Rams' defense steps forward in 33-22 win over Ravens

By R.B. Fallstrom ~ The Associated Press

ST. LOUIS -- The St. Louis Rams' defense bailed out an inept offense Sunday night.

The Rams forced seven turnovers and knocked rookie quarterback Kyle Boller out of the game in a 33-22 victory over the Baltimore Ravens. That performance covered up for a suddenly incompetent offense that had been ranked No. 1 in the NFL.

St. Louis also had the drops with four turnovers, two by punt returner DeJuan Groce, and went almost two quarters without a first down at one point. Marc Bulger was so off-target he heard some boos and calls for backup Kurt Warner in the second half.

Bulger was 13-for-26 for 110 yards with two interceptions and no touchdowns, easily his worst game in 15 career starts.

The 11 total turnovers were a high for an NFL game this season.

The Rams (6-3) managed just 121 total yards, well below their league-leading average of 374.5, and had only seven first downs. They had seven straight three-and-outs on offense at one point and had zero yards total offense in the second quarter.

Marshall Faulk was contained after missing five games with a broken left hand and injured right knee. Faulk had 48 yards on 20 carries, but had two short touchdown runs.

Instead, it was the defense that made all the big plays in leading the Rams to their 11th straight victory at home. Jamal Lewis, the NFL's leading rusher, had 111 yards on 27 carries for his seventh 100-yard game, but also lost two fumbles. One came deep in Rams territory and another led to Jeff Wilkins' 48-yard field goal that put the Rams ahead 30-22 with 5:25 to play.

Adam Archuleta stripped Boller and returned the fumble 45 yards for a second-quarter touchdown. Jerametrius Butler had his first two career interceptions and Tommy Polley's pickoff of Ravens backup Chris Redman led to another fourth-quarter field goal. Brian Young recovered three fumbles.

Special teams provided another big play with a 44-yard punt return by Dane Looker to the Ravens 1. Looker picked up a ball that was rolling back into Baltimore territory. The return set up Faulk's second touchdown.

The Ravens (5-4) made it into Rams territory seven times in the first half, outgaining the Rams 206-38, but trailed 21-19. It got a lot worse after Boller was lost with a sprained left knee at the end of the half.

Lewis ran for 23 and 20 yards on his first two carries against a banged up defense minus linemen Leonard Little (pectoral muscle) and Damione Lewis (ankle). Lewis also fumbled away a scoring opportunity after Ray Lewis got an interception for the third straight game.

Baltimore took possession at the Rams 15, 20, 33, 45 and 34 on five consecutive possessions, but was held to Matt Stover's two field goals and Boller's 1-yard pass to tackle Jonathan Ogden with 1:19 left in the half.

Redman, who had thrown only one pass all season, was 7-for-12 for 58 yards with two interceptions.