2003: Rams Score 33 Points to Beat Ravens Despite Only 121 Yards on Offense

The St. Louis Rams had a 5-3 record and the NFL’s top-ranked offense as they hosted the Baltimore Ravens on November 9, 2003. The Rams, coached by Mike Martz, were averaging 374.5 yards-per-game as they continued to be the potent and high-scoring team that they had typically been since the 1999 Championship season. However, Marc Bulger was now the quarterback in place of Kurt Warner and was not as accurate of a deep passer. To be sure, he still had outstanding wide receivers in Torry Holt and Isaac Bruce and RB Marshall Faulk was back after having missed five games with hand and knee injuries. Moreover, the Rams had won ten straight home games.

The Ravens, under the guidance of Head Coach Brian Billick, were also 5-3, but were very different in style from their opponent. Baltimore was known for defense, with MLB Ray Lewis the most notable star, and a conservative, ball-control offense that featured RB Jamal Lewis, who was leading the NFL in rushing. Rookie Kyle Boller was the quarterback and their best receiver was TE Todd Heap.

There were 66,085 fans in attendance for the Sunday night game at the Edgar Jones Dome. The Ravens had the first possession and moved well as Jamal Lewis had runs of 20 and 23 yards to start the series. But after reaching the St. Louis 30, Kyle Boller’s pass was intercepted by CB Jerametrius Butler, who returned it 45 yards to the Baltimore 36. Three plays later Marc Bulger threw to Torry Holt for a 24-yard gain that had five yards added (half the distance to the goal) due to a face mask penalty, putting the Rams on the five. From there, Marshall Faulk ran for a touchdown and Jeff Wilkins (pictured above) added the extra point.

The Ravens punted following their next possession and WR Dane Looker, picking up the rolling ball, returned it 44 yards to the Baltimore one. Faulk again scored, Wilkins converted, and with most of their yardage coming on interception and punt returns, the Rams were ahead by 14-0.

Baltimore again had to punt following its next series but got a break when CB DeJuan Groce muffed the catch and safety Gerome Sapp recovered at the St. Louis 15. A holding penalty moved the Ravens back ten yards and they ended up having to settle for a 43-yard Matt Stover field goal.

The teams exchanged turnovers as Bulger was intercepted by Ray Lewis on the next series and Jamal Lewis fumbled the ball back at the St. Louis 11 four plays later. In a possession that extended into the second quarter, the Rams were able to get only to their 26 and punted. Now the Ravens benefited from a good return when DB Lamont Brightful gained 24 yards, and an unnecessary roughness penalty put the ball on the St. Louis 33. Boller completed two passes for 14 yards and Jamal Lewis ran three times to get to the five yard line, but a sack and an incomplete pass caused the visitors to again settle for a field goal as Stover connected from 25 yards to make the score 14-6.

The Rams had to punt from deep in their own territory following the next series and Baltimore took advantage of good starting field position to drive 45 yards in five plays. The big play was a Boller pass to WR Travis Taylor that picked up 40 yards and Jamal Lewis (pictured at left) finished the possession off with a two-yard touchdown run. Boller’s pass for a two-point conversion was incomplete, but the Ravens were now behind by just two points at 14-12.

The Rams again had to punt after a short series, but Boller fumbled when being sacked by SS Adam Archuleta, who then recovered and ran 45 yards for a TD. Wilkins added the PAT and St. Louis was up by 21-12 with a minimum of offensive output.

Regaining possession with 4:38 to go in the first half, the Ravens advanced 80 yards in 10 plays. Boller had completions to Todd Heap for ten and nine yards, the second coming in a third-and-eight situation and a pass interference penalty picked up 28 yards to the St. Louis 31. Following a short carry by Jamal Lewis, Boller threw to Taylor for 25 yards and, two plays after that, to OT Jonathan Ogden, who was lined up as an eligible receiver, for a one-yard touchdown. Stover added the point after and the score was 21-19 in favor of St. Louis at halftime. The Ravens had driven into St. Louis territory seven times and outgained the Rams by 206 yards to 38, but were two points behind and had now lost Boller to a knee injury.

A short series by the Rams to start the third quarter ended with a punt and the Ravens, now with Chris Redman at quarterback, also punted but retained possession when Groce fumbled the return and safety Chad Williams recovered at the St. Louis 28. The visitors picked up five yards from there and Stover kicked a 41-yard field goal that put them in the lead at 22-21.

The teams exchanged punts, and then interceptions. Early in the fourth quarter, Wilkins kicked a 49-yard field goal that put the Rams back in front by 24-22. Another series by the Ravens ended with an interception as LB Tommy Polley picked off a Redman pass and returned it 22 yards to the Baltimore 36. Four plays later, Wilkins kicked a 46-yard field goal to make it a five-point game.

Once again St. Louis benefited from a turnover when Jamal Lewis fumbled and DT Brian Young recovered at the Baltimore 35. Keeping the ball on the ground, the Rams got another field goal from Wilkins, this time from 48 yards.

