The St. Louis Rams have finally figured out how to win at home. Carrying that success to the road is the next step if the Rams are going to challenge for the NFC West title.

Tied for first and coming off a bye, the Rams go for their first division road win in three years Sunday when they face the San Francisco 49ers, who are also looking to make a second-half postseason push.

Since a season-opening 17-13 defeat to Arizona on Sept. 12 sent them to their 14th straight home loss, the Rams (4-4) have won four in a row at the Edward Jones Dome. A 20-10 victory over visiting Carolina on Oct. 31 gave St. Louis more overall wins than it had in any of the previous three seasons.

"(The season is) not successful yet to me," said coach Steve Spagnuolo, whose team is tied with Seattle and off to its best start since 2006. "This is a good beginning. When I say good, I certainly think we all know it could have been better, and it also could have been worse.

"We're in the thick of things. I told the team this morning that anything and everything we want to accomplish is there."

The development of No. 1 overall pick Sam Bradford, who has thrown five TDs with no interceptions in the last three games, has the Rams in the hunt for their first division title since 2003.

"I felt very comfortable out there today, probably the most comfortable I've felt," the rookie said after completing 25 of 32 for 191 yards and two scores versus the Panthers. "I think the game is really slowing down for me."

Bradford, though, has yet to experience a road win. The Rams, who have dropped two of their three away games by a combined five points, have lost six straight away from St. Louis.

The Rams, opening a stretch of four of five on the road, will try to post their first road win over a West foe since a 13-9 victory over San Francisco on Nov. 18, 2007.

They'll be facing a 49ers team that's won two of three following its worst start in 31 years.

Coming off a disheartening road loss to Carolina the previous week when it allowed 10 unanswered points in the final 1:53, San Francisco (2-6) rebounded with a 24-16 victory over Denver in London on Oct. 31.

Making his first start with the 49ers and third of his four-year career, Troy Smith replaced the injured Alex Smith and went 12 of 19 for 196 yards with a TD. He ran for the tying score in the fourth to spark a 21-0 49ers run.

"This team does have some momentum coming behind it, especially with Troy out there starting," said linebacker Takeo Spikes, who added that the team's first playoff appearance since 2002 is still a possibility.

While coach Mike Singletary said this week that Alex Smith (separated left shoulder) would likely be the starter Sunday if healthy, Troy Smith took all the reps with the first-team offense Wednesday.

If the 2006 Heisman Trophy winner gets his second straight start, the Rams' eighth-ranked rush defense will likely see a lot of Frank Gore, who is fourth in the NFC with 691 rushing yards. St. Louis is allowing 97.8 yards per game on the ground.

Led by ends James Hall (team-high 6 1/2 sacks) and Chris Long (4 1/2) and linebacker James Laurinaitis (team-best 54 tackles), St. Louis has started to thrive under former defensive coordinator Spagnuolo. The Rams rank 10th in the NFL in total defense at 313.9 yards per game and have yielded more than 17 points twice.

"He's a tough guy who preaches playing with heart and passion and that's what these guys do," Laurinaitis said after the Rams had four sacks and a season-high three interceptions versus Carolina.

It's hard to argue with the toughness of the Rams' Steven Jackson. Six days after undergoing surgery to insert two pins into a broken left index finger, he rushed for 59 yards against the Panthers.

He has run for 676 yards on the season.

"It's very exciting," Jackson said of the team's success. "We're always setting goals for ourselves, so this next month is going to be very important to get ourselves in a great position to be able to play in the postseason."

The Rams have lost four straight and eight of 10 versus San Francisco. In the teams' last meeting at Candlestick Park, St. Louis suffered its 14th straight loss, 35-0 on Oct. 4, 2009.

It was San Francisco' first shutout in 119 games, and the 49ers reached the end zone via special teams, offense and defense for the first time since Nov. 10, 1997.