Rattay directs rout of Rams

The back-up quarterback filled in admirably for Jeff Garcia in a 30-10 victory.
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) -- Dennis Erickson crossed the field to get to Tim Rattay, tossing his arms around the longtime backup quarterback and gleefully patting his helmet.
It was a thank you of sorts from the San Francisco 49ers' relieved coach.
Rattay, the patient understudy in his fourth pro season, threw for 236 yards and three touchdowns in his first NFL start, leading the 49ers past the St. Louis Rams 30-10 Sunday.
Coming through
Filling in for injured starter Jeff Garcia, Rattay made Erickson look good a week after a loss to lowly Arizona.
"When you have a backup and he all of a sudden has to step up and play, it shows how much he has listened and how well he has been paying attention," Erickson said. "Tim is a real smart guy and a real student of the game."
Rattay starred after Cedrick Wilson gave the Niners all the momentum they needed by returning the opening kickoff 95 yards for a touchdown. The 49ers (4-5) had a breakout game on defense, too.
They sacked Marc Bulger five times with near-constant pressure, held St. Louis to eight rushes for 9 yards, and gave Rattay plenty of chances to show off his skills. He led five scoring drives in the first 33 minutes.
Watching San Francisco's success made it easier for Garcia to deal with missing his first start in 62 games. The three-time Pro Bowl player has a partially torn ligament around his sprained left ankle.
"I'm very proud of him. I knew he had it in him," Garcia said.
San Francisco beat St. Louis (5-3) for just the second time in 10 games since 1999, when Garcia won the 49ers' starting job.
Turnover-prone
Bulger was 26-of-42 for 378 yards, but he also threw two costly interceptions and fumbled as the Rams' four-game winning streak ended and they fell out of first place in the NFC West. Bulger passed for 181 yards in the fourth quarter -- when the game was out of reach.
"It's tough when we're down that much early, because we had to get away from our run game," Bulger said. "I'll take the blame. The quarterback has to put the ball into the end zone, and we didn't do that today."
With Marshall Faulk in uniform but not playing for the second straight game, St. Louis sputtered on offense while falling behind 30-3 early in the third quarter.
Torry Holt caught a 41-yard TD pass for the Rams' only touchdown and finished with 11 catches for 200 yards, just shy of his career high.
The 49ers headed into their bye week with three straight home victories -- the last two over Tampa Bay and St. Louis.
Victory party
After Sunday's game, Rattay walked through the upbeat locker room and slapped high-fives with coaches' kids. Rattay went 19-for-29 with one interception and was sacked once.
"You dream about throwing well, but you never know," Rattay said. "The main thing I wanted to do is win. Whether we handed the ball off 50 times or threw the ball, I wanted to win."
His first play was delayed by Wilson, who slipped past several Rams for his first career kickoff return touchdown and the Niners' first since Nov. 16, 1997.
Rattay led a 72-yard scoring drive on the 49ers' opening series, finding Terrell Owens between two defenders in the back of the end zone. Owens, who caught 42 TD passes in the past three seasons, had just three in San Francisco's first eight games this fall.