By R.B. FALLSTROM
updated 4:48 p.m. ET Nov. 27, 2011
ST. LOUIS - Beanie Wells ran wild all day. Patrick Peterson needed one touch to make a huge contribution for the Arizona Cardinals.
Peterson tied the NFL record with his fourth punt return for a touchdown this season, Wells set a franchise mark with 228 yards rushing on 27 carries, and the Cardinals won their seventh in a row in St. Louis with a 23-20 victory Sunday over the Rams.
Wells' career day included gains of 71 and 53 yards, the latter setting up Jay Feely's go-ahead 22-yard field goal with 4:12 remaining. Rookie Sam Acho also had a career day on defense with two sacks and a fumble recovery.
That was enough for Arizona (4-7) to overcome another awful outing by John Skelton, who threw two interceptions.
Brandon Lloyd's 16-yard TD catch from Sam Bradford tied it at 20 midway through the fourth quarter. Nick Miller had an 88-yard punt return for a touchdown in the first quarter for the Rams (2-9) only three days after he re-signed with the team.
Peterson was untouched on an 80-yard return up the middle in the third quarter, dodging just a few tacklers before finding clear sailing to put Arizona up 20-10. His 99-yarder in overtime beat the Rams three weeks ago in Arizona, and St. Louis coach Steve Spagnuolo had vowed that the rookie would not beat them again.
The cornerback from LSU, the fifth pick in the draft, is the fourth player with four punt returns in a season and the first in NFL history with four returns of 80-plus yards.
Wells was an even bigger factor, eclipsing the previous franchise mark of 214 yards by LeShon Johnson in 1996 at New Orleans. In the earlier meeting against the Rams, Wells had just 20 yards on 10 carries.
Acho has five sacks, three against the Rams. His fumble recovery set up Wells' 7-yard scoring run midway through the third quarter.
The Cardinals overcame three turnovers to keep their dominance going in St. Louis, the town they fled for the desert in 1987. It's their longest winning streak against any opponent. They're only 2-5 on the road this year, also winning at Philadelphia earlier this month.
The Rams re-signed Miller on Thursday after placing wide receiver Mark Clayton on injured reserve with a knee injury. He gave them the lead on their only big play of the first half, skirting the defense and scoring untouched with a convoy the last 30 yards of the return.
Arizona was 0 for 5 on third down in the half and had one big play, too. Wells' career-best 71-yard run to the 11 late in the first quarter set up a short field goal.
Poor clock management might have cost the Rams a chance for another touchdown at the end of the half.
Lloyd adjusted his route on an underthrown 26-yard pass to the Arizona 3 with 43 seconds left, then St. Louis went backward with a false start and Acho's second sack for a 9-yard loss. Coaches wasted at least 10 seconds before calling the last timeout with 12 seconds to go, and Bradford overthrew Lloyd in the end zone before the Rams settled for a field goal and a 10-3 lead.
The other players with four punt returns for a TD are Devin Hester (2007), Rick Upchurch (1978) and Jack Christiansen (1951), who was a rookie when he first set the record.
Copyright 2011 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
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Source: http://nbcsports.msnbc.com/id/45454779/ns/sports-nfl/
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