On a series in which Redman was sacked on back-to-back plays, the Ravens were forced to punt from deep in their own territory and WR Mike Furrey returned it 17 yards to the Baltimore 35. Bulger completed passes to WR Isaac Bruce for eight yards and Holt for 10 and Wilkins kicked his fourth field goal of the game from 27 yards with 1:45 left to play. That provided the final margin as the Rams won by a score of 33-22.

The Rams had a mere 121 yards of offense, to 267 for Baltimore, and the Ravens dominated in first downs (16 to 7) and time of possession (37:21 to 22:39). However, the Ravens also turned the ball over seven times, to four suffered by St. Louis, and were penalized 10 times at a cost of 80 yards, to seven flags for 75 yards thrown on the Rams. St. Louis also recorded seven sacks while Baltimore had four.

Marc Bulger completed only 13 of 26 passes for 110 yards with no touchdowns and two interceptions. Marshall Faulk scored on two short touchdown carries but gained just 48 yards on 20 carries and had six more yards on three pass receptions. Dane Looker (pictured at right) and Torry Holt had identical output with three catches for 38 yards apiece, and while the total put Holt over a thousand yards for the season, it was easily his lowest total of the season. Looker also had the 44-yard punt return and, on defense, Jerametrius Butler intercepted two passes. Jeff Wilkins kicked four field goals in as many attempts, which proved to be vital.

For the Ravens, Jamal Lewis rushed for 111 yards on 27 carries that included a TD, but also lost two fumbles. Kyle Boller was successful on 10 of 21 throws for 112 yards and a TD as well as giving up an interception before suffering the injury that proved to be effectively season-ending (he was active for the last two games but threw just one pass), and Chris Redman went 7-of-12 for 58 yards and had two intercepted in relief. Todd Heap caught 6 passes for 49 yards and Travis Taylor gained 65 yards on his two receptions.

“Marc slugged it out pretty good,” said Coach Martz of Bulger. “It did cross my mind (pulling Bulger from the game), but Marc needs to go through this. They all go through that, and Marc’s no different from anybody else.”

The Rams stuck with Bulger and the win over the Ravens proved to be the first of seven straight, on the way to a 12-4 record and first place in the AFC West. However, they lost the season finale, which forfeited the opportunity to have the top playoff seed in the conference, and then fell to the Panthers in the Divisional playoff round. Baltimore lost again the next week but recovered to win five of their remaining six games to top the AFC North at 10-6. The Ravens lost to Tennessee in their Wild Card playoff game.

Marc Bulger went on to gain selection to the Pro Bowl as he passed for 3845 yards and 22 touchdowns, although he also gave up 22 interceptions. Marshall Faulk recovered to rush for over a hundred yards in each of the next four games, ending up with 818 yards on 209 carries (3.9 avg.) and 45 catches for 290 yards (6.4 avg.) while scoring a total of 11 TDs. While lesser numbers by comparison to the high standards he had set in previous years, it was still a respectable performance as his career entered its downside.

Jamal Lewis had a career year, leading the NFL with 2066 yards on 387 carries (5.3 avg.) and scoring 14 touchdowns. He was a consensus first-team All-NFL selection who was also named to the Pro Bowl and received NFL Offensive Player of the Year recognition from the Associated Press and was named MVP by the Pro Football Writers.

2000: Warner Passes for 441 Yards as Rams Overcome Broncos

The St. Louis Rams began the defense of their surprising 1999 NFL title in a Monday night game on September 4, 2000 at home against the Denver Broncos. QB Kurt Warner (pictured at right), who had gone from unknown backup to league MVP in ’99, was back and had an outstanding stable of receivers that featured savvy veteran WR Isaac Bruce as well as second-year players Torry Holt and Az-Zahir Hakim. The Rams also had the highly productive Marshall Faulk at running back, who became just the second NFL player to reach over a thousand yards each in rushing and pass receiving in 1999. St. Louis did have a new head coach in Mike Martz, elevated from offensive coordinator to replace the retired Dick Vermeil, as well as new uniforms of navy blue and old gold.

The visiting Broncos, coached by Mike Shanahan, had been the NFL Champions in 1997 and ’98. However, they dropped precipitously to 6-10 in 1999, having lost star QB John Elway to retirement and 2000-yard RB Terrell Davis for most of the year due to injury. QB Brian Griese, son of Miami’s former Hall of Famer Bob Griese, had suffered through a difficult year in place of Elway and the defense was in a state of flux.

There were 65,596 in attendance at the Trans World Dome. The Rams started quietly, going three-and-out in their first possession - although they would not punt again for the remainder of the contest. Denver put together a 59-yard drive in six plays, the last of which was an eight-yard bootleg by Griese for a touchdown.

St. Louis came back to advance into Denver territory, but LB Al Wilson intercepted a Warner pass at his own seven to end the threat. However, late in the first quarter Az-Zahir Hakim returned a punt 86 yards for a touchdown, which (with the successful extra point) tied the score and seemed to bring the Rams alive.

The Broncos moved back in front by 10-7 following a 32-yard field goal by Jason Elam. St. Louis responded with a five-yard touchdown run by Faulk with just under nine minutes remaining in the half. The teams traded touchdowns during the remainder of the second quarter, with Griese throwing to WR Rod Smith for a 25-yard TD and Warner connecting with WR Ricky Proehl from seven yards out in the final minute before halftime. The Rams led by 21-17 at the intermission.

