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Rams hope to stay alive in playoff race

Dec 24, 2006 - 5:51 PM Washington (5-9) at St. Louis (6-8) Sunday 1:00 pm EST

ST. LOUIS (Ticker) -- Marc Bulger, Torry Holt and Steven Jackson are headed to the Pro Bowl. They would rather be going to the playoffs.

The St. Louis Rams hope to stay alive in the playoff race when they host the Washington Redskins on Sunday.

The Rams trail Philadelphia (8-6), the New York Giants (7-7) and Atlanta (7-7) in the battle for the two wild-card spots in the NFC.

St. Louis lost seven of eight games before posting a 20-0 victory over the Oakland Raiders last week. The Rams forced five turnovers, including three interceptions, and Jackson rushed for 127 yards and two touchdowns.

Jackson was named to the Pro Bowl for the first time on Tuesday. He leads the NFC with 1,916 yards from scrimmage, rushing for 1,236 yards and nine touchdowns and catching 82 passes for 680 yards.

Bulger was selected to the Pro Bowl for the second time. He is second in the NFC with 3,665 passing yards and has 19 touchdowns with eight interceptions.

Holt was named to the Pro Bowl for the sixth time. He has eclipsed 1,000 yards for the last seven years, catching 80 passes for 1,044 yards and 10 touchdowns this season.

But Rams defensive end Leonard Little, who is among the league leaders with 12 sacks, was snubbed.

The Redskins have been eliminated from postseason contention, but they looked like a playoff team last week, posting a 16-10 victory over first-place New Orleans.

Washington rushed for 161 yards, Jason Campbell threw for 204 yards, including a 31-yard touchdown to Santana Moss, and Shaun Suisham kicked three field goals.

The Redskins also held Pro Bowl quarterback Drew Brees without a touchdown pass and limited rookie Reggie Bush to 14 yards on seven carries and five catches for 19 yards.

Cornerback Carlos Rogers had an interception and batted down a pass in the end zone late in the fourth quarter to preserve the win.

Since signing a contract extension, Washington's Ladell Betts rushed for a career-high 171 yards in a loss to Philadelphia and 119 yards in the win at New Orleans.

The Redskins had just one player named to the Pro Bowl - left tackle Chris Samuels. It was the fourth selection for Samuels.

Clinton Portis rushed for 136 yards and two touchdowns in the Redskins' 24-9 win here over the Rams last December. Fullback Rock Cartwright added a career-high 118 yards on just nine carries.