Chad Ryland kicked a 43-yard field goal as time expired. It was his sixth of the game and gave the Arizona Cardinals an 18-16 win over the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday, per ESPN and the Associated Press. Arizona rallied late. Yahoo Sports' Jason Owens said a controversial penalty aided that rally, but the summaries we have don't say what the call was or when it came.
Arizona scored all 18 points on field goals, and the box score shows why that was the ceiling. The Cardinals went 0 for 5 in the red zone, while the Rams went 2 for 4 and scored two touchdowns. Matthew Stafford threw both touchdown passes, one to Colby Parkinson and one to Blake Corum, and finished 25 of 33 for 222 yards with a 113.4 rating. Arizona controlled the ball instead: 70 plays to 56, and 34:52 of possession to 25:08. Jacoby Brissett was 24 of 35 for 218 yards with one interception and no touchdowns. Bam Knight led the ground game with 80 yards on 15 carries.
The Cardinals' defense, which Yahoo's headline credited alongside Ryland, sacked Stafford three times for 28 yards. Budda Baker and Josh Sweat each had a sack. Los Angeles lost a fumble by Tyler Higbee and had two fourth-down attempts fail, going 0 for 2. Puka Nacua led the Rams with six catches for 80 yards.
The kick was Ryland's best day of a year that had been uneven. Through the Oct. 11 loss to Detroit he was 8 of 10 on field goals, and he missed his only attempt in that game. Sunday's 6 for 6 brings his regular-season total to 14 of 16 by our game logs. He also hit a 60-yarder at the Giants on Oct. 4.
Both teams are now 2-4. Arizona sits fourth in the NFC West and snapped a two-game skid after losing 36-24 at the Giants and 45-21 to Detroit. The Rams are third in the division and have lost two straight, 37-34 to Buffalo on Monday, Oct. 12 and now this. They had won 24-20 at Philadelphia on Oct. 4. Pro Football Talk noted the Rams began the season as a Super Bowl favorite, and Yahoo framed the loss as putting their playoff hopes in jeopardy.
Arizona hosts Denver next Sunday, Oct. 25. The Rams play at Las Vegas the same day.
| Team | W | L | PCT | Home | Away | Strk | Diff |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 | 0 | 1.000 | 3-0-0 | 2-0-0 | W5 | +61 | |
| 3 | 3 | .500 | 2-1-0 | 1-2-0 | L2 | +26 | |
| 2 | 4 | .333 | 1-3-0 | 1-1-0 | L2 | -3 | |
| 2 | 4 | .333 | 0-2-0 | 2-2-0 | W1 | -52 |
Discussion