Denver started off the third quarter with a nine-play, 63-yard drive that concluded with a 38-yard field goal by Elam to make it a one-point game. But the Rams struck quickly when a short pass from Warner to Faulk turned into a 72-yard touchdown.

The next time St. Louis got the ball, it was another quick score on a short throw by Warner that Hakim, breaking a tackle by former Rams safety Billy Jenkins at the line of scrimmage, went 80 yards with for a TD. Just two short tosses had gained a total of 152 yards and two touchdowns, put the home crowd in a frenzy, and given the Rams a 35-20 lead. But the Broncos were far from done.

For the second time, Al Wilson intercepted a Warner pass and the Broncos took advantage as Griese completed a seven-yard TD pass to TE Desmond Clark to close the margin to 35-27. Heading into the fourth quarter, an Elam field goal from 36 yards made it a five-point game.

St. Louis fell behind after a Warner pass intended for Torry Holt was picked off by CB Terrell Buckley, who returned it for a 32-yard touchdown and, although an attempt to add a two-point conversion failed, Denver had a 36-35 lead with 6:35 remaining on the clock.

The Rams rallied, however, putting together a 75-yard drive that featured Faulk running for a 30-yard gain to the Denver one. RB Robert Holcombe gained the last yard with just under three minutes to play, although the try for two points was unsuccessful. Still, the defending champs were back in front by five points.

Denver had a chance in the last two minutes, but the Rams defense, which had seemed so vulnerable throughout the contest, came alive and managed to sack Griese twice. Finally, on a fourth-and-33 play, Griese was hit by DE Grant Wistrom and he tossed an errant throw that fell incomplete to clinch the 41-36 win for St. Louis.

With several big plays, the Rams outgained Denver by 433 yards to 274, but the Broncos led in first downs by 25 to 23. St. Louis was nearly done in by three turnovers, as opposed to none surrendered by Denver.

Kurt Warner, who spread the ball around to seven different receivers, completed 25 of 35 passes for 441 yards and three touchdowns, although he also gave up the three interceptions. Marshall Faulk rushed for 78 yards and a TD in 14 carries and added 100 yards and another score on four pass receptions. Indeed, the Rams had three hundred-yard receivers in the same game for the first time since 1951 as Az-Zahir Hakim gained 116 yards on his 5 catches and Torry Holt pulled in 6 passes for 103 yards. It was a highly productive game for the often-overlooked Hakim, who, with the long punt return for a TD, accumulated 202 total yards.

For the Broncos, Brian Griese (pictured below) had great success picking apart the St. Louis defense, going to the air 29 times and completing 19 for 307 yards and two TDs with no interceptions. WR Ed McCaffrey led the receivers with 7 catches for 115 yards and Rod Smith gained 88 yards on his three receptions that included a touchdown. RB Olandis Gary paced the club with 80 yards on 13 attempts. Terrell Davis gained 34 yards on 9 carries before leaving the contest with a twisted ankle suffered in the first quarter.

“That’s the name of our game,” said Kurt Warner afterward. “That’s what we do around here, we spread it around and get it to everybody and take advantage of what defenses are doing to us.”

“This was a game that if you like offense, it was fun to watch,” said Mike Shanahan. “If you like defense, you picked the wrong one to go to.”

The exciting win over Denver set the stage for the Rams to get off to a 6-0 start, but they faltered during the second half of the season to finish at 10-6 and, due to tiebreakers, second in the NFC West. While they still made the playoffs as a Wild Card team, the Rams fell to New Orleans in the first round. Still an extremely potent offensive team, as the contest against the Broncos showed, St. Louis was leaky on defense. Denver bounced back to return to the postseason, also as a Wild Card with an 11-5 record. The Broncos lost in the first round as well, to the eventual-champion Baltimore Ravens.

Kurt Warner missed five games due to injury, but still passed for 3429 yards (averaging 311.7 per game) and 21 touchdowns, and was again selected to the Pro Bowl. Marshall Faulk, while out for two contests, was again prolific as he ran for 1359 yards and 18 TDs and caught 81 passes for another 830 yards and eight scores, giving him 2189 yards from scrimmage and a then-record 26 touchdowns scored.

Az-Zahir Hakim remained productive as the number three wide receiver and primary punt returner, although nagging injuries wore him down as well. He had 53 catches for 734 yards (13.8 avg.) and four touchdowns and averaged 15.3 yards on his 32 punt returns.

Brian Griese, who received much praise for his improved performance against the Rams, had a Pro Bowl year, completing 64.3 percent of his passes for 2688 yards and 19 TDs against just four interceptions. 

2004: Rams Score 17 Points in Last 6 Minutes, Beat Seahawks in OT

The St. Louis Rams were at 2-2 as they faced the Seattle Seahawks on October 10, 2004 at Qwest Field. Seattle, coming off a bye week, was undefeated at 3-0 and looking to build upon a 10-6 Wild Card season in ’03. In their sixth season under Head Coach Mike Holmgren, the Seahawks featured star RB Shaun Alexander and a good quarterback in Matt Hasselbeck, although the receivers were prone to dropping passes.

