Faulk rushed for 208 yards, caught seven passes for 78 more, scored a touchdown and made two of the Rams' record-setting four 2-point conversions in a 45-29 victory over the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday.

"Incredible,'' coach Mike Martz said of Faulk, who has 1,083 yards from scrimmage and is on a pace for 2,888 yards. That would eclipse the NFL record 2,429 total yards he had in 1999.

Roland Williams sneaks under Marty Carter (left) and Chris Draft to catch the Rams' fourth two-point conversion.(AP)

The game started ominously for the Rams when kicker Jeff Wilkins injured a quadriceps muscle on the opening kickoff. Worse still, Atlanta's Darrick Vaughn returned the kick 96 yards for a touchdown.

No problem. On the ensuing kickoff, Tony Horne caught the ball 3 yards deep in the end zone, deked Gerald McBurrows at about the 25 and run untouched down the sideline.

It was the first time in NFL history a game started with back-to-back returns for touchdowns.

Wilkins kicked the extra point after Horne's score, squibbed a kickoff, then had to leave the game. The Rams had no backup kicker, so they couldn't try field goals or conversion kicks the rest of the way.

Martz asked for volunteers to kick off, and backup wide receiver Chris Thomas did a decent job, squibbing most of his kicks to around the Atlanta 20.

"That's my fault,'' Martz said of the absence of a backup. "How stupid am I? Shoot, that's ridiculous.''

Again, no problem. In fact, St. Louis took advantage, converting four of five two-point tries the rest of the way. And without the field-goal option, the Rams twice converted fourth-down plays in Atlanta territory and eventually scored touchdowns.

St. Louis started the season 6-0 for the second consecutive year. The Rams rang up 529 total yards and eclipsed 30 points for a record 12th consecutive game. They're averaging 43.7 points and are on a pace for 699. The record is 556, set by the Minnesota Vikings in 1998.

It was another frustrating day for the Falcons (2-5), despite their biggest point output since scoring 36 in a season-opening win over San Francisco. The Falcons scored three touchdowns in the first half, but just one in the second, on a 16-yard pass from Chris Chandler to Tim Dwight.

Kurt Warner had another strong game, completing 24 of 40 passes for 313 yards, touchdown passes to Horne, Az-Zahir Hakim and Robert Holcombe, and one interception. It was his sixth consecutive 300-yard passing game, tying the NFL record set by San Francisco's Steve Young in 1998.

Warner continues to pile up incredible numbers. He has now thrown for 2,260 yards, easily the best six-game start in NFL history. His quarterback rating actually dropped to 117.5, still ahead of the record 112.8 set by Young in 1994.

Chandler was 18-for-30 for 220 yards and two touchdowns, a 16-yard pass to Terance Mathis in the first quarter and another 16-yarder to Dwight in the fourth. He was sacked three times and intercepted once -- at the Rams 3. Jamal Anderson carried 14 times for 64 yards and a touchdown.

The turning point came near the end of the half. Tied at 21, the Rams faced a fourth-and-15 at the Atlanta 30. Warner, under a heavy blitz, hit Hakim at about the 12. Hakim somehow eluded the grasp of safety Ronnie Bradford and waltzed in for the score.

"It was huge,'' Falcons coach Dan Reeves said. "You've got fourth-and-15 and whatever it was and all you got to do is make the tackle, and we don't make the tackle.''

The second half was all Faulk. He gained 139 of his yards rushing and caught four passes for 43 yards in the final two quarters.

Notes

• Martz became the fourth rookie head coach in NFL history to open a season 6-0, and the first since Red Miller of Denver in 1977.
• The Falcons scored more points (14) in the game's first 4:46 than they did in either of their previous two games.
• The Rams have won a franchise-record 15 home games in a row.
• The Rams' four two-point conversions surpassed the record of three by Baltimore in 1996 and Pittsburgh in 1998.
• Martz expects Wilkins and right tackle Ryan Tucker (sprained ankle) to miss at least next week's game in Kansas City. Backup defensive tackle Gaylon Hyder injured his knee and will be examined Monday.
• The Falcons suffered several injuries that will be evaluated: linebacker Henri Crockett (ankle sprain), running back Gary Downs (quadriceps), wide receiver Shawn Jefferson (strained lower back), defensive tackle Travis Hall (strained abdominal muscle), defensive tackle Ed Jasper (sprained ankle), cornerback Elijah Williams (strain above the knee), offensive tackle Travis Claridge (groin pull and strained bicep) and cornerback Ray Buchanan (stubbed toe).

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