Sports: Rams outgun, outlast Broncos

Az-Zahir Hakim went 86 yards on a punt return and took a short pass from Kurt Warner 80 yards for another score as the Rams' scoring machine picked up where it left off last season and beat the Denver Broncos 41-36 in a battle of the past three Super Bowl champions.

It took Robert Holcombe's 1-yard touchdown run with 2:58 left after a 30-yard run by Marshall Faulk to give the Rams the win. It came a little over three minutes after Terrell Buckley returned an interception 25 yards to give Denver a 36-35 lead after it trailed by 15 in the third quarter.

"We feel we can score any time we touch the ball," Warner said. "The last drive was no different."

Warner, who was 25-of-35 for 441 yards, had three touchdowns, two covering 152 yards in the third quarter on throws in the flat that were perhaps 20 yards in the air sideways.

Warner also threw three interceptions, the one returned by Buckley and two by Al Wilson that stopped drives deep in Denver territory. Buckley's interception came when Warner tried one time too many to throw into the flat.

The Broncos were nearly as potent on offense, but after Holcombe's touchdown the Rams defense asserted itself with sacks by D'Marco Farr and Kevin Carter. Grant Wistrom hit Brian Griese from behind on fourth and 33, forcing his desperation pass awry.

"This was a game where if you like offense, it was fun to watch," Denver coach Mike Shanahan said. "If you liked defense, you picked the wrong one to go to."

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