The Rams won the Super Bowl following the 1999 season, and with the exception of a down year in 2002, had continued to regularly contend in the seasons since. Mike Martz, the offensive coordinator in ’99, became head coach in 2000 and the Rams continued to feature a high-octane passing attack along with the running of RB Marshall Faulk. Originally, the quarterback directing that attack had been Kurt Warner, but injuries dramatically reduced his effectiveness and playing time in 2002 and ’03, and it was Marc Bulger (pictured above) who had emerged as the starter. While not as talented as Warner at his best, he was an accurate passer capable of staying calm in clutch situations, and still had great receivers in Torry Holt and Isaac Bruce to throw to, as well as Faulk in the backfield.

There was a record crowd of 66,940 at Qwest Field, and they had reason to cheer early as the Seahawks drove to a touchdown on their first possession. Hasselbeck completed four passes and Alexander carried the ball five times, once for a 33-yard gain to the St. Louis four yard line and the last time for one yard into the end zone. Seattle added to its lead early in the second quarter following another long possession of 13 plays that went 50 yards and ended with a 48-yard field goal by Josh Brown.

On the next possession by the Rams, they went 78 yards on six plays to get on the board. The big play was a 48-yard carry by rookie RB Steven Jackson to the Seattle nine yard line, and from there Bulger ran the rest of the way for a TD that made the score 10-7.

The Seahawks came right back as Hasselbeck immediately connected with WR Koren Robinson for a 20-yard gain. Later in the six-play drive he found Robinson again for 15 yards to the St. Louis 29 and two plays later he passed to TE Jerramy Stevens for a 24-yard touchdown. Seattle was again up by ten points at 17-7.

Bulger was intercepted by CB Ken Lucas shortly thereafter, but the turnover came to naught when Brown missed a 43-yard field goal attempt. Following a punt by the Rams, the Seahawks did score again as they went 90 yards in just five plays, the last a Hasselbeck pass to WR Darrell Jackson for a 56-yard TD. Seattle led by a tally of 24-7 at halftime.

The teams traded punts to start the third quarter before the Rams put together a 13-play drive that featured four straight completed passes by Bulger to gain 58 yards and ended with Jeff Wilkins kicking a 39-yard field goal.

Following a three-and-out possession by Seattle that led to a punt to start the final period, Bulger was intercepted by CB Marcus Trufant. The Seahawks capitalized when Brown kicked a 34-yard field goal that gave them a seemingly secure lead of 27-10 with less than nine minutes remaining.

The Rams weren’t done, however, and drove 66 yards in eight plays that included Bulger passes to WR Isaac Bruce for 20 yards and to WR Shaun McDonald for 24. An eight-yard scoring throw to TE Brandon Manumaleuna made it a ten-point game with the clock at 5:34. Seattle went three-and-out and, following a 39-yard return of Tom Rouen’s punt by McDonald, Bulger immediately connected with WR Kevin Curtis, who had gotten clear of two defenders, for a 41-yard touchdown.

Suddenly, with the successful extra point, it was a three-point game with 3:30 to go in the fourth quarter. Hasselbeck threw for a 10-yard gain to Robinson when the Seahawks got the ball back, but they failed to move thereafter and were forced to punt once more after the quarterback was sacked for a 12-yard loss by DE Leonard Little on the first play following the two-minute warning. The Rams took over at their 36 with no timeouts remaining and, after throwing an incompletion, Bulger went to Bruce for a 27-yard gain. Three plays later, he connected with WR Dane Looker for 16 yards to the Seattle 18 and from there Wilkins booted a 36-yard field goal with eight seconds on the clock to tie the contest at 27-27 and send it into overtime.

The Rams gained possession to start the extra period and went 71 yards on six plays. They converted a third-and-six situation with Bulger throwing to Holt for 13 yards while being blitzed, and with third-and-eight on their own 48, Bulger threw to McDonald for a 52-yard touchdown (pictured below) to win the game in stunning fashion, 33-27.


St. Louis outgained the Seahawks (441 yards to 391) and had a slight edge in first downs (21 to 20). However, while Seattle suffered no turnovers, the Rams turned the ball over three times.

Marc Bulger completed 24 of 42 passes for 325 yards with three touchdowns and three interceptions, and was at his best during the fourth quarter comeback. Isaac Bruce caught 6 passes for 78 yards while Shaun McDonald gained 76 yards on his two receptions, including the game-winning score. Steven Jackson led the Rams in rushing with 64 yards on five carries and Marshall Faulk ran the ball 15 times for 51 yards (Jackson would spell the aging Faulk increasingly during the season).

For Seattle, Shaun Alexander ran for 150 yards on 23 carries with a TD in a losing cause. Matt Hasselbeck went to the air 35 times and had 20 completions for 216 yards and two TDs. Darrell Jackson caught 5 passes for 91 yards and a touchdown and Koren Robinson also caught 5, for 59 yards.

