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ST. LOUIS (Ticker) -- The reigning NFL Most Valuable Player returned with a bang, much to the chagrin of the hapless Carolina Panthers. Playing for the first time in nearly a month, Marshall Faulk rushed for 183 yards and a pair of touchdowns in the first half alone and the St. Louis Rams rolled to a 48-14 rout of the Panthers. Trung Canidate picked up where Faulk left off in the second half, rushing for 145 yards on just 16 carries. Behind Faulk and Canidate, the Rams rushed for 337 yards -- third highest in franchise history -- and outgained the Panthers, 493-146. The league's most versatile running back, Faulk missed St. Louis' last two games after suffering a sprained right knee in an October 14 contest against the New York Giants, but showed no signs of rust. "I felt good out there," Faulk said. "The receivers did a good job getting down the field and blocking guys and cutting guys off and there was open field." On St. Louis' third play from scrimmage, Faulk raced around left end, hurdled a few defenders and broke off a 71-yard touchdown run, the longest of his career. Later in the quarter, Faulk dashed around right end for a 58-yard run to the Carolina 22. Four plays later, Robert Holcombe scored on a one-yard run with 6:14 left in the quarter to increase the lead to 14-0. With two runs accounting for 129 yards, Faulk finished the quarter with 143 yards on six carries. He scored on a six-yard run in the second quarter and added 40 more yards to his total. Faulk appeared headed to breaking the NFL single-game rushing record of 278 yards by Corey Dillon of the Cincinnati Bengals, but coach Mike Martz opted to rest him in the second half. "Marshall was as good as he has ever been," Martz said. The decision was probably solidified when Rams cornerback Aeneas Williams returned an interception 16 yards for a touchdown 53 seconds into the second half, opening St. Louis' lead to 38-7. The Rams (7-1) had a bye week to ponder how they squandered an 18-point lead in a 34-31 loss to the New Orleans Saints on October 28 and took it out on Carolina. "We came off a week off and we were fresh and excited about playing," Martz said. "The offensive line did a splendid job. Defensively, I was excited they never let up. They were all excited about playing." The Panthers (1-8) set a franchise record with their eighth straight loss. "This was obviously a pretty devastating whipping by a darn good football team," Panthers coach George Seifert said. "From a defensive standpoint, we were not getting off blocks. It was a pretty devastating running game against us, and it started right off the bat. "They were more explosive then we were, then for the longest time we couldn't execute and develop any sort of rhythm as far as our offense was concerned." With rookie Chris Weinke sidelined with a sprained shoulder, Matt Lytle made his first start at quarterback for Carolina and completed 15-of-25 passes for 126 yards and a touchdown with two interceptions. "You can't make mistakes against a team like that," Lytle said. "I would like to ask more of myself, but it is my first NFL start and I got my feet wet. I got to go on the mistakes I made and change it for the better." A second-year player from Pittsburgh, Lytle was allocated to NFL Europe by Carolina last season and helped the Rhein Fire win the World Bowl. He was forced to make his first NFL start due to Weinke's injury and with backup Dameyune Craig out for the season with a foot injury. But Lytle had little chance competing against the Rams. He threw for just 32 yards in the first half when the Panthers failed to even get a first down. Carolina had four three-and-outs and two turnovers in its first half possessions before rookie Steve Smith returned a kickoff 99 yards for a touchdown with 18 seconds left in the half. St. Louis had four touchdowns and a field goal along with two turnovers on its three first-half possessions. A fumble recovery by rookie defensive tackle Damione Lewis at the Carolina 33 set up St. Louis' third touchdown. Three plays later, Kurt Warner connected with Isaac Bruce on a 26-yard score with 3:52 left in the first quarter. Faulk's six-yard touchdown in the second quarter came after Warner hit Torry Holt with a 33-yard pass. With his running game doing most of the damage, Warner completed 14-of-20 for 144 yards with three interceptions. "Trung and Marshall looked great, the offensive line did a fantastic job and it is fun to get everybody involved and back on a winning track," Warner said. A 33-yard field goal by Jeff Wilkins with 33 seconds left in the half capped a 16-play, 73-yard drive which lasted more than nine minutes, opening a 31-0 lead. Smith returned the ensuing kickoff 99 yards for a touchdown, making him the first player this season to score on both a punt and kickoff return. Williams opened the second half with his eighth career touchdown on an interception return and second this season. "It is something we talk about all the time, and that's scoring on defense," Williams said. A 23-yard TD run by Canidate with 6:52 left in the quarter increased the lead to 45-7. Lytle threw his first career touchdown, a four-yard pass to Kris Mangum with 2:35 remaining in the third quarter. "He (Lytle) is another young guy we are putting in to get experience," Carolina receiver Muhsin Muhammad said. "He struggled a bit today but as the game went on he got more comfortable. This will be a learning experience for him. I like his confidence. I don't think he was rattled at any time during the game." Wilkins kicked a 35-yard field goal in the fourth quarter to complete the scoring.
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