Rams Not Holding Anything Back Now

There was no letup by the St. Louis Rams.

Marshall Faulk became only the second player in NFL history to amass 1,000 yards rushing and 1,000 yards receiving in one season, and Kurt Warner tied a record with his ninth 300-yard passing game as the NFC West champions beat the Chicago Bears, 34-12, Sunday.

“We weren’t going to hold anything back,” Warner said. “We wanted to play the kind of football we’ve played all year, and I think we did that.”

The Rams (13-2) ran out of season-oriented incentives last week when they clinched home-field advantage throughout the NFC playoffs. That didn’t stop them from eliminating the Bears (6-9) from playoff contention, with Faulk piling up 222 total yards on 20 touches in the first half alone.

The Bears blitzed constantly, leaving Faulk in single coverage. He was more than a safety valve, catching three passes for 65 yards on the Rams’ second scoring drive, then three more for 39 yards in a span of four plays to set up a field goal.

The Rams led 31-0 with 8:08 to go in the third quarter en route to setting franchise records for victories and scoring. They are now tied with Jacksonville for the NFL’s best record.

Faulk played only one series in the second half and finished with 204 yards on a personal-best 12 catches and 54 yards rushing in 10 carries, for a season-best 258-yard game. He has 2,323 total yards--1,302 rushing and 1,021 receiving--and needs 36 yards in the season finale at Philadelphia to break Barry Sanders’ 1997 total yardage record of 2,358.

San Francisco’s Roger Craig is the only other player to amass 1,000 yards rushing and receiving in a season. He did it in 1985.