“That's a tough way to lose,” said Seattle’s Coach Holmgren. “As good as we were in the first half, we were average to below average in the second half. Give the Rams credit. They hung in there.”

While the Rams won the next week, they remained inconsistent and finished at 8-8 and second in the NFC West, just a game behind the division-winning Seahawks, who were 9-7. It was good enough to qualify for the second wild card playoff spot, and while they beat Seattle for a third time in the first round (they also defeated them at home in Week 10), they lost badly to Atlanta at the Divisional level. The paths of the two teams would diverge over the next few seasons, as the Rams sank into mediocrity while the Seahawks continued to dominate the division and won the NFC Championship in 2005.

For Marc Bulger, the comeback win over the Seahawks was one of four he engineered during the season. He passed for 3964 yards, completing 66.2 percent of his throws. However, he also was sacked 41 times for a league-leading loss of 302 yards.

2002: Patriots Stun Rams to Win Super Bowl XXXVI

Super Bowl XXXVI on February 3, 2002 looked to be a blowout in the making. The St. Louis Rams, with a 14-2 record and seeking to win two titles in three years, were up against the 11-5 New England Patriots, who had come from nowhere and were not considered to be of the same caliber.

The Rams, under Head Coach Mike Martz, entered the 2001 season expecting to contend for a title. They boasted the NFL’s most explosive offense, led by QB Kurt Warner, the league leader in passing (101.4 rating), passing yards (4830), touchdowns (36), completions (375), yards per attempt (8.8), and completion percentage (68.7) as well as league MVP choice of the Associated Press and NEA. Wide receivers Isaac Bruce and Torry Holt were both Pro Bowl performers. RB Marshall Faulk, who ran for 1382 yards and gained another 765 on 83 catches, garnered the other MVP trophies (Pro Football Writers Association and Bert Bell Award). The unheralded defense benefited from the addition of 33-year-old CB Aeneas Williams. Having won the NFC West with the league’s best record, St. Louis routed the Packers in the Divisional playoff and then got past the Eagles to win the conference title.

In 2000, the first year under Head Coach Bill Belichick, the Patriots finished at the bottom of the AFC East with a 5-11 tally, and not much more was anticipated in ’01. It certainly didn’t appear that the team was anything special when it fell to 5-5 following a loss to the Rams in November. But from that point, New England didn’t lose again, winning the last six regular season games. They barely defeated the Raiders in a snowy Divisional round contest and got past Pittsburgh for the AFC Championship. Coaching, starting with Belichick, certainly played a role, as did the coming together of a defense that didn’t allow more than 17 points in any of those eight wins. But the emergence of QB Tom Brady (pictured above), who took over for injured veteran QB Drew Bledsoe in September, paid huge dividends as he displayed outstanding game-management skills and great ability in clutch situations. Still, the Patriots came into the Super Bowl as two-touchdown underdogs.

There was a crowd of 72,922 at the Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans and the Patriots broke with tradition by eschewing the usual player introductions to be introduced en masse as a team, emphasizing the club’s cohesiveness. The clubs traded punts to start off the game. On their second possession, the Rams drove 48 yards in ten plays with Warner completing six of seven passes. Jeff Wilkins kicked a 50-yard field goal to give St. Louis the early lead.

After the Patriots went three-and-out, the Rams again drove into New England territory, the highlight being a 29-yard pass completion from Warner to WR Az-Zahir Hakim on the second play of the second quarter. But after penetrating to the 34 yard line, Wilkins was wide to the left on a 52-yard field goal attempt.


New England held onto the ball for seven plays but again had to punt. However, on the third play of the next St. Louis possession, CB Ty Law intercepted a Warner pass that was intended for Bruce and returned it 47 yards for a touchdown (pictured at right). In stunning fashion, the Patriots were in front at 7-3.

With under two minutes remaining in the first half, Warner threw to WR Ricky Proehl for a 15-yard gain to the New England 40, but safety Antwan Harris forced a fumble and CB Terrell Buckley recovered for the Patriots. Brady hit on passes to WR Troy Brown for 16 yards and eight yards to TE Jermaine Wiggins to get to the St. Louis 24. Following an eight-yard carry by RB Kevin Faulk, Brady threw to WR David Patten for an eight-yard TD and the Patriots went into halftime with an improbable 14-3 lead.

Coach Belichick had learned from the loss to St. Louis during the regular season, when he had tried to key on blitzing Warner. This time, he sought to keep Marshall Faulk in check and loaded up with as many as six or seven defensive backs on each play. The strategy was having the desired effect, as Warner’s rhythm was disrupted and the fleet wide receivers were kept in check.

The teams went back to trading punts in the third quarter, battling for field position. Late in the period, after the Rams had advanced to the New England 45, Warner was intercepted again, this time by CB Otis Smith, who returned the pickoff 30 yards to the St. Louis 33. Five plays later, Adam Vinatieri kicked a 37-yard field goal to make the score 17-3.

