American Football: Rams rampant as Faulk tames feeble Panthers

Every great team needs a reliable running back, and while the St Louis Rams continued to win while Marshall Faulk spent three weeks absent through injury, they are clearly an unstoppable force when he is at full strength.

Clearly rested, Faulk tore into the Carolina Panthers as if anxious to make up for lost time. He gained an astonishing 183 yards on only 15 carries, scoring two touchdowns before half-time as the Rams imposed their will on the feeble Panthers. In truth, perhaps anyone would have had a big day against Carolina: Faulk's replacement, Trung Canidate, gained 145 yards on a mere 16 carries in the second half as the Panthers went into meltdown.

With the quarterback Kurt Warner continuing to throw an alarming rate of interceptions (three more against the Panthers, giving him 10 in his last three games), the form and fitness of Faulk will clearly be a major factor as St Louis seek a second Super Bowl title in three years.

If Faulk was a known commodity, Seattle's Shaun Alexander confirmed his arrival with a blistering display against the Oakland Raiders. Alexander, in his second season, is only playing because of an injury to Ricky Watters. Watters, however, may be seeking pastures new after Alexander pounded Oakland for 266 rushing yards, the fourth-highest total in league history. An 88-yard touchdown run helped the Seahawks prevail 34-27 in a game they had to win to keep their play-off prospects alive.

The New York Jets were similarly indebted to their runner, Curtis Martin, who scored three touchdowns to lift his side past the Kansas City Chiefs, 27-7. No trip to the end zone for Pittsburgh's Jerome Bettis, but the powerfully-built back's 163 yards enabled the Steelers to edge the Cleveland Browns 15-12 in over-time.

The result vindicated coach Bill Cowher's decision to persist with his kicker, Kris Brown. Last week, Brown missed four field goals in the loss to Baltimore: on Sunday, he was responsible for all Pittsburgh's points, including the crucial 32-yard effort in over-time.

The Philadelphia Eagles unexpectedly dormant offense spluttered into life with a 48-17 crushing of the Minnesota Vikings. The running back, Duce Staley, gained 146 yards on 17 attempts, but the Eagles took flight behind the arm of their quarterback, Donovan McNabb, who threw three touchdowns and ran for another himself.

A sound running game may be important, but it helps to have a quarterback who can rise to the occasion. The San Francisco 49ers passer Jeff Garcia threw four scoring passes, including a pair to Terrell Owens, as the Californians edged New Orleans 28-27.

Without their injured running back, Edgerrin James, the Indianapolis Colts also turned to the air. Peyton Manning and Marvin Harrison combined for three touchdowns, but the Colts were beaten when Miami's quarterback, Jay Fiedler, found Chris Chambers from 29-yards out for the game-winning score with less than eight minutes remaining.

Few passers can match Green Bay's Brett Favre for sustained brilliance, however. Favre has been amongst the league's deadliest quarterbacks for more than a decade now, and confirmed that he has lost none of his guile as he steered the Packers to a 20-12 triumph in Chicago.