Warner Works Wonders

Kurt Warner, a veteran of the Arena Football League and NFL Europe, is the NFL’s top-rated passer and the catalyst for the St. Louis Rams’ 3-0 start. And he was never better than he was Sunday.

In a 38-10 rout of the Cincinnati Bengals, Warner completed 17 of 21 passes for 310 yards and three touchdowns, with no interceptions, for a passer rating of 158.3, the highest possible. He is the first quarterback to achieve a perfect rating since Jeff Blake of the Cincinnati Bengals in 1995.

“Everything’s going so well,” Warner said. “We just want to continue to roll with the confidence we’ve got.”

Standing in their way Sunday are the San Francisco 49ers, who have beaten the Rams 17 consecutive times. That’s the second-longest current winning streak against a single opponent. The Washington Redskins have won 18 straight over the Detroit Lions.

But these are not the same old Rams.

“Have you seen these guys on film?” 49er linebacker Ken Norton Jr. said. “They’re good!”

The Carolina Panthers squandered a 21-0 lead, rallied to overcome a 35-24 deficit and appeared on the verge of a second consecutive victory Sunday before losing to the Redskins, 38-36, on a last-second field goal.

“Everybody says you played so hard, so great, you were so close, way to go,” said Panther quarterback Steve Beuerlein, noting that the Panthers lost nine of 12 games last season by a touchdown or less. “But you still feel like crap.”