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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
ST. LOUIS (AP) -- Back at home, the St. Louis Rams were back in
playoff form.
Kurt Warner threw two touchdown passes, increasing his
NFL-leading total to 26, and the Rams got defensive touchdowns from
Todd Lyght and Mike Jones in a 35-10 victory over the Carolina
Panthers on Sunday. The Rams (7-2) recovered convincingly from
successive excruciating losses at Tennessee and at Detroit that
ended an unbeaten season.
|  | | Rams quarterback Kurt Warner gets a pass off as center Mike Gruttadauria, left, blocks Carolina's Kevin Greene and guard Adam Timmerman locks up the Panthers' Esera Tuaolo.
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"Our defense basically won the game for us," said tight end
Roland Williams, who caught a touchdown pass. "They were making a
lot of plays and they just shined."
Until Marshall Faulk tacked on a gratuitous 18-yard run with
1:11 to play, the offense and defense each had produced two
touchdowns. The Rams got their first two-TD game from the defense
since 1995.
"For a while, we were a little worried about it," Warner
joked. "When our defense goes out and gets us 14 points, we can't
complain too much."
The Rams won their sixth straight at home, their longest streak
since 1984-85. They're 5-0 at the Trans World Dome, where they've
quickly developed into a hot ticket and are drawing sellouts while
winning by an average score of 35-10.
The game was the first of five in a row against NFC West
competition and gave St. Louis a four-game lead with seven to play.
The Panthers (3-6) were without running back Tshimanga Biakabutuka,
who missed his third straight game with a sprained ankle, and have
lost three of four.
Warner, who had thrown only 11 passes entering the season, fell
one touchdown pass off the NFL record pace of Dan Marino, who had
48 in 1984. He was 19-for-29 for 286 yards and one interception,
hitting Isaac Bruce for his 10th touchdown from 22 yards and Roland Williams from 19 yards.
Not that all the Panthers were impressed.
"They were about what I thought they were going to be," said
free safety Mike Minter, who had a fumble recovery. "Fourteen
points on the defense, and that last one, you can't count that.
"So that's pretty good. They've been putting up 30-something
points on everyone."
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GAME NOTES |
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Carolina's Michael Bates became the first Rams opponent to return a kickoff beyond the 40 when he made it to the 42 in the second quarter.
When the Panthers scored on their opening drive, it was
the first time the Rams trailed at home this season.
Rams nickel back Taje Allen was taken to a hospital for X-rays after sustaining
a sprained neck.
Rams free safety Keith Lyle, who has made 73 consecutive starts, left with a bruised shoulder. He expects to play next week at San Francisco.
Panthers defensive end Antonio Edwards suffered a sprained left knee.
With seven games to go, the Rams matched their top victory total in five seasons since moving to St. Louis. They were 7-9 in 1995, their first year after the move.
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Lyght's 57-yard interception return with 15 seconds to go in the
first quarter was the Rams' biggest defensive play, giving them the
lead for good at 14-7. Lyght took away the inside route from
Patrick Jeffers and the pass from Steve Beuerlein, who had been
9-for-9, hit him right in the numbers.
"Just a bad play on my part," Beuerlein said. "I've got
nowhere else to put the blame. I threw it too quick and hit him
right in the chest."
Lyght, who has four career touchdowns, was shocked and pleased.
"When you catch the ball clean like that and get a free run to
the zone, it's always a lovely situation," Lyght said. "We needed
a big play to get it open and that was it, and after that we never
looked back."
Jones made it 28-10 when he stripped the ball from Wesley Walls
and returned it 37 yards in the third quarter.
Faulk, who had only 17 yards on nine carries after three
quarters, finished with 73 yards.
Kevin Carter had 2½ of the Rams' six sacks for the 10th
multisack game of his career. He has 5½ the last two weeks, is
among the league leaders with 9½ and has 11 sacks in nine career
games against the Panthers.
"Our front four is, I think, as good as any," Carter said.
"We really come after you."
Beuerlein, who had three touchdown passes last week, was
effective from a statistical standpoint, going 24-for-39 for 286
yards, but with two interceptions. Walls caught a 14-yard pass for
the game's first score, and Muhsin Muhammad had nine receptions for
125 yards before leaving in the second half with injured ribs.
The Panthers opened with a nine-play, 70-yard drive to Walls'
seventh touchdown catch of the season. John Kasay made a 24-yard
field goal with 24 seconds to go in the half.
The Rams tied it on their first drive on Warner's pass to Bruce.
The key play was a 53-yard completion to Faulk, and on the next
play Bruce was wide open in the end zone.
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ALSO SEE
NFL Scoreboard
Carolina Clubhouse
St. Louis Clubhouse
Week 10 wrap-ups
Week 10 infirmary report
TJ's Take: Colts riding high
PrimeTime Players
Week 10 stats leaders
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