By Lucas Vola — December 14, 2021 at 6:37 a.m.
On both sides of the court, the Los Angeles stars cracked Arizona to close in on the NFC West lead.
Arizona Cardinals (10-3) – Los Angeles Rams (9-4) : 23-30
The Rams needed a reference match to reassure themselves, it’s now done! Sean McVay’s men have just beaten the league’s strongest team on home turf in a generally well-controlled Monday Night Football. For a few weeks, we had been waiting for the stars of Los Angeles to finally show themselves up to it all at the same time, they responded present. On offense, Matthew Stafford (23/30, 287 yards and 2 TDs) distributed Cooper Kupp (13 receptions, 123 yards and 1 TD), Odell Beckham Jr. (6 receptions, 77 yards and 1 TD) and the others.
In defense, Aaron Donald (3 sacks, 5 tackles, 3 tackles for loss and 1 pass defended) was once again the leader of a squad that put Kyler Murray (32/49, 383 yards, 0 TD and 2 INT + 7 races and 61 yards) in difficulty. The Cardinals fall once again at home in a meeting that they made complicated by the loss of balls.
Stafford hits @obj and the @RamsNFL take a 7-3 lead! #RamsHouse
????: #LARvsAZ on ESPN
????: https://t.co/Z9HeRUNm0d pic.twitter.com/Utq89H5gDN— NFL (@NFL) December 14, 2021
OBJ shows up
The match started well, however, for Kliff Kingsbury and his men. They opened the scoring from the first drive with a kick from Matt Prater on 53 yards (3-0). This will also be the only points of the first quarter. In the aftermath, after a « three and out » Los Angeles, Arizona knocks for the first time on the door of in-goal after an offensive series of 12 games, 63 yards and more than 6 minutes. Except that the Rams are not determined to bring them in and on a pass deflected by Aaron Donald, Ernest Jones intercepts the ball. An action that will fully immerse visitors in the encounter. A defensive stop which also puts the attack in confidence.
Los Angeles will go on to a 10-0, thanks in particular to the first touchdown of the game. A 2-yard pass to Odell Beckham Jr. who is starting to really make his mark in this squad (3-10). Opposite the best team in the league does not let it go and also has its fatal weapon: James Conner (13 races, 31 yards and 2 TDs + 9 receptions and 94 yards). The running back now stands out as the real Swiss army knife of this team, sometimes on the ground, sometimes as a safety valve for Murray. In any case, he puts the teams back to back on a 2-yard race (10-10). They will remain so until half-time (13-13).
Go deep, @VanJefferson12! ???? #RamsHouse
????: #LARvsAZ on ESPN
????: https://t.co/Z9HeRUNm0d pic.twitter.com/AX7O05dFuI— NFL (@NFL) December 14, 2021
A fatal third quarter
When they return from the locker room, the visitors will further increase in intensity. Sometimes criticized for their lack of toughness in recent weeks, the Rams will this time be the aggressors. It takes at least that to overcome Cardinals who do not let go, but the first three drives of this second period are fatal to Arizona. Los Angeles scored two touchdowns by Vance Jefferson on 52 yards first, then Cooper Kupp on 4 yards (27-13). 14 points which frame a new interception of the defense. This time, Leonard Floyd took advantage of a low pass from Kyler Murray to cause the second turnover of the evening. Both sides of the field are celebrating and will manage this lead until the end.
James Conner will join the end zone a second time to restore hope to his team (27-20), but a field goal (30-20) as well as a defensive stop will bend the match in the middle of the 4th quarter. Arizona will never have succeeded in putting its ground game in place in this meeting (22 races for 103 yards against 40 races and 216 yards during the first confrontation) forcing Kyler Murray to work hard. The quarterback did well for most of the game, but the pressure from the Rams (4 sacks) ended up cracking him.
It was necessary tonight to be almost perfect to beat the Rams of a Sean McVay who won his 9th victory against Arizona in 10 games. With this success, Los Angeles returns to a meeting of their opponents of the day. For the Cardinals, on the other hand, this third home defeat of the season brings them down to 3rd place in the conference behind the Packers and the Buccaneers.