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ST. LOUIS (Ticker) -- The St. Louis Rams got back on track, thanks to big defensive plays by cornerback Todd Lyght and linebacker Mike Jones, with a 35-10 victory over the Carolina Panthers. Kurt Warner threw for 284 yards and two touchdowns for St. Louis (7-2), which recovered from consecutive road losses by recording six sacks and forcing three turnovers. The Rams improved to 7-2 for the first time since 1988 and increased their lead in the NFC West to four games over 3-6 Carolina and San Francisco. "It is a divsional win and we got out of our two-game losing streak," coach Dick Vermeil said. "We did a lot of things real well, some things not well enough, but it is a win." Lyght scored on a 57-yard interception return and Jones picked up a fumble and lumbered 34 yards for a score as St. Louis built a 28-10 lead in the third quarter. Steve Beuerlein guided the Panthers to a TD on the game's first drive, but the Panthers surrendered 35 of the final 38 points and fell to 1-4 on the road. "The opening drive was one of the best we had all season," Carolina coach George Seifert said. "We had some momentum going, but allowing them to score put the wind out of our sails." Returning to the TWA Dome after losing to Tennessee and Detroit by a combined seven points, the Rams extended the longest home winning streak in the league to six games, dating to last season. "We just wanted to go out and get back on track," Warner said. "We were so close the past two games. It is good to get back home and get the fans behind us and go out and get a victory." The teams exchanged first-drive TDs before Beuerlein threw a pass into Lyght's chest near the middle of the field. Lyght sprinted untouched for his fourth-career score and a 14-7 lead. "I haven't been in the end zone in a while," he said. "I was beginning to think I was cursed. I had a great jam on the play and the quarterback threw it to me right on the numbers." Jones built on a 21-10 lead when he stripped tight end Wesley Walls near the left sideline, scooped up the ball and went the distance for the second TD of his career. "When I stripped the ball (it) bounced and I picked it up," he said. "I thought, get to the end zone as fast as I could. It doesn't seem right -- nobody was around me. Once a running back, you never forget." St. Louis pressured Beuerlein all day, forcing another interception. Defensive end Kevin Carter recorded 2 1/2 of the team's six sacks, giving him an NFC-leading 9 1/2. "The turnovers hurt," Seifert said. "We were never able to gain any momentum, then they were able to tee off on us on the pass rushes." The Panthers held the ball for nearly 35 minutes and had a 377-363 edge in total yardage but committed 10 penalties for 89 yards. They came out sharp, scoring on a nine-play, 70-yard drive on the game's first possession. Beuerlein was 6-of-6 for 47 yards on the march, throwing a 14-yard score to tight end Wesley Walls. "I think we shocked them on the first drive," said Panthers running back Fred Lane, who carried 13 times for 54 yards. "But then they came right back." The Rams needed only four plays to tie it on Warner's 22-yard TD pass to Isaac Bruce, moving 80 yards on four plays. Running back Marshall Faulk set up the score with a 53-yard reception on 3rd-and-10. St. Louis leads the NFL with 35 points on opening drives. Faulk totaled 137 yards from scrimmage, carrying 16 times for 73 yards and a TD. Bruce had five catches, including his NFC-leading 10th TD reception, for 69 yards. Warner, who completed 19-of-29 passes to nine different receivers, later guided St. Louis on a 14-play, 80-yard drive, capped by a 19-yard toss to tight end Roland Williams for a 21-7 lead with 5:31 left in the first half. With two TD passes, Warner has 26 through nine games, one off Dan Marino's record pace in 1988, when he recorded an NFL-best 48. Faulk finished the scoring and an eight-play, 78-yard march with an 18-yard touchdown run with 71 seconds to play. Beuerlein completed 24-of-39 passes for 286 yards, finding Muhsin Muhammad nine times for 125 yards. Muhammad was taken to a hospital for X-rays on his sore ribs, and released.
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