The Recap
For 47 seconds on Sunday, we had it. Then Chad Ryland lined up for his sixth field goal of the afternoon, and the Arizona Cardinals left SoFi Stadium with an 18-16 win.
Arizona never reached the end zone. All 18 of its points came off Ryland’s foot, including the 43-yard game-winner as time expired. Both teams are now 2-4.
The Finish
Trailing 15-9 with 2:48 left, the Rams took over at their own 15. On first-and-15, Matthew Stafford dodged a defender and hit Puka Nacua in stride for a 42-yard gain. Nacua caught three passes on the drive, and Stafford capped it with a six-yard touchdown to Colby Parkinson that tied the game at 15 with 47 seconds left.
Punter Ethan Evans, kicking because newly signed kicker Blake Grupe had been hurt in the first quarter, made the extra point. It was the first kick of his career, and it put the Rams up 16-15.
Arizona needed only those 47 seconds. On the first play of the drive, Jacoby Brissett hit Jalen Brooks for 21 yards over the middle, and an unnecessary roughness penalty on Josh Wallace added 15 more. Three snaps later, Ryland’s 43-yarder went through as time expired. Six field goals. Zero touchdowns. One brutal ending.
How We Got There
| Quarter | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | Final |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cardinals | 3 | 6 | 3 | 6 | 18 |
| Rams | 3 | 6 | 0 | 7 | 16 |
- First quarter: Blake Grupe made a 44-yard field goal. On the kickoff that followed, he made a tackle downfield and hurt his knee. He didn’t return.
- Second quarter: Stafford found Blake Corum for a 15-yard touchdown, but the Rams two-point pass conversion failed.
- Second half: Arizona kept chipping away. The Cardinals had long grueling drives, including 14- and 15-play scoring marches, and every one of them ended in a Ryland field goal.
What Went Right
- Stafford was efficient: He finished 25-of-33 for 222 yards and two touchdowns.
- Nacua showed up late: He had six catches for 80 yards, half of them on the drive that put the Rams ahead.
- The red-zone defense held: Arizona traveled inside the red zone five times but consistently settled for three.
- Defensive stops: The defense forced two turnover-on-downs to keep the team alive.
What Went Wrong
- Slow offensive start: The Rams struggled to find early against a heavily blitzing Cardinals defense.
- Couldn’t get off the field: Arizona’s long drives wore on the defense, fueled by Bam Knight, who ran for 80 yards on 15 carries.
- Fourth-quarter chances slipped away. The Rams turned the ball over twice in Cardinals territory in the fourth quarter, including a Tyler Higbee fumble.
- Stafford took hits: Josh Sweat and Budda Baker each registered a sack on Stafford.
- Injuries: Kicker Blake Grupe suffered a knee injury in his team debut, while star wide receiver Davante Adams was forced to hobble off the field late in the game with a knee issue.
- One stop short: After finally taking the lead, a coverage breakdown on Jalen Brooks and a 15-yard penalty gave Arizona the opening it needed.
Sean McVay summed it up afterward: “There’s just so many things that aren’t in alignment with what we need to be able to do.”
Where We Stand
At 2-4, the Rams are tied with Arizona at the bottom of the NFC West, and the Cardinals now own the head-to-head win. San Francisco leads the division at 6-0, and Seattle sits at 3-3.
Up Next
The Rams visit the Las Vegas Raiders at Allegiant Stadium on Sunday, Oct. 25 at 1:25 p.m. PT on FOX.