ST. LOUIS, Dec. 30 (UPI) -- Playing against his former team for the first time, Marshall Faulk matched a career high with four touchdowns Sunday as the St. Louis Rams rolled to a 42-17 victory over the Indianapolis Colts and clinched the NFC West title for the second time in three years.
The win was the fifth in a row for the Rams (13-2), who can seal home-field advantage throughout the playoffs with a win next weekend against Atlanta or a loss by Chicago (12-3) to Jacksonville.
"One more roadtrip," St. Louis Coach Mike Martz told his team after the game, referring to the fact that if they keep winning, the Rams would travel only for the Super Bowl in New Orleans.
The game matched two of the NFL's top two offenses, but Peyton Manning could not keep up with fellow quarterback Kurt Warner, who had Faulk and Torry Holt among arsenal of weapons.
Faulk scored on a pair of one-yard runs, a four-yard run and a five-yard reception, giving him a league-leading 20 touchdowns and tying Eric Dickerson for the most in franchise history with 58.
The NFL's most versatile back, Faulk rushed for 118 yards on 25 carries for his 29th career 100-yard game -- 15 with the Rams and 14 with the Colts.
Indianapolis shipped Faulk to the Rams in 1999 at the inexpensive price of second- and fifth-round picks. Faulk and Warner transformed the Rams to Super Bowl champions that season as Faulk set career highs with 1,381 rushing yards and 87 receptions for 1,048 yards.
Warner did most of his damage in the first half Sunday, completing 16 of 19 for 274 yards and three touchdowns, including a pair to Torry Holt for 46 and 21 yards. The Rams scored on all five of their possessions in the first half and opened a 35-14 lead. Warner finished 23 of 30 for 359 yards.
Warner has passed for an NFL-high 4,550 yards, eclipsing his previous club record of 4,353 yards in St. Louis' Super Bowl season, and a league-best 33 touchdowns.
Holt had seven catches for a career-high 203 yards. His previous best was 172 yards on nine receptions Dec. 10, 2000 against Minnesota.
Manning could not engage in a shootout with Warner. He was 10 of 13 for 140 yards and ran for a touchdown in the first half, but that was not enough to keep the game close. In the second half, Manning was just five of 15 for 55 yards with an interception.
The loss was the seventh in eight games for the Colts (5-10).
Indianapolis' Marvin Harrison had five catches for 96 yards to reach 100 receptions for the third straight season. He leads the AFC with 1,396 receiving yards. Holt had four catches for 160 yards by halftime.
But the day belonged to the 28-year-old Faulk. Along with the four touchdowns, Faulk accounted for all 77 yards on St. Louis' second scoring drive.
On St. Louis' first possession, Holt caught a 42-yard pass on a slant over the middle to the Indianapolis one. Three plays later, Faulk raced behind left tackle Orlando Pace for a one-yard touchdown 5:31 into the game. Warner completed all four of his passes in the drive for 63 yards.
Manning directed the Colts on a 10-play, 68-yard scoring drive on their first possession, hitting Terrence Wilkins with a 28-yuard pass and Harrison on a 24-yard pass on third-down plays. Dominic Rhodes capped it with a one-yard touchdown run with 4:25 left in the quarter.
The next possession belonged to Faulk, who rushed six times for 53 yards, including a four-yard touchdown, and caught two passes for 24 yards.
Manning again responded with a seven-play, 83-yard drive that he capped with a one-yard scoring run. Manning hit Harrison with a 36-yard pass over the middle and drilled a nine-yard pass to tight end Ken Dilger to the St. Louis one before faking the St. Louis defense with a rollout to his left, tying the game at 14-14 with 9:45 left in the half.
But Warner and Holt needed just two plays to put the Rams back on top. They connected on a 51-yard pass before Holt beat David Macklin down the left sideline for a 21-yard touchdown just 61 seconds after Manning's score.
After Indianapolis stalled near midfield, Dre' Bly, who replaced Az-Zahir Hakim as the team's top returner, returned the ensuing punt 14 yards to the St. Louis 48. Warner hit Isaac Bruce with a 28-yard pass before connecting with Faulk on a five-yard touchdown to give St. Louis a 28-14 lead with 1:45 left in the half.
And after Indianapolis went three-and-out, that left the Rams with 65 seconds. They needed just 38 seconds to march 78 yards in five plays. Warner completed three of four passes for 32 yards before hitting Holt with a 46-yard scoring pass over the middle with 27 seconds left in the half, giving the Rams a 35-14 lead.
