Led by quarterback Jared Goff and a defense that forced a pair of fourth-quarter turnovers, the visiting Rams moved into first place in the NFC West after defeating the Cardinals on Sunday, 38-28. Trailing 7-0 after the first quarter, Goff led the Rams on two second-quarter scoring drives to take a 14-7 halftime lead. With the Rams ahead 24-14 in the fourth quarter, Darrell Henderson's 38-yard touchdown run and Troy Hill's 35-yard pick-six sealed the Rams' seventh consecutive win over the Cardinals.
Goff went 37 of 47 for 351 yards with a one-yard touchdown pass to Tyler Higbee that gave the Rams a 14-7 lead just before halftime. He also rushed for a touchdown while helping the Rams pile up 30 first downs and 463 total yards. The Rams received another solid outing by rookie Cam Akers, who scored their first points on a nine-yard touchdown run four minutes into the second quarter.
Kyler Murray started and ended the game with touchdown passes to Dan Arnold, the first one coming on a 59-yard play on the game's first possession. And while he started the second half with a touchdown pass to Kenyan Drake, Murray's lack of consistency in the passing game, as well his lack of involvement in the running game, largely contributed to the Cardinals' fourth loss in their last five games.
The Rams, who are now 7-0 against the Cardinals under coach Sean McVay, move to 8-4 and into first place in the West after the Seahawks fell at home to the Giants. The Cardinals, who fell to 6-6 after losing their third straight game, are currently battling with the 6-6 Vikings and 5-6 49ers for the NFC's final playoff spot.
Here's a closer look at how the Rams were able to pull off the victory.
Why the Rams won
After a slow start, the Rams used the passing game to have their way against the Cardinals' secondary during the game's final three quarters. Goff completed 10 passes to Robert Woods, eight to Cooper Kupp and six to Gerald Everett. The Rams' offense also got just enough production from their running game, as Los Angeles rushed for 119 yards and three touchdowns on 31 carries. The Rams' defense, led by Troy Hill, linebacker Troy Reeder (10 tackles), safety John Johnson (nine tackles) and Aaron Donald (one sack and a tackle for loss) held the Cardinals to just 18 first downs and 232 total yards.
While they did have a fumble on special teams, the Rams' offense did not commit a turnover after coughing it up four times in last week's loss to the 49ers. Los Angeles' missed field just before halftime, as well as their two missed fourth down conversions in the first half, prevented the Rams from taking control of the game earlier.
Why the Cardinals lost
Outside of his 59-yard touchdown pass to Arnold on the game's fifth play, Murray struggled to have success downfield against the Rams' defense. And while he finished the game with eight catches and a touchdown, All-Pro receiver DeAndre Hopkins — who was blanketed by Rams Pro Bowl cornerback Jalen Ramsey for most of the game -- finished with just 52 receiving yards. The Cardinals' offense also didn't get much from their running game, as Arizona finished with under 100 rushing yards for just the second time this season.
Defensively, the Cardinals allowed the Rams to go 9-of-15 on third down. And after getting some early pressure on Goff, the Cardinals' pass rush was mostly a non-factor once the Rams began to have success on the ground at the start of the second quarter. Arizona did receive another strong effort from safety Budda Baker, who recorded a game-high 12 tackles that included 10 solo stops. And while it wasn't one of his better performances, Murray made history on Sunday by joining Kordell Stewart and Cam Newton as the only quarterbacks in NFL history to throw at least 20 touchdowns and run for 10 touchdowns in one season.
Turning point
Ahead 24-14 in the fourth quarter, the Rams gave the Cardinals left after Nsimba Webster's fumble on special teams set up Drake's touchdown run with 13:21 left. But four plays after Drake's score, Goff was able to complete a 22-yard pass to Everett on a third-and-12 play. Two plays later, with the Cardinals' defense expecting another pass, Goff instead handed the ball to Henderson, who found nothing but daylight on his way to the game-clinching score.
Play of the game
While Henderson's score received consideration, Hill's touchdown, his second in as many games, capped off a solid performance by the Rams' defense, who has now forced at least two turnovers in five consecutive games.
We should also give a shout-out to Murray's first quarter touchdown pass to Arnold, who was wide open largely due to the Rams paying too much attention to Hopkins. The touchdown pass was the longest play permitted by the Rams' defense this season.
Quotable
"That means absolutely nothing because we got four games left. I mean ... it's great to be able to see that, but if you don't handle your business this Thursday and then the following games after that, it's all for nothing." -- Rams coach Sean McVay when asked about moving ahead of Seattle for first place in the NFC West, via Sarina Morales of the team's official website. The Rams, who defeated the Seahawks at home back in Week 10, will face Seattle on the road in Week 16.
What's next
The Rams will host the Patriots on Thursday night in a rematch of Los Angeles' 13-3 loss to New England in Super Bowl LIII. New England is now 6-6 after routing the Chargers in Los Angeles on Sunday. The Cardinals will head to New York next Sunday to face the 5-7 Giants, who have now four straight games to move into first place in the NFC East.
To relive the action in real time, check out our live blog below.
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