Rams keep win streak going

INGLEWOOD, CA – When you look at the final numbers, the Arizona Cardinals appear to have outplayed the Los Angeles Rams in their second go-round this season. 

The Cardinals produced more first downs (24-12), gained more yards (396-257), got off more offensive plays (74-54), and generated more yards per attempt (5.4-4.8) than the Rams. 

Yet what matters most is the final tally after the clock hits zero. And that’s all that matters to head coach Sean McVay and the Rams. The primetime game’s outcome was starkly different from their Week 2 encounter. 

Arizona scored 41 points in that game. This time, the Rams held quarterback Kyler Murray and the Cardinals to under 10 points.  

“For our defense to hold them scoring wise the way that they did, an incredible effort,” McVay said in his postgame comments. “I thought we had some really good rushes. We were able to get some pressure on (QB) Kyler (Murray).” 

“There were a couple times where he was able to escape and make some plays, but we made enough plays to be able to come away with the win and those are things that we certainly are not going take for granted,” McVay added. 

With Murray directing an Arizona offense down the field leaving only seconds left on the clock, Ahkello Witherspoon came up with the play of the game when he acrobatically intercepted a tipped pass in the endzone to secure a Rams’ 13-9 win at SoFi Stadium. 

“It was huge,” McVay said of Witherspoon’s timely grab. “He made a couple big time stops. I thought he played one of his most complete games last week against the Jets. He’s played really good, quality football over the last month of the season, especially when you go from the 49ers to the Jets and now here we are. So I am really proud of him.”

It was the second time in the game that the Rams had picked off Murray, who completed 33 of 48 passes for 321 yards and a touchdown. Witherspoon’s interception could not have come at a better time. 

Murray had the Cardinals planted inside the Rams’ 10-yard line with less than a minute to play in regulation. 

A touchdown would have pushed the Cardinals back in front and put themselves in position to possibly beat the Rams for the second time this season. Witherspoon’s pick denied Murray and the Cardinals that opportunity. 

“Unbelievable play,” Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford said. “Once it got tipped, I was yelling, ‘Pick it!’ He did a great job of reacting. Unbelievable play, great catch and just a gritty job by our defense right there getting a stand to get us the ball back.” 

The Rams’ 10th win of the season (10-6) pushes Los Angeles closer to the NFC West Division title. Los Angeles will have to beat the Seattle Seahawks in the final week of the season to wrap up the division crown. 

If the of the Rams plays against Seattle the way they’ve played in the last three weeks, the Seahawks will be in trouble.  

Lead Image Caption: Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford (9) takes off on a scramble against the Arizona Cardinals defense. Stafford and the Rams recorded a 13-9 win against the Cardinals at SoFi Stadium on Dec. 28, 2024. The win against the Cardinals was the fifth in a row for the Rams. Photo credit: Mark Hammond/News4usonline