While watching the Ravens grind their way to an ugly, 22-3 victory yesterday against the pathetic, winless, injury-riddled St. Louis Rams, I found myself feeling for the Ravens’ faithful.

Here’s what more than 71,000 fans paid to see on a sunny, breezy day at M&T Bank Stadium:

They got to watch backup quarterback Kyle Boller get pummeled every other time he dropped back behind a rookie-dominated offensive line that clearly showed its age.

They got to witness running back Willis McGahee trying to pick his way past Rams linemen who were living in the Baltimore backfield.

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They got to watch the Ravens’ defense have fun at the expense of Rams backup quarterback Gus Frerotte, who merely threw five interceptions, added a lost fumble, and nearly had his head taken off by a pass rush that made the St. Louis line look like a bunch of college players at times.

They got to see the Ravens’ defense give the ball to the offense repeatedly in St. Louis territory, leaving Old Reliable — kicker Matt Stover — to bail out the unit after “drives” that barely went anywhere.

You could easily read the numb looks of disgust on numerous fans, as they headed for the exits during the game’s final five minutes.

They’ve seen it all before, all too often, in the Brian Billick era. The red-zone collapses. The poorly-designed jump balls resembling glorified Hail Mary plays. One touchdown.

Five field goals.

The Ravens should be thankful for several things that occurred yesterday. First, they got to feast on St. Louis, which showed all of its 0-6 credentials, right down to a dropped touchdown pass by receiver Marques Hagans and a poorly underthrown pass by Frerotte to wideout Drew Bennett that turned an easy touchdown into an interception by cornerback Chris McAlister.

Second, the decision to sit injured quarterback Steve McNair was a no-brainer. With the 13-year veteran nursing groin and back problems, and with the bye looming after Sunday’s trip to Buffalo, McNair might have suffered a career-ending mishap yesterday.

That left Boller to play the sacrificial lamb.

Say one thing for No. 7: He is still maddeningly inconsistent and inaccurate, but you can’t question Boller’s toughness. Man, did he take some heavyweight shots by the Rams, who constantly loaded the box with at least eight players to stuff the run, and kept nailing Boller with unblocked pass rushers.

Billick said it’s unlikely that McNair will start in Buffalo, as the Ravens try to get their No. 1 quarterback healthy for the second half of the season.

In other words, Boller will have to take another one for the team, behind a young line that barely could get out of its own way against the Rams.

Based on yesterday’s blistering performance by the offense, the Ravens look set to move to 5-2 next week by hammering out something like an 11-6 win over the fading, banged-up Bills.

How about that offensive juggernaut yesterday? While missing McNair, center Mike Flynn, left tackle Jonathan Ogden and tight end Todd Heap, the Ravens produced 248 yards and averaged 3.9 yards on 63 plays.

Four times, the Ravens forced turnovers and took over in St. Louis territory. Four times — on drives that encompassed 27, 19, 14 and 26-yards — they had to settle for field goals.

A 19-point victory is supposed to feel better than this, even if it comes at the expense of the worst team in the NFL. But the looks on the faces of the fans said it all. They know better than to expect anything but an ugly grind from now until the end of the season.

Gary Lambrecht writes about the NFL, Major League Baseball and college sports.