GREEN BAY, Wis. — It was one misguided pass, thrown in one frustrating moment as part of one rough season.

But when the ball came to rest in the hands of Packers cornerback Sam Shields in the Green Bay end zone Sunday, it was another opportunity lost, another touchdown that evaporated, another reason for first-year St. Louis Rams offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels to rub his face as if he were trying to make it all go away.

“There are always throws you want back,” Rams quarterback Sam Bradford said. “That’s obviously one I want back. We just have to find a way to change our mistakes into touchdowns. I think everyone’s comfortable with the plan. We just have to find a way to do better.”

When McDaniels was fired as Denver’s coach last December with an 11-17 record, the Broncos talked about restoring the “integrity” of a franchise with two NFL titles. They talked about rebuilding “the faith” of the fans and reconstructing the roster to “a championship level.”

But when McDaniels was hired by St. Louis coach Steve Spagnuolo to jump-start an offense on what had been considered a team on the rise, it looked like he had made out just fine.

The Rams were 7-9 in 2010, played for a postseason berth in the regular season’s final week and had a franchise quarterback in Bradford, a former Oklahoma star and the No. 1 pick of the 2010 draft.

Bradford passed for 308 yards and three touchdowns against McDaniels and the Broncos as a rookie, leading the Rams to a 36-33 victory in Denver.

Yet the Rams are 0-5 this season and rank last in the 32-team league in scoring, averaging only 9.8 points. Bradford is limping with a high ankle sprain he suffered on the final play of Sunday’s 24-3 loss to the Packers. He has been sacked more than any other quarterback in the league. The Rams gained 424 total yards against the defending Super Bowl champions but failed to score a touchdown.

“We’ve been able to move the ball up and down,” Bradford said, “but we just have so many mistakes, it doesn’t allow us to put the ball in the end zone. We’ve got to find a way to score touchdowns. The way we’ve played at times has been positive. We understand we can do that and there’s no reason, if we keep working, we can’t do that in the red zone, that we can’t score touchdowns.”

McDaniels has talked about getting it right, about the Rams trying to play their best football offensively in November and December. He has saluted Bradford’s resolve amid all the hits and emphasized the importance of Bradford continuing to stand in the pocket to make the necessary throws.

“We have to find a way to do better. Looking back doesn’t do you much good,” McDaniels said. “We’re going to find that formula.”

Even before the Packers sacked Bradford three times Sunday, Mc-Daniels said: “Every quarterback gets hit. And we want ours to be hit less, there’s no question about that. We’ve got to do a better job of making sure that happens. But that’s part of his job. He’s going to take some shots, and as a quarterback I don’t think there’s anything more satisfying than getting hit and making a play at the same time.”

Injuries have slowed the Rams’ progress. They lost wide receiver Danny Amendola for the year in Week 1 and lost running back Steven Jackson for several weeks after his first carry in the season opener.

The schedule has been brutal, with the Rams already having played the Redskins, Ravens, Giants, Eagles and Packers. Games against the Cowboys, 49ers (twice) and Saints remain. Looking for hired help, the Rams on Monday traded for wide receiver Brandon Lloyd, a Pro Bowler with the Broncos. Lloyd resurrected his NFL career when McDaniels brought him to Denver. He had 77 catches for 1,448 yards and 11 touchdowns in 2010.

“As long as we keep grinding, grinding in this system — we know it works — there’s no reason it won’t come soon,” Bradford said.

“Josh came (into the Green Bay game) with a good game plan,” Jackson said. “These guys were ranked third against the run and we moved the ball. We think we can do better, especially in the red zone. We know we can, but we don’t accept losing or moral victories.”

Jeff Legwold: 303-954-2359 or jlegwold@denverpost.com