49ers rout bumbling Rams 37-13

SAN FRANCISCO -- The St. Louis Rams were winless and hurting, and the San Francisco 49ers were only too happy to shove their biggest rivals deeper into despair.

Jeff Garcia threw for a touchdown and ran for another, and Garrison Hearst rushed for 116 yards and a score in a 37-13 rout that ended the 49ers' six-game losing streak to the defending NFC champions.

Jason Webster staggered the already roughed-up Rams when he intercepted career backup Jamie Martin -- starting for the injured Kurt Warner -- and returned it 37 yards for a touchdown and a 27-3 lead just before halftime.

The 49ers (3-1) looked forward to this game for months. Not only did they reclaim superiority in the NFC West, they all but ended St. Louis' playoff hopes -- no team has come back from an 0-5 start to reach the postseason.

"They're down right now, and we took the attitude that we wanted to take it to them and not allow them to get back into a playoff hunt or get back into a position where then can get rolling," Garcia said.

"They're in a real difficult position right now and we didn't want them to have any breathing room."

At a team meeting Saturday night, coach Steve Mariucci asked how many of his players had beaten the Rams.

"There weren't a lot of guys standing up," he said. "We have a really young team and it's a big win for all of us."

Not only were the Rams missing Warner, out for up to two months with a broken pinkie on his throwing hand, but cornerback Aeneas Williams sat out with a turf-toe injury, ending his streak of 177 consecutive starts.

"It's a step backward," coach Mike Martz said. "This is a game of emotion, intensity and attitude and we've got to restore that. We've got to put this thing together. This is a real challenge for this group."

Before the Rams started their three-year run as one of the NFL's most powerful teams, including two trips to the Super Bowl and one championship, they lost 17 straight to the 49ers from 1990-98.

The Rams are off to the worst start in franchise history since the 1963 Los Angeles Rams opened 0-5 en route to a 5-9 finish.

Offensive tackle Scott Gragg said the 49ers had a mental roadblock they had to get over in facing the Rams.

"For us to win the division, for us to go further in the playoffs, we have to beat the best," he said.

Martin threw two interceptions, and the Rams didn't score a touchdown until he hit running back Lamar Gordon with a pass with 29 seconds left in the game.

"Obviously with the turnovers, I didn't get anything going," Martin said.

Defensive end Grant Wistrom said he was shocked by the Rams' flat performance.

"I don't know what it is," he said. "It's difficult to explain."

As if St. Louis needed any more injuries, running back Marshall Faulk left with back spasms late in the third quarter, although he returned.

Martin, an eighth-year pro, was making just his second career start. Warner broke the pinkie on his throwing hand in last week's 13-10 loss to Dallas.

Working from his own 41 late in the first half, Martin overthrew Faulk and the ball went straight to Webster, who ran untouched for the score.

One possession earlier, Martin overthrew Ricky Proehl and Tony Parrish intercepted, returning it 50 yards to the St. Louis 34 before guard Tom Nutten tripped him up, probably saving a touchdown. The 49ers settled for Jose Cortez's 21-yard field goal.

Rookie cornerback Mike Rumph intercepted Martin early in the second half and returned it 36 yards to the 1, but it was negated by a roughing-the-passer penalty against Chike Okeafor.

Later in the drive, Martin's 12-yard touchdown pass to Torry Holt was called back due to pass interference on Holt. Jeff Wilkins kicked a 37-yard field goal.

Garcia, who came in with a passer rating of just 72.8, helped lead the 49ers to a 20-3 lead with a 13-yard pass to J.J. Stokes late in the first quarter and a 6-yard keeper midway through the second.

Garcia's scoring run was set up by his 51-yard completion to Stokes, who sprained his right knee on that play and didn't return.

Garcia completed 18 of 26 passes for 214 yards, with no interceptions. Martin, making his first start since Dec. 13, 1998, for Jacksonville, was 23-of-40 for 232 yards. Faulk ran 18 times for 73 yards and had seven catches for 37 yards.

Cortez also had field goals of 33 and 32 yards, and Wilkins added a 38-yarder.