Rams Need Faulk, Defense --Then Luck
The St. Louis Rams squeaked into the playoffs on a rookie’s 54-yard field goal more than 1,000 miles away.
That didn’t keep at least some of the Rams from considering themselves the favorite to win the NFL title again.
“We’re the world champs and everyone needs to recognize that,” safety Keith Lyle said after the Rams beat the New Orleans Saints, 26-21, Sunday.
“The Super Bowl goes through St. Louis.”
That would not have been the case if it weren’t for Chicago Bear kicker Paul Edinger, who made a field goal with two seconds left for a stunning 23-20 victory over Detroit that knocked the Lions out of the playoffs.
The Rams will again play the Saints at the Superdome next Saturday but may do so without quarterback Kurt Warner, who was knocked out of Sunday’s game in the third quarter with a concussion.
The Rams (10-6), however, showed in this game what it hadn’t all season--defense to go with their record-setting offense.
The record this week was set by Marshall Faulk, who scored three touchdowns to reach 26 for the season and ran for a career-high 220 yards. Emmitt Smith scored 25 touchdowns for Dallas in 1995.
The defense allowed 450 points in the first 15 games, an average of 30. But it held the Saints (10-6) to 134 yards and no offensive touchdowns in three quarters.
The Rams, who lost, 31-24, to the Saints earlier in the season in St. Louis, controlled this game from the start, although the Saints tied it in the second quarter on a 41-yard interception return by linebacker Darrin Smith.
Even when Warner went out with a concussion, Trent Green continued to move the Rams, particularly with Faulk on his game.
“It usually takes me three or four carries to find out if it’s your time,” said Faulk, who touched the ball only 10 times in the first game with the Saints. “I knew today would be my day. When Kurt went out, the offensive line and I knew we would have to carry the team.”
After Green replaced Warner, the Rams went on a 73-yard scoring drive capped by Faulk’s record-tying second touchdown--a nine-yard run--to make it 19-7. Faulk scored his first touchdown on a 13-yard pass play from Warner in the first quarter.
The Saints finally came alive in the final quarter, twice cutting the lead to five points, once on a 28-yard pass from Aaron Brooks to Willie Jackson. Faulk’s third touchdown made it 26-14, but the Saints came right back on a 22-yard touchdown pass from Brooks to Joe Horn.
Faulk, however, sealed the game with a 39-yard run after the Saints had taken their final time out.
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SCORING MACHINE
Despite missing two games because of injury, St. Louis’ Marshall Faulk set an NFL record for most touchdowns in a season:
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Player Team Season Touchdowns Games Avg. TD per game Marshall Faulk St. Louis 2000 26 14 1.86 Emmitt Smith Dallas 1995 25 16 1.56 John Riggens Washington 1983 24 15 1.60 O.J. Simpson Buffalo 1975 23 14 1.64 Jerry Rice San Fran 1987 23 12 1.92 Terrell Davis Denver 1998 23 16 1.44 Emmitt Smith Dallas 1994 22 15 1.47 Chuck Foreman Minnesota 1975 22 14 1.57 Gale Sayers Chicago 1965 22 14 1.57
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