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Brown beats Rams with late field goal for second time

Nov 13, 2006 - 12:33 AM SEATTLE (Ticker) -- The St. Louis Rams must be sick of Josh Brown.

Brown kicked a 38-yard field goal with nine seconds remaining to give the Seattle Seahawks a 24-22 victory over the St. Louis Rams.

It was the second time this season that Brown beat the Rams with a field goal. He kicked a 54-yarder as time expired in a wild 30-28 victory at St. Louis on October 15.

"I thought the offensive team got it down there in a position to at least make sure it wasn't a 54-yarder, like the one he kicked in St. Louis," Seahawks coach Mike Holmgren said. "He's a good field goal kicker and he has the confidence in his ability to make that kick in that situation. I like him a little more than most kickers that I've had."

Brown's latest clutch kick moved the Seahawks (6-3) two games ahead of the Rams (4-5) in the NFC West. Seattle also should be regaining the services of reigning MVP Shaun Alexander (foot) and Pro Bowl quarterback Matt Hasselbeck in the coming weeks.

"There is a lot of importance in the game because of the division," Holmgren said. "We're going to enjoy this."

Steven Jackson's powerful 14-yard touchdown run with 2:30 remaining had given the Rams a 22-21 lead.

Before the two-point conversion failed, center Richie Incognito was called for a personal foul, forcing the Rams to kick off from their 15.

The penalty proved costly as Josh Scobey returned the kickoff 33 yards to the St. Louis 49.

"That's a critical mistake," Rams first-year coach Scott Linehan said. "We all make mistakes, but you can't make mistakes in critical times of the game with field position. It can cost you. In that case it did because they got a good return and only needed about 20 yards."

"It was an unfortunate thing that happened near the goal line," Incognito said. "I was trying to protect Steven (Jackson). It was a heat of the moment thing. Whether I deserved it or not doesn't matter. The fact of the matter is that I got a penalty and it affected field position and ultimately affected the game."

Maurice Morris had runs of five and 10 yards before Seneca Wallace had completions of two yards to D.J. Hackett and 10 yards to Darrell Jackson, moving the ball to the Seattle 32.

Four plays later, Brown came on and calmly split the uprights in a steady rain, giving the Seahawks the win.

"Mother Nature was trying to play some mind games today, but the flags weren't moving today so you didn't have to compensate for anything," Brown said. "I didn't expect to miss. I'm not shocked I made it."

Special teams also played a factor earlier in the fourth quarter when Nate Burleson returned a punt 90 yards for a touchdown with 8:19 remaining to give the Seahawks a 21-16 lead.

"That return had nothing to do with me and what I can do," Burleson said. "It was the other guys blocking for me. I don't like fair catching anyway. I think if you're going to get hit, you might as well catch it and try to do something with it."

"It was a spark that we needed," Wallace said. "We were backed up a little bit in the third quarter and for him to get that return, the momentum changed."

The Seahawks had to be thankful for their special teams since they gained a total of 16 yards on their first four second-half possessions.

However, the Rams were unable to take advantage as they lost their fourth straight game following a surprising 4-1 start.

Morris was a major bright spot in his second straight 100-yard game. A week after rushing for a career-high 138 yards in a win over Oakland, he finished with 124 on 21 attempts.

Holding a 16-14 lead, the Rams looked to be in position to increase the advantage after Raonall Smith recovered a fumble by Wallace at the Seahawks 33 late in the third quarter.

After the Rams drove to the 12, Linehan decided to go for it on 4th-and-1. But Marc Bulger's pass intended for rookie tight end Joe Klopfenstein fell incomplete.

Bulger completed 26-of-40 passes for 216 yards and an interception.

"Obviously you can't blame it on a couple of plays," he said. "But it was one of those games where those made a difference."

On their ensuing drive of the game, the Seahawks reached the Rams 1. But after false start, Wallace fumbled after getting sacked by Leonard Little. Victor Adeyanju scooped up the ball and returned it 89 yards for a touchdown.

Little and linebacker Will Witherspoon recorded two sacks apiece for the Rams, who finished with six.

While the Seahawks struggled with protection, the Rams' offensive line took a major hit when perennial Pro Bowl left tackle Orlando Pace suffered a torn left biceps that will sideline him for the remainder of the season.

Wallace atoned for his miscue with a three-yard touchdown pass to Jackson with 5:45 left in the first quarter, tying the game at 7-7.

Jeff Wilkins kicked a 40-yard field goal with seven seconds left in the first quarter to give back the lead to the Rams.

But Wallace hit tight end Jerramy Stevens with a 15-yard TD pass over the middle with 7:39 left in the first half, giving the Seahawks a 14-10 lead.

Wilkins converted a 42-yard field goal with 27 seconds left in the second quarter and another from 35 yards less than six minutes into the third.

Rams wide receiver Torry Holt had seven catches for 73 yards. He had eight receptions for 154 yards and three TDs in the first meeting between the teams.