(Sports Network) - The loyal throng of fans at the Edward Jones Dome cheered loudly when their team, the St. Louis Rams, went into the break ahead, 21-7, on Sunday. They exploded when the Rams, after procuring an unlikely fumble deep in their own territory with under three minutes to play, regained the lead they had squandered when quarterback Marc Bulger hit wide receiver Torry Holt on a dazzling 67-yard pass play to take a 28-27 lead. They reacted with glee when head coach Scott Linehan showed unbridled joy at an apparent game- ending penalty on the Seahawks with less than 10 seconds to play.

But when St. Louis supporters ultimately walked to their automobiles on Sunday, they did so quietly and in the dejected haze of a 30-28 loss.

"Games like this, you see them every week," said Linehan on Monday. "Certainly feels better to be on the winning end, but we've been on the favorable side of a couple of tight games, and we weren't able to win this week. We've got to take both of those, victories and losses, with the same amount of focus, and still maintain that 24-hour period, which is a lot easier to do after a win, than a loss, but we've got to do it."

The much-debated sequence came late in the going, just after the Holt touchdown had pushed the Rams ahead. Seattle quarterback Matt Hasselbeck subsequently led the Seahawks on an eight-play, 52-yard drive to the Rams 32- yard line, but in a haste to spike the ball and stop the clock prior to a Josh Brown field goal attempt, Seattle was flagged for illegal formation with four seconds to play. Linehan believed that the infraction would lead to a 10- second runoff, as do a handful of offensive penalties that occur inside of two minutes, and since the Seahawks had no timeouts, the first-year head coach believed that the flag would spell the end of the game. Referee Ed Hochuli explained, however, that illegal formation was not one of the fouls that results in a runoff, Brown trotted on and nailed a 54-yard field goal after the penalty was assessed, and the Rams, who came in looking to extend their lead in the NFC West, were suddenly a second-place team.

One day later, Linehan was still perturbed about the circumstances of the defeat.

"I think the integrity of the 10-second runoff is in question here," said Linehan, who also conceded that the call was a correct one in terms of the letter of the law. "The whole idea is that you can't have an illegal play of any kind without any timeouts while the clock's running, to ensure the chance that you get a chance to get a kick. I'm sure that's the integrity of the 10- second runoff."

Penalty or not, the reality is that now-4-2 St. Louis blew leads of both 21-7 and 28-27, and squandered a chance to take control of the NFC West from the Hawks, now 4-1. After moving the ball with ease in the first half, the big play to Holt accounted for most of the Rams' offense in the second. After holding Hasselbeck and the Seattle offense in check for the first 30 minutes, St. Louis allowed the Seahawks to put together five scoring marches over the final 30. Bulger's 360-yard passing day and Holt's eight-catch, 154-yard, three-touchdown outing were both overshadowed significantly by the defeat.

The Rams will have to lick their wounds during a Week 7 bye, and will have to correct the ills that led to their demise against the Seahawks.

"It's really important that we maintain that level of consistency with what we're doing, and work to improve on a daily basis," said Linehan. "You've got to do it, win or lose."

"I think we're in a good position. Certainly, the loss puts us in a different position than we'd be in if we had won the game, as far as our division, but we're still in a good position."

ALL TORRY, ALL THE TIME

Holt's three-touchdown performance on Sunday temporarily moved him into sole possession of the NFL lead in TDs with seven, but the Chargers' LaDainian Tomlinson tied Holt at the top with a four-score game against the 49ers later on Sunday afternoon. Holt is third in the NFL with 526 receiving yards through Week 6, and his 37 catches rank fifth in the league. The perennial Pro Bowler needs six touchdowns over his final 10 games to surpass his previous single- season high of 12 touchdowns, established in the 2003 season.

Elsewhere on the Rams statistical front, Bulger is second in the NFL behind Donovan McNabb in passing yards (1619), and is third in passer rating behind McNabb and San Diego's Philip Rivers (99.8). Running back Steven Jackson is second in NFL rushing yards (521), just 12 yards behind the Giants' Tiki Barber.

HARGROVE SHOWN THE DOOR

The Rams made a surprise move on Monday, trading defensive end Anthony Hargrove in exchange for a fifth-round draft choice in 2007.

The trade of Hargrove had much to do with an unexcused and as yet unexplained absence from the team prior to a Week 3 trip to Arizona. The 2004 third-round pick out of Georgia Tech did not accompany the team to that game, did not start subsequent contests against the Lions and Packers, and was inactive against the Seahawks. Hargrove made 15 starts last season, notching six sacks.

"I really honestly think the world of Tony," Linehan said. "He's a real likable guy. He's got a lot of talent. He's been fighting with the level of consistency that we command and want to reflect as part of our program."

Rookie and fourth-round draft choice Victor Adeyanju (Indiana) has supplanted Hargrove in the starting lineup, and recorded his first career sack on Sunday.

UP NEXT: BYE WEEK

St. Louis will have to get well during a Week 7 bye, which will be followed by a difficult trip to San Diego in Week 8.

The Rams are 5-3 all-time against the Chargers, and have won the two most recent games in the series.

St. Louis is 9-8 all-time following the bye week, but has lost its last two post-open date tilts.