With the game moving into the fourth quarter, the Rams began to come alive as Warner hit on short passes, completing six in a row to reach the New England three. Following two incompletions and facing a fourth-and-three situation, Warner ran and fumbled when hit by LB Roman Phifer. Patriots FS Tebucky Jones picked up the ball and took off for an apparent 97-yard touchdown, but the play was nullified by a defensive holding penalty on DE Willie McGinest. Gaining a huge reprieve, Warner ran for a two-yard touchdown shortly thereafter and New England’s margin was cut to 17-10.

The teams again traded punts, and the Patriots had consecutive three-and-out possessions. After the second one, and with under two minutes remaining, the Rams took over at their 45 yard line. Warner threw to Hakim for 18 yards, WR Yo Murphy for 11, and then the slow-but-steady Proehl for a 26-yard touchdown. With the extra point, the game was tied at 17-17 and it appeared likely that the contest would go into overtime.

New England’s offense took over at its own 17 with 1:21 now on the clock and no timeouts remaining. Brady threw two passes to RB J.R. Redmond that covered 13 yards. After an incompletion, he went to Redmond again for another 11 yards to his own 41. A 23-yard pass to Brown took the ball into Rams territory at the 36 and a throw to Wiggins added another six yards. With seven seconds now remaining, Brady spiked the ball to stop the clock and Vinatieri, who was rapidly becoming recognized as an outstanding clutch kicker, booted a game-winning 48-yard field goal (pictured below). In an amazing upset, the Patriots won their first championship by a score of 20-17.


The Rams won the statistical battle, outdistancing New England in total yards (427 to 267), first downs (26 to 15), and time of possession (33:30 to 26:30). But the Patriots didn’t turn the ball over, while taking advantage of three St. Louis turnovers to score 17 points.

Tom Brady was the game’s MVP as he completed 16 of 27 passes for 145 yards and a touchdown and showed great poise in directing the game-winning drive. Troy Brown (pictured below) led New England’s receivers with 6 catches for 89 yards. RB Antowain Smith rushed for 92 yards on 18 carries.


The strategy of keying on Marshall Faulk held the Rams’ running game to 90 yards, with Faulk gaining 76 of that total on 17 attempts and catching four passes for 54 yards – ordinary by his standards. Kurt Warner was successful on 28 of 44 passes for 365 yards, but with just one TD against two interceptions. Az-Zahir Hakim, Isaac Bruce, and Torry Holt all caught five passes apiece, with Hakim gaining the most yards (90; Bruce and Holt gained 56 and 49 yards, respectively).

“When Adam hit it, it was so true,” said Bill Belichick of Vinatieri’s game-winning field goal. “It was so high and so far. If you want a guy to make a play at the end of the game, he's the one.”

Of the Rams, Ty Law said, “I don't think they looked past us, but at the same time, I don't think they were expecting this type of fight.”

“I don't think we were overconfident,” a disappointed Kurt Warner stated from the St. Louis perspective. “We played hard, but those few turnovers, those few mistakes we made, they turned them into points. Some days they don't turn into anything, but they turned them into 17 points and a world championship. That's what's so hard about this loss. It was the fact our mistakes did us in today.”

The championship for the Patriots proved to not be a fluke as the club won two more over the next three years and consistently contended beyond that. St. Louis, in the meantime, moved in the opposite direction. Warner suffered through two injury-marred seasons in 2002-03 and was let go – he would eventually revive his career in Arizona. The team dropped to 7-9 in ’02, and after rebounding to 12-4 in 2003, fell into mediocrity thereafter.

2001: Saints Come From 18 Points Behind to Beat Rams

The New Orleans Saints were coming off of a 10-6 year in 2000 under first-year Head Coach Jim Haslett and were 3-2 in ’01 as they faced the St. Louis Rams, the team they had beaten out for the NFC West title and then defeated in the Wild Card playoff (the first playoff win in franchise history), at the Dome at America’s Center on October 28, 2001. The Rams, under second-year Head Coach Mike Martz, were a perfect 6-0 thus far and seemed almost invincible.

St. Louis, with its outstanding passing offense, struck quickly on the second play from scrimmage. WR Az-Zahir Hakim took the handoff on a reverse and the former high school quarterback proceeded to fire a pass to WR Isaac Bruce for a 51-yard touchdown. The Saints then fumbled the ball away on their first possession, as TE Cam Cleeland was stripped by St. Louis LB Don Davis after catching a short pass from QB Aaron Brooks. CB Aeneas Williams recovered for the Rams and five plays later, following pass completions by QB Kurt Warner of 25 yards to WR Torry Holt and 13 yards to TE Ernie Conwell, Conwell ran for a two-yard touchdown. St. Louis was ahead by 14-0 and the game was barely four minutes old.

New Orleans got on the board thanks to a 33-yard John Carney field goal, and the score was 14-3 after one quarter. But the Rams scored again early in the second quarter. A pass interference call on Saints CB Kevin Mathis gave St. Louis a 38-yard gain to the New Orleans 36 yard line, and then Warner connected on passes of 13 yards to RB Trung Canidate (filling in for injured star RB Marshall Faulk) and 19 to Bruce to set up Canidate’s one-yard touchdown run.

