Jackson, Rams run over Raiders

Dec 18, 2006, 0:45 GMT

Oakland, CA - Steven Jackson rushed for 127 yards and two touchdowns as the St. Louis Rams handled the Oakland Raiders, 20-0, at McAfee Coliseum.

Jackson carried the ball 31 times and Marc Bulger managed the game well, throwing for 137 yards on 11-of-22 passing, as St. Louis (6-8) snapped a two- game losing streak.

Torry Holt caught four passes for 59 yards and Isaac Bruce grabbed three balls for 58 yards in the win for the Rams.

Andrew Walter was 14-of-20 passing for 131 yards with two interceptions before being replaced by Aaron Brooks, who was 11-of-19 for 98 yards and an interception.

'We were moving the ball some but we weren't getting anywhere so I made the decision to see if Andrew could give us a spark,' said Raiders head coach Art Shell. 'I thought he came in and threw pretty well except for the one ball on the interception.'

Justin Fargas had 43 yards rushing on 12 carries and Ronald Curry pulled in nine passes for 87 yards for the Raiders (2-12), who have lost seven straight games.

The Rams defense recorded four sacks of Oakland quarterbacks. The Raiders defense also registered four sacks.

The Raiders won the coin toss and appeared to have something going on their first possession. Starting on their own 22-yard line, Oakland quickly moved the ball to the 46. However, Brooks had his pass intercepted by Fakhir Brown at the St. Louis 21, although Brown lost three yards on the return.

Later on, after both teams exchanged punts, St. Louis mounted a drive of its own. Pinned back on their own nine-yard line, Bulger led the offense on a 15- play, 85-yard scoring drive that was capped off when Jeff Wilkins converted on a 24-yard field goal to give the Rams the early 3-0 advantage early in the second quarter.

Following a minimal offensive set by the Raiders, St. Louis got the ball back and went back to work. Starting on their own 12, the Rams put together a 13- play, 72-yard drive that saw Jackson carry the ball seven times and Bulger connect with Bruce on a 41-yard throw. Wilkins booted his second field goal of the contest, a 34-yard effort to increase St. Louis' lead to 6-0 with just under two minutes remaining in the half.

The score remained the same until there was just over 10 minutes left in the third quarter. After a failed offensive set, St. Louis was forced to punt, but Oakland return man Chris Carr muffed the kick and it was recovered by Chris Massey at the Raiders' 24-yard line. Following a Jackson five-yard run, Bulger hit Holt for a 13-yard pass taking to ball down to the Oakland six. Two plays later Jackson ran up the middle for a four-yard touchdown, increasing the Rams lead to 13-0.

Oakland appeared to be mounting a nice drive midway through the third quarter as they moved the ball down to the St. Louis 13-yard line, but Zach Crockett got stripped by Leonard Little after a two yard loss. The ball was recovered by Tye Hill at the Rams' 18 and advanced to the 20.

The Rams added to their lead with just over ten minutes remaining in the fourth quarter. Following an interception by Ronald Bartell that gave St. Louis great field position at the Raiders' 19, Jackson ran the first play of the set up the middle for a 19-yard touchdown to give the Rams a 20-0 lead.

Oakland tried responding, but after the Raiders moved it downfield to the St. Louis 26-yard line, Walter was intercepted again, this time by Dexter Coakley.

'We've lost some close games and not so close games,' Rams head coach Scott Linehan said. 'I think our leadership showed within our coaching staff and players to come on the road, regardless of the records of either team. It's hard to go on the road and win and it's hard to do it when you're somewhat struggling so I'm very proud of the team in that regard.'

Game Notes

The Rams will host the Washington Redskins next Sunday, while Oakland hosts the Kansas City Chiefs on Saturday night.

The Raiders seven-game losing streak is their longest since 1987.

It was the third time Oakland has been shutout this year, the most since 1981.

© 2006 The Sports Network