looked up someone new was in there. Any time you get pressure on the quarterback, it makes it easier for the defensive backs," said Thomas. "We asked them to cover one second longer, then we tried to get [to the quarterback] one second faster. That second makes a lot of difference."

Just ask rookies like Terrence Wheatley.

"It's real big," said Wheatley. "If there's pressure, [the quarterback] is not going to sit there and gun it in. There's going to be a little air under it, it might come out a little wobbly. That helps if you slip or trip - don't get out of your break or get a beat on the ball. The big guys definitely make our job easier."

The Patriots entered Week 8 with only 10 sacks, but with Rams running back Steven Jackson sidelined, the front seven seemed particularly active in disrupting St. Louis quarterback Marc Bulger. The team piled up four sacks and chased Bulger all over the field.

"It seemed like we had some decent pressure on the quarterback," said Patriots coach Bill Belichick. "I am going to have to look at the film to get a gauge on it. But I think it could have been better a few times, but we knocked him down, [we] were in the pocket and made him run out a few times, too."

Rams coach Jim Haslett didn't need to see the tape to know the kind of day Seymour had.

"He is a heck of a player," said Haslett. "That kid wants to play. He is hard to block. It doesn't make a difference who is on him. He is one of the better ones in the league."

While the Rams did a better job protecting in the second half (despite mustering only 6 points after the break), but the Patriots took advantage of protection problems in the first half. At no time was that more evident than midway through the second quarter when Thomas and Seymour came up with momentum-changing sacks to push the Rams out of scoring position with the Patriots trailing, 10-7."