The Saints drove 66 yards in 12 plays for another field goal by Carney, this time of 44 yards. But Jeff Wilkins responded with a 54-yard field goal late in the period that gave the Rams a halftime lead of 24-6 (Wilkins had missed an attempt earlier that broke a string of 30 consecutive successful field goal attempts).

Down by 18 points, New Orleans came back in stunning fashion in the third quarter. First, rookie RB Deuce McAllister returned the opening kickoff of the second half 46 yards to the St. Louis 48. Two plays later, Brooks connected with WR Joe Horn for a 46-yard touchdown.

On the ensuing St. Louis possession, Saints safety Sammy Knight roared into the backfield on a safety blitz, batted Warner’s pass and intercepted it. His 13-yard return ended up at the Rams’ 16 yard line. New Orleans lost yardage on the possession, however, and settled for a 44-yard field goal by Carney.

St. Louis CB Dre’ Bly fumbled the kickoff and it was recovered for the Saints by RB Fred McAfee at the Rams 16. Five plays later Brooks rolled out and tossed a six-yard pass to Horn for a touchdown. An attempted two-point conversion failed when RB Ricky Williams was stopped short of the end zone, but the Saints were now only two points behind at 24-22.

The Rams went three-and-out on their next possession and had to punt. It took just two plays for New Orleans to take the lead when Brooks went deep down the sideline to WR Willie Jackson and connected for a 49-yard touchdown. Once again, the attempted two-point conversion failed, but the Saints were now ahead by 28-24.

The Saints onslaught continued when DE Darren Howard intercepted a short Warner pass and returned it 37 yards to the St. Louis 23. The resulting possession lasted five plays and ended with Carney hitting on a 23-yard field goal. The third quarter ended with the Saints in the lead at 31-24, having put up 25 points in the course of the period.

St. Louis finally got on the board again in the fourth quarter following a 12-play, 87-yard drive that ended with an eight-yard touchdown pass from Warner to Holt. With the score now tied at 31-31 and the clock winding down to under five minutes, it seemed as though the Rams would yet pull the game out. But at the New Orleans 23, Canidate, who had caught a screen pass, fumbled and safety Chris Oldham recovered for the Saints and ran 43 yards before being pushed out of bounds at the St. Louis 36.

A 14-yard run by Ricky Williams got the ball to the 22, but it seemed that the Rams had dodged a bullet four plays later when they blocked Carney’s 30-yard field goal attempt. However, Bly was penalized for being offsides, giving New Orleans a first down. They ran three times to run the clock down and Carney’s fifth field goal of the day, from 27 yards, gave the Saints a 34-31 win.


St. Louis outgained the Saints, 474 yards to 320, and had 25 first downs to New Orleans’ 15. But they also turned the ball over eight times, including the four that fueled the New Orleans third quarter comeback.

Aaron Brooks (pictured at top) completed 20 of 31 passes for 254 yards with three touchdowns and no interceptions. Joe Horn caught 8 passes for 121 yards and two of the TDs. Ricky Williams led the running game with 77 yards on 17 carries.

For the Rams, Kurt Warner went to the air 47 times with 29 completed for 385 yards; however, while he threw for one TD, he also surrendered four interceptions (two by Sammy Knight, pictured above left). Isaac Bruce was the most productive receiver, catching 7 passes for 179 yards and a touchdown, but while Trung Canidate caught 10 passes for 107 yards, he only gained 19 yards rushing on 12 carries in relief of Faulk, including the one short TD. Az-Zahir Hakim, who contributed a touchdown pass, was the team’s leading rusher with 20 yards on two runs.

“They're not robots, they can be beaten,” said Joe Horn afterward. “I think we proved that today and we look forward to meeting them again.” The result was very different when the clubs met for the rematch in New Orleans – the Rams won, 34-21. Indeed, St. Louis lost only once more the rest of the regular season in posting a 14-2 record and re-taking the NFC West. However, they were stunned by the underdog New England Patriots in the Super Bowl. New Orleans failed to generate any momentum from the come-from-behind win, going 3-7 and losing the last four games of the year. The Saints finished in third place in the division at 7-9.

Kurt Warner (pictured below) was the NFL’s leading passer (101.4 rating) and also led the league in completion percentage (68.7), passing yards (4830), touchdown passes (36), yards per attempt (8.8), yards per completion (12.9), and percentage of TD passes (6.6).

Aaron Brooks, in his first full season as the starting quarterback, ranked fourth in the NFL with a career-high 3832 yards and tossed 26 touchdown passes, although he was also among the league leaders with 22 interceptions.

2004: Panthers Lose Lead to Rams but Win in Overtime

The Carolina Panthers, going to the playoffs for the second time in their brief history, traveled to St. Louis to play the Rams at the Edward Jones Dome on January 10, 2004. What ensued was a game of drama and missed opportunities that, in the end, came down to a big play.

The Panthers went 11-5 during the 2003 regular season to win the NFC South. Under Head Coach John Fox, they featured a solid defense anchored by ends Mike Rucker and Julius Peppers and tackle Kris Jenkins. The offense was based on a strong running attack led by veteran Stephen Davis (1444 yards), signed as a free agent from Washington in the offseason, and DeShaun Foster. Jake Delhomme became the starting quarterback and showed poise, throwing primarily to outstanding WR Steve Smith (88 catches, 1110 yards). They were at their best in close games, going 10-3 during the ’03 season in games decided by six points or less.

