Rams Are Looking at the Big Picture

The Rams have clinched a division title and the first postseason game in St. Louis in the 33 years the city has had an NFL team.

What more can they do?

Turns out, quite a lot.

The Rams, with a 30-14 victory over the New Orleans Saints Sunday, followed up last week’s NFC West title clincher by becoming the first NFL team to go undefeated in their division a year after going winless in division play.

“We have some players playing good football, and there we go from 0-8 to 8-0 and still have a shot at home-field advantage all the way through the playoffs. That’s what we’re looking for,” St. Louis Coach Dick Vermeil said.

For the second consecutive week, the Rams (11-2) had a 300-yard passer in Kurt Warner, a 100-yard rusher in Marshall Faulk and two 100-yard receivers.

Warner completed 21 of 31 passes for 346 yards and two touchdowns, Isaac Bruce reached 1,000 yards receiving with four receptions for 102 yards, and Torry Holt caught six passes for 113 yards.

Faulk had 154 yards rushing and scored two touchdowns.

For the Saints (2-11), it was another bitter Sunday, playing before a scant crowd in the cavernous Superdome. By the end of the game, only a scattering of jeering fans remained, drowned out by a contingent wearing Ram colors and cheering for Faulk, a New Orleans native.

The Saints have lost 11 of their last 12 and are 14-31 under Coach Mike Ditka, who stormed out of his postgame news conference when the first question was if he still believed he could turn things around for the Saints.