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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
ST. LOUIS -- Kurt Warner must have thought he was back in
the Arena Football League.
Last year's regular-season and Super Bowl MVP opened his second
season as a starter by throwing for 441 yards and three touchdowns
as St. Louis opened defense of its NFL title with a 41-36 victory
over Denver on Monday night.
|  | | The Rams have speed everywhere, and Tony Horne had plenty of it on this 45-yard punt return in the first quarter Monday night. |
"We feel we can score any time we touch the ball," Warner
said. "The last drive was no different."
That last drive, 75 yards in eight plays, was made necessary by
one of Warner's three interceptions, which was returned 32 yards
for a score by Denver's Terrell Buckley. It gave Denver, which
trailed 35-20 late in the third quarter, a 36-35 lead.
But Warner then led a 75-yard drive capped by Robert Holcombe's
1-yard TD run with 2:58 left. And the defense, shredded all game by
Brian Griese, finally asserted itself with sacks by D'Marco Farr
and Kevin Carter.
"Why are we always so dramatic?" asked Carter in a reference
to last January's Super Bowl, when Mike Jones' tackle stopped
Tennessee's Kevin Dyson a yard short of the tying touchdown on the
game's final play.
It was just what the NFL wanted for Dennis Miller's first
official Monday night telecast: a shootout in St. Louis.
"This was a game where if you like offense, it was fun to
watch," Denver coach Mike Shanahan said. "If you liked defense,
you picked the wrong one to go to."
In addition to the late game heroics, Az-Zahir Hakim went 86
yards on a punt return and took a short pass from Warner 80 yards
for another score. Warner, who was 25-of-35, also had a 72-yard TD
pass to Marshall Faulk on the same pattern on which Hakim scored --
between them, the two passes covered perhaps 20 yards total
laterally and the receivers did the rest.
The Broncos were nearly as effective on offense.
Despite losing running back Terrell Davis to a twisted left
ankle in the second quarter, the Broncos moved the ball almost as
well as the Rams although not as quickly. Olandis Gary replaced
Davis and gained 80 yards in 13 carries.
Griese, who was 19-of-28 for 307 yards, threw for two TDs and
ran for a third.
"Any time you come into their back yard and score some points
and move the ball, you're doing fine," Shanahan said.
Both teams scored on all of their possessions in the second
quarter until halftime stopped the Broncos.
And each scored again in the first two series of the second
half, making it six scores in seven possessions with the difference
the TDs scored by the Rams against field goals by the Broncos. In
all, there were scores on eight of 10 possessions by both teams.
The win was the first as a head coach for Mike Martz, who was
St. Louis' offensive coordinator last season and took over when
Dick Vermeil retired after the Rams beat Tennessee in last
January's Super Bowl.
Martz took the blame for the interception. "It was my call,"
he said. "We almost blew it. Fortunately, we were able to come
back and put it in the end zone."
This was a shootout from the start.
Denver, coming off a 6-10 season after winning consecutive Super
Bowls, made it look easy on its first possession, going 59 yards in
just six plays to take a 7-0 lead on Griese's 8-yard bootleg. Davis
had a 12-yard run on that series and Griese completed passes of 16
and 18 yards to Rod Smith and Duane Carswell.
Hakim tied it with his 86-yard return which he took straight up
the field and outran everyone.
Jason Elam's 32-yard field goal 1:18 into the second quarter
gave the Broncos a 10-7 lead. But the Rams came back with a
nine-play, 89-yard drive capped by Faulk's 5-yard TD run.
Then, after Griese hit Smith on a slant for a 25-yard score, the
Rams came right back, going 77 yards on nine plays capped by
Warner's 7-yard TD pass to Ricky Proehl and it was 21-17 St. Louis
at the half.
Elam's 38-yard field goal on the first series of the third
quarter cut the Rams' lead to 21-20.
It was quickly 28-20.
On the second play after the kickoff, Warner threw the ball in
the flat to Faulk who dodged two tacklers and took the ball 72
yards to the end zone. But Griese came right back, driving the
Broncos 67 yards capped by a 7-yard TD pass to Desmond Clark.
Elam's 35-yarder made it 35-30.
Then came the final frantic shootout.
"It's the toughest first half I've ever had in my life," said
Denver linebacker Bill Romanowski, who is in his 13th season.
"When you're own offense puts up 36 points, I don't care if you're
playing the NFC Pro Bowl team, you've got to win it."
Game notes
It took officials only 19 seconds to deny the Rams' instant
replay challenge in the second quarter. It was ruled Proehl used
the turf to bring in the ball. ... Faulk had his sixth career
100-yard receiving game. He had one last year. ... Torry Holt and
Hakim also had over 100 yards, the second time in team history
that's happened. ... Broncos linebacker Al Wilson, who is in his
second year, had the first two interceptions of his career. However, he also suffered a sprained left shoulder and is listed as day-to-day. ...
Jones got by far the loudest cheer of any player during the
introductions.
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ALSO SEE
NFL Scoreboard
Denver Clubhouse
St. Louis Clubhouse
Davis comeback derailed by ankle injury
Week 1 wrap-ups
Week 1 infirmary report
TJ's Take on Week 1
Week 1 stats leaders
Prime Time Players
AUDIO/VIDEO
 Mike Martz talks with ESPN's Trey Wingo about his debut as the Rams' head man.
RealVideo: | 28.8
Az-Zahir Hakim describes his punt return for a touchdown.
avi: 795 k
RealVideo: 56.6 | ISDN | T1
 Mike Shanahan hopes to see the Rams again.
wav: 97 k
RealAudio: 14.4 | 28.8 | 56.6
Mike Martz says the Rams have high offensive standards.
wav: 131 k
RealAudio: 14.4 | 28.8 | 56.6
Marshall Faulk talks with Andrea Kremer about the Rams' performance.
wav: 700 k
RealAudio: 14.4 | 28.8 | 56.6
Kurt Warner says the Rams never give up.
wav: 224 k
RealAudio: 14.4 | 28.8 | 56.6
Brian Griese expected an offensive game.
wav: 140 k
RealAudio: 14.4 | 28.8 | 56.6
Bill Romanowski says the Rams presented problems for the Broncos' defense.
wav: 149 k
RealAudio: 14.4 | 28.8 | 56.6
Terrell Davis is going to prepare for next week.
wav: 106 k
RealAudio: 14.4 | 28.8 | 56.6
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