INGLEWOOD, CA — As the Los Angeles Rams constructed the NFL’s most talented roster this offseason, Arizona Cardinals linebacker Mack Wilson Sr. was asked about those moves.
“They gotta deal with us,” Wilson said.
It was a claim that, at the time, earned the Cardinals their share of ribbing. Oddsmakers viewed Arizona as the NFL’s worst team. The Rams, having recently acquired Myles Garrett and Trent McDuffie, were viewed as the best.
And yet, four months after that June press conference, Wilson was proven prescient. Sure, Garrett and McDuffie were both sidelined by injury. But the Rams still possess the star power to match any roster. The Cardinals do not.
On this day, it didn’t matter. As 12.5-point underdogs, the Cardinals stormed into SoFi Stadium
and shocked the Rams, 18-16.
They allowed a go-ahead touchdown with 47 seconds left, but quickly drove into field goal range for the game-winner. The key play, perhaps fittingly, came on an incredible catch over the middle of the field from Jalen Brooks, who had dropped an open third-down pass just two drives earlier.
Here are three takeaways from the win.
LaFleur finds answers on offense
This week felt like a test for Mike LaFleur. In recent weeks, opponents had been punishing the Cardinals for their offensive weaknesses: A lack of wide receiver depth, a poor offensive line, a quarterback with a quick trigger. Essentially, the blueprint was to play man coverage and force Arizona’s third and fourth receiving options to win one-on-one.
The responsibility was on LaFleur to respond.
In Week 6, he did. The Rams played less man coverage than expected, likely because cornerback Trent McDuffie missed the game with a groin injury.
But when the Rams did play man, LaFleur had more answers than in recent weeks. One third-down conversion, on a mesh concept to Kendrick Bourne in the red zone, stood out. So too did the Cardinals’ success in the screen game.
And when the Rams were in zone, LaFleur leaned heavily into pre-snap motion, creating advantageous angles for his pass catchers. With the Cardinals out-manned from a talent perspective, their coach helped them find solutions.
Bam Knight’s big day
One of those offensive answers arrived in the form of running back Bam Knight.
With Jeremiyah Love sidelined by an ankle injury, the Cardinals appeared likely to turn to Tyler Allgeier as their workhorse back. And early on, they did.
By the middle of the second quarter, though, Bam Knight emerged as the Cardinals’ most productive rusher. He finished with 80 yards on 15 carries, giving Arizona a much-needed spark on the ground. That also helped open space for the passing game, which was stifled for much of the early going.
It wasn’t just the personnel, either. The Cardinals found success on a series of pin-and-pull runs to the perimeter. That had been their most effective rushing concept entering the game, and LaFleur leaned into it here, including on a 31-yard carry for Knight in the first half that helped get the offense rolling.
Cardinals defense steps up
Entering the trip to Los Angeles, the Cardinals defense had allowed 30 points in four consecutive contests. They were surrendering explosive plays at the worst rate in the NFL. And now, they were facing the Rams offense, led by Matthew Stafford, Puka Nacua, Davante Adams and Kyren Williams.
It was a recipe custom-built for another blowout and another disheartening afternoon of Cardinals football.
Instead, that defense stepped up early and often. In the first half, it forced a trio of three-and-outs on the Rams’ first five drives and held Los Angeles to nine points.
Walter Nolen and Josh Sweat — both surprisingly quiet at the start of the season — had big days. In the first half, they combined for a third-down sack, when Nolen punctured the pocket and Sweat cleaned up. And early in the second half, they helped blow up a fourth-and-1 run play, creating space for Mack Wilson and Jack Gibbens to make the tackle.
The biggest play, though, came from linebacker Cody Simon. A little-used backup for most of the season, Simon stripped Tyler Higbee on a game-changing fumble in the fourth quarter.
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: 3 takeaways as Cardinals shock Rams in Los Angeles
