After catching three passes for 48 yards, White finished the regular season with 1,382 yards. He broke the 27-year-old team mark of 1,358 yards that was set by Alfred Jenkins in 1981.

White caught a pass for 8 yards in the first quarter. He caught a deep square-in route in the third quarter for a 21-yard gain to set the record.

"It means a lot to me, especially after the first two seasons when everybody was saying that I was going to be a bust," White said. "Just to come back and this happen to me, it's been great. It's been a great season for us, and it's been a good season for me, too."

White was also selected to his first Pro Bowl this season.

Coverage record

The punt coverage unit broke the NFL mark for fewest punt return yards given up in a season with 49 yards.

The old mark of 53 was set by the 1991 Buffalo Bills.

Working off Michael Koenen's booming punts, the Falcons forced three fair catches against the Rams. One of his punts had 4.97 seconds of hang time.

The towering kicks allow defenders to get down the field and stalk the return men, who usually make a fair catch.

"That's not only a tribute to our coverage units, but also to our punter," Falcons coach Mike Smith said. "I thought he did a nice job all season long. That's big when you know that you're not going to get the field flipped on you."

Two more picks

Quarterback Matt Ryan, despite throwing two interceptions, became the first rookie quarterback to finish a season having played in all 16 games and thrown fewer than 15 interceptions. Only three quarterbacks --- Rick Mirer, Peyton Manning and David Carr --- have started 16 games as a rookie, and none threw fewer than 15 picks. Ryan threw 11 interceptions.

Starters sit out

Defensive starters safety Lawyer Milloy (back) and defensive end Jamaal Anderson (high ankle sprain) were inactive for the regular-season finale.

Milloy was replaced by Jamaal Fudge, and Anderson by Chauncey Davis.

Also, defensive end John Abraham started but was pulled right before halftime.

St. Louis running back Steven Jackson rumbled for 161 yards rushing and had 54 yards receiving against the defense.

"We were a little undermanned in term of the guys, but that's no excuse," Smith said. "The next guy has to come in, step up and make plays. I thought that Jamaal Fudge stepped up for Lawyer Milloy."

Davis had a sack.

Second sack

Linebacker Stephen Nicholas' sack of Rams quarterback Marc Bulger in the first quarter was only the second of the season by a Falcons linebacker.

Nicholas was on the field in the Falcons' 3-3-5 formation and came on a blitz. Middle linebacker Curtis Lofton has the other sack, and it came on a blitz against Philadelphia in Week 8.

Starting fast

Jason Elam's 39-yard field goal on the Falcons' opening drive was a good omen. The Falcons are 8-0 when they score on their opening drive.

Burner watch

The Falcons are now 8-0 when running back Michael Turner rushes for 50 yards or more in the first half. He carried 13 times for 59 yards at halftime against the Rams.

Turner carried 25 times for 208 yards and a touchdown.