Faulk a Picture of Health in Big Return

Watching Marshall Faulk run at will, St. Louis Ram Coach Mike Martz knew that resting the NFL’s reigning MVP for three weeks was the right thing to do.

Faulk ran for 183 yards and two touchdowns in only one half, leading the Rams past the Carolina Panthers, 48-14, Sunday.

“Marshall was as good as he’s ever been,” Martz said. “And when he’s like that, you’ve just got to keep handing him the ball. He’s like that most of the time.”

Martz said team doctors told him Faulk’s right knee improved markedly during the two games he missed plus the Rams’ open date. He was sidelined by a bone bruise.

“They don’t remember his knee looking this good,” Martz said. “He worked all week and there was no swelling. To hold him out was hard to do, but it sure looked like it paid off.”

After Faulk was done for the day, Trung Canidate had 145 yards in 16 carries, including a 23-yard touchdown run. The Rams finished with 337 yards rushing, third-best in franchise history, and an 8.2 yards-per-carry average.

Faulk breezed past the Panthers’ defense on a career-best 71-yard run for a touchdown on the game’s third play and also had a 57-yard run in the first quarter. He averaged 12.2 yards in 15 carries.

Martz was jumping up and down and had both arms up, signaling a touchdown, as Faulk ran past him at the Panther 40 on the 71-yard run.

The Rams (7-1) ran out to a 31-0 second-quarter lead. The start was reminiscent of their last game, when they led the Saints, 24-6, at the break but lost, 34-31, under an avalanche of eight turnovers.

This time there was no collapse, as the Rams scored the most points in the NFL this season and handed the Panthers (1-8) their franchise-worst eighth consecutive loss. Carolina swept St. Louis last year, and Panther Coach George Seifert entered the game 17-4 for his career against the Rams.

“We were down 21 points before we knew it,” Carolina defensive end Micheal Rucker said.

The Rams stumbled into halftime, giving up a 99-yard kickoff return by Steve Smith with 18 seconds left. Canidate fumbled the ensuing kickoff, but John Kasay missed a 53-yard field goal.

Aeneas Williams’ 16-yard interception return for a touchdown less than a minute into the second half recharged the Rams.

St. Louis rolled despite another so-so game from Kurt Warner, who threw three interceptions and has been picked off seven times in his last two outings. Warner said he’s been bothered by a sprained thumb since the season opener against the Eagles.

Warner was 14 for 20 for 144 yards and a touchdown and became the fastest player in NFL history to pass for 10,000 yards. It took Warner 36 games, two fewer than Dan Marino.

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Rush Hour II

Marshall Faulk and Trung Canidate became the first teammates to rush for more than 100 yards in the same game this season. A look at what they did Sunday against Carolina:

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Player Att. Yds. TDs Faulk 15 183 2 (71, 6) Canidate 16 145 1 (23)

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