ST. LOUIS (Ticker) -- It was fitting that the St. Louis Rams clinched their third NFC West title in five years at home. For the Seattle Seahawks, it was another case of road kill.
Marc Bulger threw for 236 yards and two touchdowns and Marshall Faulk added 85 yards rushing and a score to lead the Rams to a 27-22 victory over the Seahawks in a battle of division rivals.
The Rams (11-3) increased their winning streak here at the Edwards Jones Dome to 13 games, tying a franchise record for consecutive home wins, and moved ahead of the Philadelphia Eagles (10-3) in the race for home-field advantage throughout the NFC playoffs. The Eagles play at Miami on Monday night.
The Seahawks (8-6), who last made the postseason in 1999, lost their sixth straight road game and are tied for the second wild-card spot with Green Bay.
Faulk was at his best on St. Louis' last scoring drive. With the Rams nursing a 24-22 lead, Faulk rushed eight times for 51 yards and caught a six-yard pass on a 3rd-and-4 play to set up a 46-yard field goal by Jeff Wilkins with 1:37 left.
"It was vintage Marshall," said Bulger, who completed 20-of-32 passes. "The guys up front were pretty juiced up, but ultimately it came down to Marshall getting those yards."
The seven-time Pro Bowl back was held to just 34 yards on 20 carries, including a five-yard touchdown in the first quarter, before breaking off a 28-yard run to start St. Louis' final drive.
"I just had the patience to find the proper hole and I made the yards," Faulk said. "I get rewarded for the plays, but the guys up front make it happen. I can't do it without them."
The Seahawks reached the St. Louis 34 in the final seconds, but receiver Bobby Engram tripped over the feet of back judge Greg Steed on the next-to-last play of the game and Matt Hasselbeck's pass was nearly intercepted in the end zone. Hasselbeck's last pass was batted away short of the end zone, preserving St. Louis' 10th win in 11 games.
"We are just part of the field and, unfortunately, if we get in the way, we just get in the way," said referee Walt Coleman. "We try not to, but if we do, it is just part of what happens."
Shaun Alexander rushed for 126 yards on 25 carries for Seattle. His two-yard touchdown run pulled the Seahawks within 27-22 with 10:18 remaining.
"We knew that if we won this game, the Rams could be caught and we could win the division," Alexander said.
Torry Holt recorded his ninth 100-yard game of the season with six catches for 100 yards, including a 40-yard touchdown in the second quarter which opened a 21-9 lead for the Rams.
After throwing touchdown passes to Isaac Bruce and Holt in the first half, Bulger was picked off by Seahawks linebacker Randall Godfrey, who returned the interception seven yards to the St. Louis 36 close to the two-minute warning. However, the Seahawks had to settle for a 31-yard field goal by Josh Brown with 18 seconds left after an apparent nine-yard touchdown pass to Alexander was nullified due to an illegal shift.
Hasselbeck was 21-of-37 for 246 yards, including a nine-yard touchdown pass to Darrell Jackson. However, Rams cornerback Travis Fisher intercepted a deflected pass in the first quarter and returned it nine yards to the Seattle 24 to set up Bruce's 18-yard TD.
