2006 St . Louis Rams season The 2006 St . Louis Rams season was the team ' s 69th year with the National Football League and the 12th season in St . Louis . The season began with the Rams trying to improve on their 6 - 10 record from 2005 under new head coach Scott Linehan . Offseason . Scott Linehan was named head coach of the St . Louis Rams on January 19 , 2006 . He previously served as the offensive coordinator for the Miami Dolphins . On January 24 , Jim Haslett , the former head coach of the New Orleans Saints , signed a three - year deal to become the Rams new defensive coordinator . On March 17 , 2006 , the Rams signed former Miami Dolphins QB Gus Frerotte to a three - year deal . In the 2006 NFL Draft , the Rams used their first pick on Clemson CB Tye Hill . They used the next pick on Colorado TE Joe Klopfenstein . The remaining picks were LSU DT Claude Wroten , USC TE Dominique Byrd , Stanford LB Jon Alston , Indiana DE Victor Adeyanju , Virginia WR Marques Hagans , Northwestern LB Tim McGarigle , Minnesota Guard Mark Setterstrom , and Missouri Guard Tony Palmer . On Friday , September 1 , 2006 , the Rams signed former Carolina Panthers RB Stephen Davis a one - year contract . Regular season . Week 1 : vs . Denver Broncos . The Rams opened the regular season at home against the Denver Broncos on September 10 with a Rams 18 - 10 win . Jeff Wilkins scored all of the Rams ' points by kicking six field goals , a franchise record for a single game ( from 51 , 48 , 26 , 38 , 29 and 24 yards ) , and became the first Ram player to score 1000 points in a career . Wilkins also tied a franchise record of seven field goal attempts in one game which was first accomplished by Bob Waterfield on December 9 , 1951 . The Rams were unable to score a touchdown all game and went 0 for 5 in the red zone . The defense allowed just one touchdown and forced five turnovers . Three of these turnovers were interceptions , from a team that only allowed seven interceptions all of last season . First round draft pick Tye Hill intercepted a pass by Jake Plummer with 12 : 02 in the second quarter . It was his first in his NFL career . The defense also sacked Jake Plummer four times in the game , with Leonard Little accounting for two of them . Isaac Bruce passed Henry Ellard and Shannon Sharpe for 11th most receptions in an NFL career with his five receptions for 64 yards . Center Andy McCollum injured his left knee with 7 : 39 left in the second quarter and was out for the rest of the game . On September 11 , 2006 it was announced that McCollum will miss the entire season and will undergo knee surgery . With the win , the Rams began their season 1 - 0 . Week 2 : at San Francisco 49ers . The Rams visited division rival San Francisco 49ers on September 17 for their home opener . The 49ers increased their winning streak against the Rams to three , beating the Rams 20 - 13 . With 11 : 10 left in the first quarter , Alex Smith completed a 56 - yard pass to Arnaz Battle , setting up a 32 - yard field goal by Joe Nedney . At the beginning of the second quarter , Corey Chavous recovered a Frank Gore fumble at the Rams 3 yard line . The Rams moved the ball sixty yards down the field setting up a 49 - yard Jeff Wilkins field goal . The Rams scored their first touchdown of the season with a 3 - yard pass from Marc Bulger to Torry Holt with 2 : 21 left in the half , giving the Rams a 10 - 3 lead going into the half . With 14 : 12 left in the third quarter , the 49ers tied the game at ten with a Gore 32 - yard touchdown run . The 49ers took the lead at 10 : 54 in the third quarter with a 72 - yard pass from Smith to Antonio Bryant . Each team had a field goal in the fourth quarter . Wilkins hit a 40 - yard field goal with 11 : 06 in the fourth , and Nedney had a 20 - yard field goal with 5 : 23 in the fourth . Bulger was sacked six times in the game and completed 19 of 34 attempts for 147 yards . Steven Jackson had 103 yards on the ground on 22 carries , along with 2 receptions for 21 yards . Will Witherspoon also had a good game making 13 tackles and forcing one fumble . The Rams had 118 total yards during the second half . Left tackle Orlando Pace left the game at the half with a concussion . He was taken to a hospital in the bay area where a CAT scan turned up negative . Linebacker Pisa Tinoisamoa dislocated his elbow in the third quarter , and missed the rest of the