St. Louis Rams Chris Long finally gets first sack of season

ST. LOUIS -- Chris Long leads St. Louis Rams defensive linemen in tackles. After eight games, the defensive end finally has his first sack of the season, too.

The second overall pick of the 2008 draft has taken criticism for his pass rush skills, although he's generally gotten high marks from the coaching staff for his relentless nature.

Long had four sacks his rookie season and needed a bit of luck to get his first this year on the Lions' Matthew Stafford in the third quarter of Sunday's 17-10 victory. He was the beneficiary when tackle Clifton Ryan just missed dumping Stafford.

Long totaled five tackles against the Lions and has 37 stops on the year, fourth-best overall on the team. Coach Steve Spagnuolo says Long often is at a disadvantage because he faces the left tackle.