Cardinals Are Cure for What Ails Rams

The St. Louis Rams found the solution to becoming a dominant team again: playing the Arizona Cardinals.

The Rams (2-2) held the ball for more than two-thirds of the game, getting good work from Lamar Gordon, and limited the Cardinals to 161 yards in a 37-13 victory Sunday.

That came a week after a one-point loss in Seattle in which the Rams lost a 13-point fourth-quarter lead.

“I was a little concerned, but we practiced extremely well,” Coach Mike Martz said. “They were upset by what happened and they wanted to rectify that.”

The Cardinals (1-3) were 0 for 8 on third down, the first time a team has been shut out on third down this year.

The last time the Rams held an opponent to zero third-down conversions was Dec. 11, 1983, in a 21-7 loss to the Patriots when New England was 0 for 11.

Emmitt Smith was held to 25 yards in 12 carries and scored on a one-yard run, his first touchdown as a Cardinal.

As Marshall Faulk nursed a broken hand that will sideline him four to six weeks, Gordon ran for 81 yards in 21 carries and scored the game’s first touchdown in his first start of the season. Gordon capped the Rams’ first drive with a three-yard touchdown run.

“I was feeling it, getting in the groove, and the line was dominating,” Gordon said. “We were having fun out there.”

Marc Bulger threw two touchdown passes and ran for a third in his second start since replacing Kurt Warner, including a seven-yard completion to Torry Holt that put the game away at 30-13 early in the fourth quarter. Bulger completed 28 of 41 passes for 272 yards.

“We were able to run the ball and pretty much do what we wanted,” Bulger said. “When you can dictate the game, that’s huge.”

The Rams led, 20-7, at halftime. Rookie Anquan Boldin caught seven passes for 86 yards for Arizona.