Rams have chance to clinch NFC West

ST. LOUIS -- Back in September, the Rams coughed up a 13-point second-half lead at Seattle and lost by one.

They've never forgotten that mistake against the Seahawks, nor have they repeated it. The Rams (10-3) have won nine of 10 since that early misstep and can clinch their third NFC West championship in five years with a victory in the rematch today.

"We took a great deal from that game," coach Mike Martz said. "In some ways it helped us to go up there and have a game like that.

"You hate to admit that, but we've been able to use it, players and coaches alike, in terms of motivation."

The Rams are tied with the Eagles for the best record in the NFC. They haven't always dominated, but they usually find a way to win. They're in the playoffs for the fourth time in five years and can take another step on Sunday.

"It's big for this team, for this organization, for this city," defensive lineman Tyoka Jackson said. "This is exactly where we want to be right now, in position to get the crown.

"It's not going to be easy, and we're going to have to fight to get it, but this is where we want to be."

St. Louis enters the game with a two-game lead over the Seahawks in the West. The Rams have a 12-game winning streak at home, one shy of tying the franchise record set from 1998-2000. And they're taking on a team that, to put it lightly, has struggled on the road.

The Seahawks (8-5) are 1-5 on the road, giving up 27 points per game. The lone victory was 38-0 at Arizona in the second game of the season, the week before they knocked off the Rams to give them a 3-0 start. They lost by 27 last week at Minnesota and also have fallen at Green Bay, Cincinnati, Washington and Baltimore.

"If you look around the league, most teams are having a hard time winning on the road," quarterback Matt Hasselbeck said. "It's not just us, but we obviously are the worst or one of the worst.

"For an outsider looking in, it's not looking good for us this week."

Turnovers have been the story for the Seahawks. They're plus 16 in their eight victories and minus 12 in their five road losses.

And the Rams lead the NFL with 40 takeaways.

"That's really been helping us on defense," said tackle Brian Young, who has five fumble recoveries and forced one to clinch Monday night's game. "It's a thing we work on every day in practice."

During their winning streak at home, the Rams have won by an average of 33-18. This year they've beaten the Cardinals by 24, the Falcons by 36 and the Vikings by 31.

It's a big difference from their numerous close shaves on the road. They held on for a six-point victory at Cleveland on Monday night, beat lowly Arizona in overtime three weeks ago and came from behind for a two-point victory over the Bears the week before that.

The closest game at home this year was a three-point overtime victory over the 49ers in Week 2. Other than that, all the games have been double-digit triumphs.

Noise is a constant factor in the Edward Jones Dome. It clearly affected the Vikings two weeks ago, resulting in a rash of false starts and general discombobulation.

"It slows down their offensive line and throws off their cadence and their ability to audible, and we feed off that," defensive tackle Tyoka Jackson said. "It's unbelievable how much better we get off the ball at home, and how disruptive our crowd is to the offense.

"I saw it on the other side when I played with Tampa, and now I'm on the good side."

Like most teams, the Seahawks practice with canned crowd noise during the week. Whether it helps much or not is unclear.

"All that does," Hasselbeck said, "is give you a headache at the end of the week."

Rams defensive end Leonard Little will try to do that on Sunday. He's among the league leaders with 12 sacks despite missing four games, including five the last two games after returning from a torn chest muscle.

The Rams have been winning despite inconsistent play from quarterback Marc Bulger, who has totaled six touchdown passes in the last six games. Marshall Faulk, who missed five games with a broken left hand and knee injury sustained against the Seahawks, has recaptured his form with four straight 100-yard games.

"Marshall's kind of the one who makes it all work," Seahawks coach Mike Holmgren said. "I don't think that's earthshaking news."