• Seahawks soar • Younger Busch wins race after brother suspended Seahawks soar Seahawks 31, Rams 16 By Gregg Bell – AP SPORTS WRITER SEATTLE — The NFC West race might have ended Sunday. Seattle’s Shaun Alexander romped again, this
• Seahawks soar
• Younger Busch wins race after brother suspended
Seahawks soar
Seahawks 31, Rams 16
By Gregg Bell – AP SPORTS WRITER
SEATTLE — The NFC West race might have ended Sunday.
Seattle’s Shaun Alexander romped again, this time for 165 yards on a season-high 33 carries and three touchdowns, and the Seahawks beat the mistake-prone Rams 31-16 at Qwest Field.
The Seahawks (7-2) turned St. Louis’ botched fake field goal attempt in the second quarter into a 24-3 scoring run. They have a three-game division lead on second-place St. Louis, which had won two straight to resuscitate its season. Essentially, that is a four-game bulge with seven regular-season games remaining because Seattle has swept St. Louis after losing the previous four to the Rams (4-5).
Seattle has won five straight overall for the first time since 1999.
Despite many misplays, the Rams closed to 24-16 with exactly 7 minutes left. Quarterback Marc Bulger’s 14-yard, fourth-down touchdown pass through the mist found Torry Holt, playing his first game in four weeks after being sidelined by strained knee ligaments. Bulger was also playing for the first time in four weeks, coming off a strained shoulder.
But then Alexander and quarterback Matt Hasselbeck each converted third-and-1 runs. Seattle ran six straight times, then converted two more first downs before Alexander dashed 17 yards for his third score with 1:12 left.
Younger Busch wins race after brother suspended
By ASSOCIATED PRESS
AVONDALE, Ariz. — Rookie Kyle Busch outdrove NASCAR’s top contenders to win Sunday.
All but one, that is.
“I just want to say I’m behind my brother 100 percent,” the 20-year-old winner said of Kurt Busch, who was suspended earlier in the day for a Friday night runin with police.
Standing on top of his No. 5 Chevrolet and waving to the cheering crowd at Phoenix International Raceway, Busch called his older brother, who won last year’s Nextel Cup, “a true champion.”
Kurt Busch was suspended by Roush Racing earlier in the day for the last two races of the season after police accused him of reckless driving. Officers said he smelled of alcohol and was belligerent during a traffic stop near the speedway.
Kenny Wallace drove the Roush car and finished 16th.
Title contender Greg Biffle dominated the race.
