NEW ORLEANS — Marc Bulger's most meaningful handoff of the season didn't take place on the field Sunday. Minutes after the Rams' startling 37-29 victory over heavily favored New Orleans, Bulger turned in the visitors' locker room and handed a game ball to. ...

Scott Linehan.

In a season of offensive crises and eight straight losses — as well as the "infamous" rolling of the eyes in Seattle — it was a nice gesture by Bulger. Bulger said he didn't act on his own in handing the game ball to the Rams' beleaguered head coach.

"I asked a couple of guys and they all agreed," Bulger said. "It was for sticking with us. It's not like he's been punishing us (for the losses). He gave us our time off and treated us like men.

"I think he's the reason why we came out with some energy (Sunday). It wasn't by accident. Obviously, he wasn't going to give himself the game ball and take credit. But I think it was important for him to be acknowledged for the job he did."

Bulger's work Sunday wasn't bad, either. His assorted injuries doing better from the bye week, Bulger put together his best performance of the season. His completion percentage of 81.8 percent (on 27-of-33 passing) was a career high. His passer rating of 125.0 was his best since the Washington game last Christmas Eve.

But he got plenty of help Sunday. Bulger's numbers were all the more impressive considering he was working behind his 25th different starting combination on the offensive line as a Ram. Four of the six offensive linemen who played Sunday weren't even on the Rams' roster at the start of training camp.

Running back Steven Jackson's bulging disc held up well enough to get 27 touches, including 22 carries for 76 yards and a touchdown. Jackson also threw a touchdown pass on a trick play, his first TD toss since his days at Eldorado High in Las Vegas.

Wide receiver Torry Holt didn't score but topped 100 yards receiving for the second game in a row, with 124 yards on eight catches. All told, the Rams piled up a season-high 409 yards, albeit against a Saints defense that was missing three injured starters.

As for the St. Louis defense, coordinator Jim Haslett's aggressive blitzing schemes kept one of the league's hottest offenses and hottest quarterbacks (Drew Brees) off-balance for three quarters. With a 34-7 lead early in the fourth quarter, Haslett basically stopped blitzing.

The Saints nearly made the Rams pay for that change in strategy by scoring three fourth-quarter touchdowns. But Dane Looker's recovery of an onside kick with 29 seconds remaining ended any hope for a miracle comeback by the Saints (4-5).

Instead, it was Bulger kneeling in the "victory" formation to end the game. It was that football — from the final play of the game — that Bulger handed to Linehan in the locker room. This came after Linehan had handed game balls to Haslett, linebackers coach Rick Venturi and secondary coach Willy Robinson — all former Saints coaches.

"I'm very proud of our football team," Linehan said. "I'm certain not many people gave this football team much of a chance going on the road, with the way we'd started our year. For obvious reasons, I don't blame them."

After enduring the stress of an 0-8 start that led to questions about his job security, Linehan said he'll never take winning for granted.

"You've got to enjoy them all," he said. "It's hard to win in this league — and we proved that this year. You can get in a downward spiral, and it's hard to come out of."

In the days leading up to the game, and even on game day, the Rams did everything in their power to break out of that spiral.

Bulger said the Rams practice the victory formation every week. "And every week we've lost, so we actually switched the direction we do it in our indoor facility," he said. "Maybe that's what it was."

Or maybe it was the Saturday night speech by safety Corey Chavous in the team hotel, imploring his teammates to play with more energy. Tight end Randy McMichael said Chavous told the team to "just go back to playing football like you played it when you were a little kid. Not for the money. Just go out there and have fun."

Haslett addressed the team before the game and at halftime.

Members of the Rams' equipment staff even visited a voodoo "queen" in New Orleans on Saturday in search of a way to break out of the 0-8 hex.

Somehow it worked. The karma changed. And despite being double-digit underdogs, the Rams won a regular-season game for the first time since Dec. 31, 2006 in Minnesota.

"Hopefully, it's kind of contagious and rolls over to next week," center Andy McCollum said. "You've got to play like you're having fun out there. Even when you lose, it's a fun game. But it's a heck of a lot more fun when you win."

For the first time this year, the Rams know that's the case.

jthomas@post-dispatch.com | 314-340-8197