ST. LOUIS (Ticker) -- The Minnesota Vikings never could keep Marshall Faulk out of the end zone.
Faulk rushed for three touchdowns and Marc Bulger passed for 222 yards and a score to lead the St. Louis Rams to their 12th straight home win, a 48-17 rout of the Vikings, in a battle of division leaders.
The win kept the Rams (9-3) in sole possession of first place in the NFC West. They are tied with Philadelphia (9-3) for the best record in the conference. Minnesota (7-5) lost for the fifth time in six games but still holds a one-game lead over Green Bay in the NFC North.
A seven-time Pro Bowler, Faulk rushed for 108 yards on 17 carries and scored on runs of 18, 5 and 7 yards. He has 127 touchdowns, passing Hall of Famers Walter Payton and Jim Brown for fourth on the all-time list.
"Huge names. What more can I say about it," said Faulk, who enjoyed his third straight 100-yard game after going 10 games without one.
"Everyone is talking about how he's (Faulk) slowed down, he's this, he's that," said Rams coach Mike Martz. "Whatever he is, he's pretty good."
The last time Faulk faced Minnesota, he rushed for a career-high four touchdowns in a 40-29 victory here for the Rams on December 10, 2000. In three career games against the Vikings, Faulk has rushed for 345 yards and nine touchdowns.
Meanwhile, Bulger, who had just four touchdown passes and 10 interceptions in his previous four games, improved to 11-0 at the Edward Jones Dome. He hit Isaac Bruce with a four-yard touchdown pass in the second quarter and scored on a 12-yard run in the third quarter to help the Rams open a 34-17 lead.
"We're winning and it's not about how I play every week, it's about whether the team wins or loses, and we're winning," said Bulger, who completed 15-of-20 passes.
The 48 points were the most for the Rams since a 48-14 win over Carolina on November 11, 2001.
Returning to the lineup after missing a month with a torn pectoral muscle, defensive end Leonard Little recorded four of St. Louis' eight sacks and forced two fumbles.
"Leonard Little is back. Put him in the Pro Bowl where he belongs," said Rams defensive tackle Tyoka Jackson, who had an interception. "He's the best defensive end in the NFL. Today, he got a sack for every game he missed."
On his third sack, Little jarred the ball loose from Daunte Culpepper and safety Aeneas Williams returned the fumble 90 yards for a touchdown in the fourth quarter.
"They were swarming out there," said Culpepper, who was 33-of-47 for 330 yards and one touchdown with an interception and also ran for 70 yards on four carries. "They had some great defenses called against the plays that we had. It happens like that sometimes."
The game also matched two of the NFL's premier receivers - Randy Moss of Minnesota and Torry Holt of St. Louis. Moss had 10 catches for 160 yards, including a 15-yard touchdown. Holt did not get into the end zone, but caught eight passes for 102 yards, raising his league-leading totals to 92 receptions for 1,387 yards.
