NFL: The Rams clip the Cardinals on the road after a big second half

Glendale, Arizona - The Los Angeles Rams closed out Week 14 of the NFL season in a big divisional matchup against the Arizona Cardinals on Monday night.

Aaron Donald sacked the QB three times and had five total tackles against the Cards.
Aaron Donald sacked the QB three times and had five total tackles against the Cards.  © imago/Icon SMI

The Rams defeated the Cards 30-23 for their second win in a row, snapping Arizona’s own two-game streak in the process.

There were surprisingly little offensive fireworks between these two high-scoring early on. The Cards did go up by three almost immediately, but couldn’t score any more points after giving up a pick late in the first quarter.

Still up by three in the second quarter, Arizona quickie found themselves trailing the Rams after LA went ahead with 10-straight points.

That seemed to wake up the Cardinals, as they soon tied the game and the teams then traded field goals to knot up once again, 13-13 at halftime.

Then came the crucial third quarter, during which the Rams found the end zone twice to take a comfortable 27-13 lead going into the fourth and final quarter.

Arizona closed the gap to seven before both teams each kicked through another field goal each in the final minutes.

After regaining possession off of an onside kick, the Cardinals had the ball but fell apart in the final seconds with sloppy gameplay.

The player spotlight

Rams Quarterback Matthew Stafford threw three TDs against the Cardinals on Monday night.
Rams Quarterback Matthew Stafford threw three TDs against the Cardinals on Monday night.  © imago/Icon SMI

Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford (33) had a night of passing that proved to be the difference-maker against the Cardinals.

While his counterpart, Kyler Murray, had a night to forget with interceptions and plenty of defensive pressure, Stafford’s performance really stood out.

He did his most effective work in the third quarter, where the Rams jumped ahead for good and never looked back.

Stafford finished the night with 23-for-30 passing, 287 yards, and three touchdowns.

The big picture

Los Angeles Rams head coach Sean McVay.
Los Angeles Rams head coach Sean McVay.  © imago/Icon SMI

Returning the favor from their Week Four loss to the Cards, the Rams have proved that they are definitely a force to be reckoned with as the regular season’s end approaches.

The game also revealed that the Cardinals might not be as good as their record suggests, despite having the NFL’s best mark for several weeks.

Now Arizona’s in a three-way tie for the league’s best record, but if they can’t get it back together in a hurry, it could easily be the Rams finally overtaking the top spot in the NFC West during the last four weeks of the season.

Next Sunday, the Rams (9-4) will host the Seahawks (5-8) while the Cardinals (10-3) will be on the road to take on the Lions (1-11-1).

Cover photo: imago/Icon SMI

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