ST. LOUIS -- Marshall Faulk saw a potential disadvantage to becoming the first player in NFL history with four straight 2,000-yard seasons: The man he passed might not be pleased.
Faulk had 226 yards rushing and receiving Sunday, helping the St. Louis Rams lock up home-field advantage in the NFC playoffs with a 31-13 victory over the Atlanta Falcons.
"If I see Jim Brown at a golf tournament, he'll probably cuss me out," Faulk said.
Entering the game, only Faulk and Brown had compiled three straight 2,000-yard seasons from scrimmage. Faulk left Brown behind with a 21-yard catch in the second quarter and finished with 168 yards on 20 carries and four catches for 58 yards for a total of 2,147.
"I go out there and I play as hard as I can, and I try to make every play work," Faulk said. "What I've done the last four years is a result of it."
Kurt Warner also reached a milestone, recording the second-highest passing yardage total ever. Ricky Proehl caught two of Warner's three touchdown passes as the Rams (14-2) set a franchise record for victories.
The NFC West champions, trying to reach the Super Bowl for the second time in three years, have a first-round bye.
Both of the Rams' regular-season losses came in the Dome at America's Center, but they didn't want to slow down their high-flying attack with a cold-weather playoff game. So coach Mike Martz left both of his biggest stars in almost all the way, removing Faulk with about five minutes to go and allowing Warner to finish.
The Rams, who also surpassed 500 points for the third straight season, had to win to secure home-field advantage after Chicago beat Jacksonville 33-13 earlier in the day. They pulled away from a 17-6 halftime lead on a 3-yard scoring run by Faulk and an 8-yard touchdown pass from Warner to Proehl in the third quarter.
Proehl stepped in after Isaac Bruce injured his lower back in the first quarter and made a spectacular sliding grab on his 12-yard touchdown catch in the first quarter.
The St. Louis defense controlled rookie quarterback Michael Vick, who was sacked seven times in his second career start. Vick replaced the injured Chris Chandler.
The result was a typical Rams-Falcons game. St. Louis won 35-6 last month in Atlanta and the previous five games against the Falcons (7-9) by an average score of 39-15.
Falcons coach Dan Reeves complained about loud music when his team was in the huddle, similar to the Rams' complaint after their victory at New Orleans last month.
"As long as they drum up that music when you're in the huddle, it makes it tough," Reeves said. "If they let them get away with that, teams will have a tough time communicating."
Faulk's best carry of the day came with under six minutes to play. Faulk spun away at the line of scrimmage for a 52-yard gain to the Atlanta 31.
Faulk also broke the team touchdown record with his 59th in three seasons, one more than Eric Dickerson had in five years with the team.
"He may go down in history," Martz said. "We call him 'Canton' around here. That's where he's going to wind up (in the Hall of Fame)."
Warner shrugged off two early interceptions and finished the regular season with 18 touchdown passes and seven pickoffs in the last six games. He was 25-for-30 for 280 yards with three interceptions and has 4,830 yards passing, second only to Dan Marino's 5,084-yard season in 1984.
Vick was hounded by blitzes all day and was 12-for-30 for 176 yards and one interception. He had four carries for 58 yards, but also lost two fumbles.
"It really wasn't them that stiffened, I think it was me," Vick said. "Like I said a few weeks ago, I'm nowhere near what I want to be."
The Falcons' lone touchdown came on a 96-yard kickoff return by Darrick Vaughn in the third quarter. That score cut the gap to 24-13, but the Rams answered three minutes later on Warner's touchdown pass to Proehl.
NOTES: The Falcons are moving to the NFC South next year, so this was the last game between the teams until 2007. ... X-rays were negative on Bruce's lower back, which he injured in the first quarter. He missed the rest of the game with a lower back sprain, finishing with one catch for 5 yards. ... Dexter McCleon had a career-best 43-yard interception in the first quarter.
Connect with the Southeast Missourian Newsroom:
For corrections to this story or other insights for the editor, click here. To submit a letter to the editor, click here. To learn about the Southeast Missourian’s AI Policy, click here.