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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
SEATTLE (AP) -- After two straight tight wins, Mike Martz really
can appreciate the championship makeup of his St. Louis Rams.
The Rams used a 41-yard pass from Kurt Warner to Torry Holt to
set up a 27-yard field goal by Jeff Wilkins with 23 seconds left
for a 37-34 victory over the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday.
|  | | QB Kurt Warner didn't buckle under the pressure in Week 2, driving the Rams 61 yards to set up the winning field goal. |
The defending Super Bowl champs came back to beat Denver 41-36
on a touchdown in the final 2:58 Monday night.
"It's hard to describe the feeling," said Martz, St. Louis'
first-year head coach who was the offensive coordinator last
season. "No one panics, no one's critical. They're just looking
for an opportunity to win the game."
Warner seized the opportunity with 2:05 to play and the score
tied at 34.
"I'm bragging on the guy," Martz said of Warner, last season's
MVP. "But he is at his best when things are at their worst."
St. Louis drove 61 yards in eight plays for its winning score.
Warner's sideline completion to Holt came on third-and-17 from the
50 after a sack for a 7-yard loss.
"Holt is money," said Warner. "He made the big catch when we
needed it."
Said Holt: "I beat (Willie) Williams and I was thinking, `Just
make the catch.' It's great they went to me in that situation. We
have lots of playmakers."
Williams was supposed to jam Holt at the line, but missed.
"We were thinking that maybe we had the game won or maybe it
would be in overtime," Williams said, "but they made the plays."
Replay played a key role in the game. With 1:26 left, officials
confirmed Warner threw an incomplete pass from the St. Louis 33 on
a ball Chad Brown picked up and ran into the end zone, believing it
was a fumble.
"I took a hard hit on an imcomplete pass," said Warner, who
was hit by Cortez Kennedy.
"Even if they would have called it a fumble, we wouldn't gotten
a touchdown because they whistled the play dead," Seattle coach
Mike Holmgren said.
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TOM DONAHOE'S BREAKDOWN |
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This was an exciting, back-and-forth offensive game. For those who thought Kurt Warner might be a one-year wonder, he's certainly answering that criticism. He's thrown for more than 800 yards in his first two games.
For the Rams to return to the Super Bowl, they need to shore up some problems on defense. They've had some injuries on defense, and the Rams have to get some better play from their backup people.
St. Louis needs to start to making some plays on defense. It's difficult in this league to outscore people from week to week.
This was an encouraging game for Seattle. The Seahawks definitely generated more offense than they did last week and throughout the preseason, and QB Jon Kitna did some good things. But in the end, the Rams' big-play ability once again was the difference in the game.
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Seattle tied it at 34 on a 34-yard pass to rookie Darrell
Jackson with 2:05 left. The drive was kept alive when officials
ruled Kitna wasn't intercepted by Grant Wistrom at the Seattle 24
after examining replay.
The Seahawks lost in their home opener after getting shut out
last week in Miami, but they put a scare into the Rams.
Warner completed 35 of 47 passes for 386 yards and a touchdown,
with one interception. Marshall Faulk ran for 68 yards and made
nine catches for 85 yards.
For the second time in less than a week, the Rams put a lot of
drama into a victory.
"This is like Arena football," said Warner. "You can never
let your guard down."
Jon Kitna, nearly benched by Holmgren this week, was 20-for-31
for 245 yards with one touchdown and two interceptions.
"It was a long week, but that's how it is when you lose and you
play bad," said Kitna, who made five turnovers before being
benched at Miami. "We took a step in the right direction today."
The Rams went ahead 34-27 when safety Devin Bush ran in a fumble
with 5:12 left. Todd Collins sacked Kitna, causing the fumble, and
Kevin Carter caught the ball in the air, running 2 yards before
fumbling to Bush.
Ricky Watters' 1-yard plunge with 7:40 to go tied the score at
27 after Warner passed 4 yards to Roland Williams for a TD, his
14th consecutive completion.
In the third quarter, the lead changed hands twice before
Seahawks rookie Kris Heppner tied it at 20 with a 43-yard field
goal.
Seattle scored its first offensive touchdown of the season on
Watters' 3-yard run to open the second half. St. Louis came right
back as Warner picked apart the defense on 7-for-7 passing for 64
yards. Faulk scored on a 1-yard run.
The Rams strung together a 12-play, 68-yard drive, with Warner
going 7-for-10 for 56 yards, to take a 13-10 lead at halftime on
Robert Holcombe's 1-yard run. Warner gained 11 yards on a
quarterback draw on third-and-1.
Wilkins kicked a pair of 48-yard field goals in the first half.
Jay Bellamy stepped in front of rookie Trung Canidate,
intercepted a pass by Warner and returned it 84 yards for Seattle's
first touchdown of the season and a 10-3 lead in the second
quarter.
Heppner kicked his first NFL field goal, a 19-yarder on
Seattle's first possession of the game.
Game notes
The Rams set an NFL record by scoring 30 points or more
in their eighth consecutive regular-season game. ... In St. Louis'
first two games, Warner is 60-for-80 for 827 yards passing and four
touchdowns, with four interceptions. Faulk has 331 yards on 29
carries and 146 yards and 13 receptions for 185 yards. ... The
Seahawks scored their first offensive touchdown in the regular
season since Dec. 29 against Kansas City.
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ALSO SEE
NFL Scoreboard
St. Louis Clubhouse
Seattle Clubhouse
Week 2 wrap-ups
Week 2 infirmary report
TJ's Take on Week 2
Week 2 stats leaders
Prime Time Players
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