Six days earlier, defensive end Jared Allen had terrorized the Green Bay Packers, piling up 4½ sacks in a 30-23 Minnesota victory. A day before that, left tackle Alex Barron had been benched late in the first half of the Rams' 35-0 defeat at San Francisco.

So, few probably imagined that Barron would toss a shutout in his head-to-head clash with Allen on Sunday at Rams Park. But that's what Barron did: Allen had no sacks or quarterback hits in the Vikings' 38-10 triumph.

Not that Allen, a Pro Bowler the past two seasons, didn't make his presence felt. He snatched up a fumble by quarterback Kyle Boller and dashed 52 yards to the end zone. And he hopped on a fumble by running back Steven Jackson at the Vikings' 2-yard line.

Still, none of that was tied to Barron, who "had one of his better games against a real good player," coach Steve Spagnuolo said.

Spagnuolo vowed to stand by Barron after yanking him vs. the 49ers. That faith paid off Sunday.

The 6-foot-6, 270-pound Allen is "a great defensive end," said Barron, 6-7 and 302. "He's known for getting his sacks and making his plays. We had a good battle out there."

Still, Barron insisted that Allen provided no cause for extra motivation. "You've got to be motivated every week, no matter who you're going against," Barron said. "A different week is a different challenge."

WR CARTER RETURNS

Just over a month after being released by the Rams, wide receiver Tim Carter is back. He was re-signed Monday and apparently will take the roster spot that will open when defensive tackle Gary Gibson is placed on injured reserve.

Gibson is scheduled for surgery, possibly as early as today, after breaking his left ankle Sunday.

Carter, 30, was one of the final training-camp cuts. The Rams' wideouts have been banged up; Ruvell Martin missed Sunday's game with a hamstring injury and will be day-to-day, Spagnuolo said.

"I stayed in pretty good shape," said Carter, 6-0 and 187. "Hopefully my retention of the offense is pretty good. They've got some new stuff in there. … I'm looking at that and picking it up."

INJURY REPORT

Boller suffered what Spagnuolo termed a "mild concussion" when he was belted by defensive end Ray Edwards. Boller will have a neurological exam today to help determine when he'll be able to return.

The other injuries were relatively minor: tight end Daniel Fells (neck), cornerback Justin King (knee) and defensive end Chris Long (chest).

Also, Spagnuolo said that in addition to Martin, safety James Butler (knee) and tackle Jason Smith (knee) will be day-to-day. Smith suited up Sunday but didn't play.

RAM-BLINGS

Asked whether the growing controversy over Rush Limbaugh's interest in being part of a group bidding to buy the Rams was causing a distraction, Spagnuolo chuckled and said, "No, not at all." … Rookie linebacker James Laurinaitis added to his team-leading tackle total by adding 11 vs. the Vikings, according to the coaches' film review. He has 49 for the season. … Safety Craig Dahl was next, with 10 tackles. … The practice squad shuffle continued Monday, with linebacker K.C. Asiodu and defensive tackle Gary Bradwell added to the eight-man unit. Linebacker Lamar Myles and defensive tackle Adrian Grady were released from the practice squad.