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The 49ers got some big runs from back-ups in a victory over the St. Louis.

Frank Gore scored the big touchdown on with 4:09 to go in a 24-20 victory over the ailing Rams on Saturday. The combination of Hicks and Gore helped the 49ers rush for 217 yards.

The 49ers ended a seven game losing run after coming in to the day tied for the fewest victories in the league. But they have now swept the Rams who stand at 5-10 for the first time since 1998, javing beaten them 28-25 in the first game.

Jamie Martin threw for a career-best 353 yards against a weak 49ers secondary and the Rams led 20-7 late in the first half. Mistakes then bagan to creep in and they ended up losing for the sixth time in seven games and their fourth straight at home.

The Rams finished with their first losing record at home since 1998. It was also the last time they lost at home to the 49ers.

The game could have been the home finale for Marshall Faulk, who's been used sparingly this season and may retire. He caught nine passes for 44 yards and had three carries for 5 yards.

The St Louis Rams will want to beat the Cardinals at home on Sunday, to get one over on their divisional opponent and get a 50% record (5-5) for the season. There is a nice twist to this game in the form of the return of Kurt Warner, who was a league MVP while with the Rams in 1999 and 2001 and led them to two Super Bowls.

Warner was let go in 2004, paving the way for Marc Bulger in the quarterback role. But Warner is still popular with St. Louis fans.

"I'm sure he'll have a favorable one (reception), coming back for the first time. He's going to be playing.... I'm sure he'll get a nice reception here." Defensive end Tyoka Jackson added, "He did something for this city that had probably never been done before, the way they turned that thing around."

But there is obviously not doubt that Warner will be doing his best to upset his old team.

"He's going to try to beat us, make no mistake about it. He's been on a roll these past two weeks. He's thrown for somewhere around 700 yards, something close to that. We have to make sure we're ready to play when we step into the dome."

Still, the Cardinals are just 2-7, not a great season by Warner's standards. But he is still a great passer of the ball. He has had three 300-yard games. Losing to the the Lions and the Seahawks, Warner passed for 693 yards, but has had just two touchdowns.

It will probably be an offensive battle for the Rams and Seahawks come Sunday. Therefore, the defense and field position will also play a major role in decding which team wins the game. The Seahawks have already defeated the St Louis 37-31 on their turf - a month ago. In that game Seattle gained 433 yards against the Rams' 385.

Seattle gained good position on the field in that game - aided by opponent punter. Reggie Hodges who had a bad day.

The Rams, however, did a good job defending against Shaun Alexander, the danger man for Seattle. He did finish with 119 yards on 25 carries, with two touchdowns - but nearly half of the yards (on nine attempts) came in the fourth quarter. Still, the Rams defense knows it must continue to contain Alexander.

"That's one of our goals going into every game, to defend well whether it's the run or the pass," linebacker Trev Faulk said. "He's obviously a huge part of what they do and a huge part of their success. We definitely have to focus on trying to stop him, but we can't really just focus on trying to take away the run and allow Hasselbeck to pick us apart. They have a real good offense over there, so we have to be prepared for everything that they do."