Rams loving life on the road

CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Don't tell the St. Louis Rams they are perfect on the road this season. As far as they're concerned, there's at least one more road victory left to get.

The Rams moved to 8-0 on the road with Sunday's 38-32 victory over the Carolina Panthers, becoming just the sixth team since 1970 to finish the regular season perfect away from home.

Four of those teams won the Super Bowl and St. Louis wants to join them in the record books.

"We're not going to hang our hat on the fact that we won eight on the road," said Kurt Warner, the first player in St. Louis history to throw for 4,000 yards twice. "We want to make sure that we win at least one more on the road. This is a feather in our cap for down the road, but not now."

The Rams (12-2) have not yet locked up home-field advantage through the playoffs, and the Super Bowl will be held in New Orleans, assuring St. Louis of at least one more road game if it advances that far.

Those objectives tempered any celebrations over the individual milestones set Sunday.

Aside from Warner's stats, Marshall Faulk passed the 1,000-yard rushing mark for the fifth straight season and Torry Holt went over 1,000 yards receiving for the second straight year.

"I think the biggest milestone is that we are one game away from winning the division," St. Louis coach Mike Martz said. "And that is the first and foremost and most important thing. The rest of this stuff just happens as you win."

The Panthers (1-13) are on their own collision course with the record books, on track to become the first NFL team to lose 15 straight. Carolina has not won since opening day and went winless in the NFC West for the first time in franchise history.

There were bright spots, though. Chris Weinke had the best game of his rookie year with a season-high 312 yards passing, and Carolina still had a chance to win at the end.

"This game was a reflection of how we practice," Weinke said. "We did some great things, which is reiterated every Sunday, but we weren't able to close the deal."

That's because the Rams were just too strong.

Offense stands out

Warner threw for 217 yards and two touchdowns, Faulk ran for 212 yards and two scores and Holt had five catches for 86 yards.

The Rams rolled up 412 yards and Faulk, who ran for 183 in one half against Carolina earlier this year, contributed 252. He also had three catches for 50 yards.

"They have a pretty good weapon there with Faulk," Carolina coach George Seifert said. "We don't know how to corral him."

St. Louis also used some flash, recovering a botched field goal attempt and using a lateral to return it for a touchdown.

Carolina muffed the try when the ball sailed through holder Todd Sauerbrun's hands and Dre Bly recovered it at the Panthers 44. Bly then spotted Dexter McCleon streaking alone down the sideline and pitched it to him. McCleon ran the final 29 yards for a 21-10 St. Louis lead with 41 seconds to play in the first half.

"We practiced that all week; aren't I a great coach?" Martz joked.

It was a crushing blow for the Panthers, but just one of many missed opportunities against the Rams.

John Kasay missed a 47-yarder in the first half. Carolina later managed just a field goal after an interception gave it the ball at the St. Louis 24. Sauerbrun had a bad hold on a failed extra point that would have cut St. Louis' lead to 38-30 late in the fourth quarter.

The Panthers failed to convert an onside kick, settled for Kasay's 46-yard field goal with 27 seconds to play and missed another onside kick attempt to end the game.

"We have our opportunities, and then we self-destruct," Seifert said.

The Rams were not without their mistakes. Warner was shaky early and intercepted twice. His second attempt of the game was picked off and set up Carolina's first score, a 27-yard pass from Weinke to Isaac Byrd.

Warner also was intercepted on his first pass of the second half, Jeff Wilkins missed two 45-yard field goals and Az-Zahir Hakim fumbled a punt that led to a Carolina touchdown. Martz later said Bly would start handling punts.

NOTES: Panthers tight end Wesley Walls left before halftime with a sprained left knee. ... Sauerbrun's 63-yard punt in the first quarter marked the ninth straight game he's booted one 60 or more yards. ... Warner, who had gone 44 passes without throwing an interception, threw the 17th and 18th of the season. ... Faulk has run for 1,000 yards in seven of his eight NFL seasons.