game . With the loss , the Rams fell to 1 - 1 . Week 3 : at Arizona Cardinals . The Rams traveled to Glendale , Arizona for their first game in the new Cardinals Stadium . With 11 : 28 left in the first quarter of play , Matt Turk kicked a 31 - yard punt giving the Cardinals the ball on the Saint Louis 45 . Nine plays later , Kurt Warner threw a 12 - yard touchdown pass to Larry Fitzgerald . This gave the Cardinals a 7 - 0 lead with 7 : 04 left in the quarter . With 11 : 28 left in the second quarter , Jeff Wilkins hit a 26 - yard field goal to put the Rams on the board 7 - 3 . On the Cardinals next drive , Warner was intercepted by O . J . Atogwe giving the Rams the ball on their own 6 yard line . Marc Bulger hit Torry Holt for gains of 42 , 26 and 9 yards during the drive , with the final catch ending in a touchdown . It was the second touchdown for Holt and the Rams for the 2006 season . The very first play of the next Cardinals drive , Warner was intercepted again by Fakhir Brown . The Rams drove the ball down the field for 16 yards setting up a Wilkins 47 - yard field goal to end the half , giving the Rams a 13 - 7 lead . Wilkins kicked another field goal with 8 : 08 left in the third quarter increasing the Rams lead 16 - 7 . With 4 : 13 left in the fourth quarter , the Cardinals ended a 16 play , 87 yard drive with a 9 - yard Edgerrin James run for a touchdown cutting the Rams lead 16 - 14 . With 1 : 58 left to play , Bulger fumbled the ball at the Saint Louis 30 . It was recovered by Arizona ' s Antonio Smith . Yet , on the third play of the drive , Warner fumbled the snap and the Rams ' Will Witherspoon recovered the ball . The Rams ran the clock out and won the game 16 - 14 . Rookie Victor Adeyanju got his first start in the game , replacing Anthony Hargrove who did not show up for meetings and practices . With the win , the Rams improved to 2 - 1 . Week 4 : vs . Detroit Lions . Hoping to build on their road win over the Cardinals , the Rams returned home for a match - up with their Detroit Lions and their Offensive Coordinator / Former Rams head coach , Mike Martz . In the first quarter , the Rams got off to a decent start , as kicker Jeff Wilkins kicked a 42 - yard and a 19 - yard field goal to begin the game . The Lions would get their own field goal , as kicker Jason Hanson kicked a 29 - yard field goal . Fortunately , St . Louis distanced themselves , as QB Marc Bulger completed a 16 - yard TD pass to rookie TE Joe Klopfenstein . In the second quarter , things started to get grim , as Lions QB Jon Kitna and WR Mike Furrey hooked up with each other on two touchdown passes ( a 1 - yarder and a 10 - yarder ) , but the Rams managed to retake the lead with Wilkins completing a 46 - yard field goal . In the third quarter , St . Louis gained even more points , as Bulger connected with WR Torry Holt on a 16 - yard TD strike . Detroit would get a 20 - yard field goal from Hanson and even have RB Kevin Jones run 35 yards for a touchdown , but the Rams had their RB , Steven Jackson , get a 1 - yard TD run to add on to their lead . In the fourth quarter , the Lions would get Jones to run for a 7 - yard TD strike . Fortunately , the Rams closed out the game with a win , as Wilkins completed a 47 - yard field goal and Bulger completed a 5 - yard TD pass to WR Isaac Bruce . With the win , the Rams improved to 3 - 1 . Week 5 : at Green Bay Packers . First year coaches Scott Linehan and Mike McCarthy faced off against each other in Lambeau Field on October 8 , 2006 . On the Packers first possession of the game , Vernand Morency fumbled the ball and it was recovered by rookie Victor Adeyanju . This gave the Rams the ball at the Packers ' 37 . Six plays later , Marc Bulger passed the ball to Torry Holt for a 6 - yard touchdown pass . Jeff Wilkins hit the extra point giving the Rams the lead 9 : 49 left in the first quarter . The Packers answered back with a 15 play 80 yard touchdown drive that ended in a Noah Herron 1 - yard touchdown run . Dave Rayner made the extra point tying the game at seven . One the first possession of the second quarter , Dave Rayner connected on a 27 - yard field goal , giving the Packers a 10 - 7 lead with 13 : 12 left in the quarter . Marc Bulger completed a 3 - yard pass to Kevin Curtis for a touchdown with 3 : 33 left in the quarter . Jeff Wilkins made the extra point giving the Rams a 14 - 10 lead . The Packers