St. Louis led the NFC West for the third time in five years with a 12-4 record under Head Coach Mike Martz. Marc Bulger replaced injury-plagued Kurt Warner as the starting quarterback and still had outstanding receivers to throw to, most notably wide receivers Torry Holt, the league leader in both receptions (117) and yards (1696) and Isaac Bruce. The great all-purpose RB Marshall Faulk was showing signs of wear, but still rushed for 818 yards and caught 45 passes.

The Panthers defeated Dallas in the Wild Card round to advance while the Rams had the advantage of a week off thanks to their second-seeding in the NFC.

Carolina’s offense struggled and while the Rams led 6-0 early in the second quarter, they had twice made it inside the 10 yard line but were forced to settle for field goals by Jeff Wilkins of 20 and 26 yards. The Panthers scored on their third possession of the game shortly after the second Rams field goal on a questionable fumble recovery of a botched Delhomme shovel pass in the end zone by WR Muhsin Muhammad. The teams traded field goals, with John Kasay giving Carolina a 10-9 lead from 45 yards out with just over a minute remaining in the half.


It was a battle of field goals in the third quarter as Wilkins (pictured at right) put the Rams back ahead with a 51-yard three-pointer on the first St. Louis possession of the second half, but Kasay kicked two, of 52 and 34 yards, to make the score 16-12 in favor of Carolina by the end of the period. When RB Brad Hoover ran for a seven-yard TD just over six minutes into the fourth quarter, the Panthers went up by 23-12 and seemed to have the game well in hand, especially when safety Mike Minter intercepted a pass by Bulger on the Rams’ very next play. However, in a third-and-six situation DT Tyoka Jackson sacked Delhomme for an 11-yard loss that forced the Panthers to attempt a long field goal; Kasay’s 53-yard kick hit the left upright and bounced away.

The rejuvenated Rams, starting with 6:29 remaining on the clock, drove down the field with the partisan home crowd of 66,165 roaring all the way, converting four third downs and a fourth down in the process. Faulk, who gained 16 yards on a pass from Bulger on the successful fourth down play, scored a one-yard touchdown to cap the drive. St. Louis successfully went for two points, with Bulger passing to WR Dane Looker, and the Carolina lead was cut to 23-20.

The Rams went for the onside kick which, surprisingly, the placekicker Wilkins recovered with 42 seconds left in the fourth quarter. In a controversial decision, Coach Martz chose to let the clock run down and play for the tie and overtime rather than try for a touchdown in regulation. Wilkins successfully converted the 33-yard field goal, and the game proceeded into overtime with a 23-23 score.

The Panthers took the first possession of the “sudden death” period and made it appear that it would be the only one as they drove to the St. Louis 22 yard line. From there, Kasay kicked an apparent 40-yard field goal, but the Panthers were called for delay of game. Two running plays actually backed Carolina up and when Kasay again tried for a field goal from 45 yards, it went wide to the right.

Now it was the turn of the Rams offense, and they moved the ball to the Carolina 35, but Wilkins was short on a three-point attempt from 53 yards. The Panthers had to punt on their next possession, but got the ball back when CB Ricky Manning Jr. outwrestled Holt to intercept a Bulger pass with a minute remaining in the first period of overtime.

On a third-and-14 situation in the first play of the second overtime period, Delhomme hit Smith on a pass and run that covered 69 yards for the winning touchdown. The result of the tense, draining game was 29-23 in favor of the upstart Panthers.


Smith (pictured at top) was the offensive star for Carolina, not only scoring the game-winning touchdown in spectacular fashion but accumulating 163 yards on 6 pass receptions. Jake Delhomme completed 16 of 26 passes for 290 yards with a touchdown and an interception. Stephen Davis ran for 86 yards on 6 carries, but had to leave the game in the second quarter after suffering a quadriceps injury on a 64-yard run. DeShaun Foster (pictured above left) performed admirably in his place, rushing for 95 yards on 21 attempts. The Panthers won in spite of committing 13 penalties, costing them 92 yards, along the way.

In defeat, Marc Bulger threw for 332 yards while completing 27 of 46 passes with no TDs and, critically, three interceptions. Marshall Faulk caught the most passes with 9 for 78 yards to go along with his team-leading 53 rushing yards on 19 attempts. Isaac Bruce had 116 yards on 7 pass receptions. Jeff Wilkins tied a NFL postseason record with his five field goals, although he missed a potential game-winner in overtime.

Mike Martz defended his decision to not go for the win in regulation, saying “I felt like if we could get it into overtime, we would win this game.” It was the first time the Rams ever lost a postseason home game since moving to St. Louis.

Carolina went on to win the NFC Championship, defeating the Philadelphia Eagles handily, 14-3, but lost a hard-fought game in the Super Bowl to New England. For the Rams, it was the start of a period of decline; they made it into the postseason in ’04 with an 8-8 record, lost in the Wild Card round, and settled in to a long playoff drought.