Warner Contained; Rams Aren’t
Kurt Warner finally had one of those days when he wasn’t spectacular for the St. Louis Rams, and it didn’t bother him at all.
Warner didn’t have to do anything special Sunday as the Rams got a 101-yard kickoff return from Tony Horne and a 91-yard interception return from Grant Wistrom to remain the NFL’s only unbeaten team with a 41-13 rout of the Atlanta Falcons.
“They wanted to take away the pass and get guys up in our face,” Warner said. “We’re going to do whatever teams allow us to do, whether it’s running or passing the ball. We have all of the facets going right now.”
Warner put the Rams (5-0) in control when he engineered touchdown drives on the first two possessions, and after the Falcons (1-5) cut the lead to 14-7 early in the second, Horne raced down the sideline for his second scoring kickoff return in two weeks. He had a 97-yarder in last week’s 42-20 victory over San Francisco.
Atlanta had one more chance to cut the lead to a touchdown before halftime, reaching the nine, but Wistrom picked off Chris Chandler’s pass and lumbered the distance for a 28-7 lead 1:42 before halftime.
The Falcons never threatened to get back in the game after that.
Warner, who passed for 1,217 yards and 14 touchdowns in the first four games, connected on 13 of 20 passes for 111 yards and one touchdown. It was his lowest yardage total since passing for 275 yards and three scores when the Rams shelled the Falcons, 35-7, in their first meeting in St. Louis three weeks ago.
Marshall Faulk gave him all the offensive help he needed, running for 181 yards and a touchdown in 18 carries, including a 30-yard run on a third-and-26 draw on the second scoring drive and a 49-yard run to set up a touchdown in the fourth quarter.
“Marshall did a great job, as did the guys opening the holes,” Warner said. “That’s what this team is all about and that’s why this team is 5-0.”
Coach Dick Vermeil had praise for the Ram defense too.
“I’ve said all along the defense is good, and they don’t get much credit because the offense has been so flashy,” he said. “The defense was the one that provided the momentum. I think we are becoming a complete football team.”