connected on a 32 - yard field goal with 0 : 03 left in the quarter cutting the lead down to one . The only points in the third quarter was a 31 - yard field goal by Jeff Wilkins , increasing the Rams leader 17 - 13 . Jeff Wilkins made two more field goals in the fourth quarter , one with 14 : 57 remaining in the quarter and another with 9 : 27 remaining . This gave the Rams a 23 - 13 lead . Brett Favre completed a 46 - yard touchdown pass to Greg Jennings with 6 : 42 left in the game . The extra point was good . The Packers attempted a late come back , but Favre fumbled the ball on the Rams 13 yard line . It was recovered by Jerametrius Butler . The Rams took a knee ending the game with the Rams winning 23 - 20 and improving to 4 - 1 . Steven Jackson ended the game with 98 yards on the ground on 23 carries . Bulger completed 18 passes on 28 attempts for 220 yards and two touchdowns . Week 6 : vs . Seattle Seahawks . Hoping to keep their three - game winning streak going , the Rams returned home for an NFC West fight with the Seattle Seahawks . The Rams struck first , as QB Marc Bulger completed a 9 - yard TD pass to WR Torry Holt . Yet , the Seahawks responded with QB Matt Hasselbeck completing a 14 - yard TD pass to WR Deion Branch . In the second quarter , St . Louis began pulling away , as RB Steven Jackson ran 2 yards for a touchdown and the duo of Bulger and Holt hooked up again with a 10 - yard TD pass . In the third quarter , the Seahawks started to creep back as Hasselbeck completed a 42 - yard TD pass to WR Darrell Jackson . In the fourth quarter , Seattle managed to take the lead with kicker Josh Brown nailing a 49 - yard field goal , Hasselbeck throwing a 19 - yard TD pass to Branch , and Brown kicking another 49 - yard field goal . The Rams would respond with Bulger and Holt completing a 67 - yard TD pass . Unfortunately , the Seahawks would win as Brown kicked a 54 - yard field goal as time ran out , giving Seattle a three - game winning streak against St . Louis . This game was marred by controversy as the 10 second run - off rule did not apply on the last play of the game , giving Josh Brown the chance to win the game . With the loss , the Rams headed into their bye week 4 - 2 . Week 8 : at San Diego Chargers . Coming off of their Bye Week , the Rams flew to Qualcomm Stadium for their Week 8 match - up with the San Diego Chargers . From the get - go , St . Louis trailed as RB LaDainian Tomlinson got a 2 - yard TD run and a 38 - yard TD run in the first quarter . In the second quarter , the Rams started to retaliate as RB Steven Jackson got a 3 - yard TD run for the only score of the period . In the third quarter , things started to get ugly for St . Louis as Chargers Free Safety Marlon McCree returned a fumble 79 yards for a touchdown . The Rams would respond with kicker Jeff Wilkins nailing a 34 - yard field goal , yet Chargers kicker Nate Kaeding nailed a 31 - yard field goal . In the fourth quarter , it was back and forth with touchdowns . San Diego RB Michael Turner got a 14 - yard TD run , while Rams QB Marc Bulger completed a 7 - yard TD pass to WR Shaun McDonald . Afterwards , Chargers QB Philip Rivers completed a 25 - yard TD pass to Tomlinson , while Bulger completed a 6 - yard TD pass to WR Kevin Curtis . However , San Diego would get the win , as St . Louis fell to 4 - 3 . Week 9 : vs . Kansas City Chiefs . Hoping to rebound from the road loss to the Chargers , the Rams went home for Week 9 , as they fought the Kansas City Chiefs in a " Show Me State Showdown " . The Chiefs would strike first as RB Larry Johnson got a 1 - yard TD run for the only score of the period . In the second quarter , things got worse for the Rams as QB Damon Huard completed a 3 - yard TD pass to TE Tony Gonzalez , while kicker Lawrence Tynes nailed a 42 - yard field goal . St . Louis would get on the board with RB Steven Jackson getting a 2 - yard TD run , yet Huard and Gonzalez hooked up with each other again on a 25 - yard TD strike . Rams kicker Jeff Wilkins would get a 41 - yard field goal to end the half . In the third quarter , QB Marc Bulger would complete a 2 - yard TD pass to WR Kevin Curtis for the only score of the period , yet the only score of the fourth quarter came from Huard completing an 11 - yard TD pass to TE Kris Wilson . With the loss , the Rams fell to 4 - 4 . Week 10 : at Seattle Seahawks . Trying to end their three - game skid , the Rams flew to Qwest Field for an NFC West rematch with the Seattle Seahawks . In the first quarter , the Rams struck first with rookie DE Victor Adeyanju returning a fumble 89 yards for a touchdown . Afterwards , the Seahawks responded with QB Seneca Wallace completing a 3 - yard TD pass to WR Darrell Jackson . Then , St . Louis had kicker Jeff Wilkins nail a 40 - yard field goal . In the second quarter , Seattle took the lead with Wallace completing a 15 - yard TD pass to TE Jerramy Stevens . The Rams would respond with Wilkins kicking a 42 - yard field goal . In the third quarter , Wilkins gave St . Louis a 35 - yard field goal for the only score of the period and the lead . In the fourth quarter , the Seahawks would respond with WR Nate Burleson returning a punt 90 yards for a touchdown . The Rams would retake the lead with RB Steven Jackson getting a 14 - yard TD run , yet it was followed up with a failed two - point conversion . However , just like earlier in the year , Seahawks kicker Josh Brown came out with the win , as he kicked a 38 - yard field goal . With the loss , the Rams fell to 4 - 5 . Week 11 : at Carolina Panthers . Trying to end a four - game skid , the Rams flew to Bank of America Stadium for a Week 11 fight with the Carolina Panthers . After a scoreless first quarter , the Panthers took control for the rest of the game . In the second quarter , Carolina kicker John Kasay would nail a 40 - yard field goal , while QB Jake Delhomme completed a 62 - yard TD pass to WR Steve Smith . In the third quarter , Kasay improved the Panthers ' lead with a 34 - yard field goal for the only score of the period . In the fourth quarter , Carolina wrapped up the game with DE Mike Rucker sacking QB Marc Bulger in the Rams end zone for a safety . With St . Louis ' fifth - straight loss , the Rams fell to 4 - 6 . Week 12 : vs . San Francisco 49ers . Trying to end a five - game skid , the Rams went home for an NFC West rematch with their historic rival , the San Francisco 49ers . After a scoreless first quarter , the Rams drew first blood in the second quarter with kicker Jeff Wilkins ' 24 - yard field goal and RB Steven Jackson ' s 36 - yard TD run . The 49ers would respond with RB Frank Gore ' s 12 - yard TD run , yet St . Louis got Wilkins to kick a 51 - yard field goal as time ran out on the half . In the third quarter , the 49ers took the lead with QB Alex Smith completing a 1 - yard TD pass to TE Eric Johnson for the only score of the period . In the fourth quarter , the 49ers increased its lead with kicker Joe Nedney nailing a 24 - yard field goal . Fortunately , the Rams would get the win with QB Marc Bulger completing a 5 - yard TD pass to WR Kevin Curtis . Not only did St . Louis improve its record to 5 - 6 , but they also snapped a five - game losing streak . Week 13 : vs . Arizona Cardinals . Coming off their victory over the 49ers , the Rams stayed at home for an NFC West rematch with the Arizona Cardinals . In the first quarter , the Rams trailed early as Cardinals RB Marcel Shipp got a 1 - yard TD run . St . Louis would respond with kicker Jeff Wilkins . In the second quarter , the Rams continued to struggle as QB Matt Leinart completed an 11 - yard TD pass to WR Larry Fitzgerald , while kicker Neil Rackers nailed a 23 - yard field goal . In the third quarter , St . Louis tried to retaliate with QB Marc Bulger completing a 15 - yard TD pass to WR Torry Holt , yet the Cards responded with Shipp ' s 6 - yard TD run . In the fourth quarter , the Rams had Wilkins kick a 37 - yard field goal . However , the Big Red pulled away with Shipp ' s 9 - yard TD run and Rackers ' 20 - yard TD run . Even though St . Louis would get another TD , with Bulger completing a 1 - yard pass to WR Isaac Bruce , Arizona held on to win . With the loss , the Rams fell to 5 - 7 . Week 14 : vs . Chicago Bears . Coming off their loss to the Cardinals , the Rams stayed at home for a Monday Night fight with the current NFC North champion Chicago Bears . After a scoreless first quarter , the Rams struck first with QB Marc Bulger completing a 1 - yard TD pass to WR Torry Holt , yet the PAT attempt had a botched snap , making it no good . However , immediately following St . Louis ' s first score , the Bears took the lead with DB Devin Hester returning a kickoff 94 yards for a touchdown . Fortunately , the Rams responded with RB Steven Jackson ' s 2 - yard TD run , yet Chicago responded with QB Rex Grossman ' s 34 - yard TD pass to WR Bernard Berrian . St . Louis tried to get a 48 - yard field goal in before halftime , yet it just went wide right . In the third quarter , the Rams ' recent struggles continued with RB Thomas Jones ' s 30 - yard TD run , while Grossman completed a 14 - yard TD pass to WR Muhsin Muhammad . In the fourth quarter , the Bears dominance continued with RB Adrian Peterson ' s 1 - yard TD run . St . Louis would try to come back with Bulger completing a 6 - yard TD pass to Holt , yet Hester immediately followed that up with a 96 - yard kickoff return for a touchdown , which would give him the single - season record for the most returns for a touchdown with six . The only thing remaining within St . Louis was Jackson ' s 2 - yard TD run . With their second - straight loss , the Rams fell to 5 - 8 . Week 15 : at Oakland Raiders . Hoping to snap a two - game losing skid , the Rams flew to McAfee Coliseum to take on the Oakland Raiders ( who , just like the Rams , used to play for the city of Los Angeles , California ) . After a scoreless first quarter , St . Louis struck first in the second quarter with kicker Jeff Wilkins nailing a 24 - yard and a 34 - yard field goal . In the third quarter , the Rams increased its lead with RB Steven Jackson getting a 4 - yard TD run . In the fourth quarter , St . Louis wrapped up the win with Jackson ' s 19 - yard TD run . With the win , the Rams improved its record to 6 - 8 . It was the first Rams shutout win since 2003 . Week 16 : vs . Washington Redskins . Coming off their dominating road win over the Raiders , the Rams played their last home game of the year as they took on the Washington Redskins . In the first quarter , the Redskins struck first with RB T . J . Duckett getting a 5 - yard TD run for the only score of the period . In the second quarter , St . Louis took the lead with QB Marc Bulger completing a 10 - yard TD pass to WR Isaac Bruce and a 27 - yard TD pass to rookie TE Dominique Byrd . However , Washington responded with RB Ladell Betts getting a 6 - yard TD run and QB Jason Campbell completing a 9 - yard TD pass to TE Chris Cooley . In the third quarter , the Redskins increased its lead with Betts getting a 7 - yard TD run . Fortunately , the Rams responded with Bulger completing a 64 - yard TD pass to RB Stephen Jackson and a 10 - yard TD pass to RB Stephen Davis . In the fourth quarter , St . Louis took the lead with kicker Jeff Wilkins getting a 21 - yard field goal , yet Washington managed to tie the game with kicker Shaun Suisham getting a 52 - yard field goal . In overtime , the Rams would win with Jackson getting a 21 - yard TD run . With the win , St . Louis improved to 7 - 8 . However , because the New York Giants won a Week 17 match - up against the Washington Redskins , it ended any chance for the Rams to get into the playoffs . Week 17 : at Minnesota Vikings . Trying to end their season on a high note , the Rams flew to the Hubert H . Humphrey Metrodome to take on the Minnesota Vikings . In the first quarter , St . Louis got off to a fast start as Free Safety Ronald Bartell returned an interception 38 yards for a touchdown . Afterwards , kicker Jeff Wilkins would nail a 42 - yard field goal . After that , the Vikings would respond with QB Tarvaris Jackson getting a 1 - yard TD run . In the second quarter , the Rams ' domination began with RB Stephen Jackson getting a 4 - yard TD run and a 10 - yard TD pass from QB Marc Bulger . In the third quarter , Wilkins kicked a 53 - yard field goal , while Stephen Jackson got a 3 - yard TD run . In the fourth quarter , Stephen Jackson wrapped up the game for St . Louis with a 59 - yard TD run . Afterwards , Minnesota got their remaining points with RB Chester Taylor getting a 1 - yard TD run , while Tarvaris Jackson completed a 3 - yard TD pass to WR Travis Taylor . Afterwards , Bulger & Co . ended the game with a victory . With the win , the Rams ended their season at 8 - 8 . Season record . RB Steven Jackson , who was elected to his first Pro Bowl at the conclusion of the season , led the NFL in 2006 with 2 , 334 total yards from scrimmage . His 90 pass receptions and 806 receiving yards were also NFL records amongst all running backs that year . Jackson was named the St . Louis Rams MVP and also received one vote for NFL Offensive Player of the Year .