Panthers defense feasts on fading Rams in 15-0 win

~ St. Louis was limited to 111 yards of total offense.

CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Who knew that weekly steak dinners would be the cure to Carolina's defensive struggles?

The Panthers sacked Marc Bulger seven times and shut out St. Louis 15-0 on Sunday, the fifth straight loss for the Rams. Jake Delhomme threw a 62-yard touchdown pass to Steve Smith, and the Panthers' dominating defense made it stand up.

The Panthers came into the season feeling they had the best defense in the league. But Carolina struggled with injuries and chemistry. The problems magnified when Dallas scored 25 fourth-quarter points in a game three weeks ago.

Safety Mike Minter called a players-only meeting a few days later, suggesting all defensive players meet for dinner each Thursday night.

Since then the Panthers have allowed 10 points in two games. The Rams, devastated by the loss of Pro Bowl tackle Orlando Pace in last week's game, were shut out for the first time since 1998.

Mike Rucker had two sacks, including one for a safety with 2:24 left, while former Ram Damione Lewis and Chris Draft each had 11/2 sacks for Carolina, which tied a team record for sacks in a game.

"I don't know if [the dinners] are the magic formula, but they are a piece of the puzzle," Rucker said. "It's harder for me to shut down on you if I know you personally. I think it makes me play harder if I know you personally."

Rookie DeAngelo Williams took over for injured running back DeShaun Foster and rushed for 114 yards on 20 carries as the Panthers (6-4) won their second straight game and moved into a first-place tie with New Orleans in the NFC South.

The Panthers, coming in ranked 28th in the league in rushing, had a team-record 244 yards on the ground against the Rams, who have allowed seven different running backs to rush for over 100 yards.

"Any back in the country that was in the backfield could have been in the backfield for us today would have rushed for 100 yards," Williams said. "They were just doing that good of a job up front."

Bulger was 19-of-34 for 142 yards and two interceptions, while the Rams (4-6) dropped five passes -- three by Isaac Bruce, who left in the fourth quarter with blurry vision.

On 12 possessions, the Rams had nine punts, an interception, a fumble and a safety as they finished with 111 yards. All from a team that was averaging more than 22 points a game.

"For us to come in and put up a dismal performance like that is very humbling," said running back Steven Jackson, who was held to 27 yards on seven carries.

The Rams, forced to shuffle their offensive line after losing Pace, had no answer to the Panthers' pass rush. Carolina, sending six or seven defenders on nearly every play, sacked Bulger five times in the first half.

Noteworthy

• Rams defensive end Leonard Little, 32, said Sunday he's agreed to three-year contract extension and plans to finish his career with the Rams.