The Los Angeles Rams got back into the win column following a 45-17 beatdown of the Arizona Cardinals. L.A.’s win moved them back into first place in the conference standings, and was much-needed after last week’s meltdown in Charlotte.
It’s time to get into the good, the bad and the ugly from the Rams’ dominating win over their NFC West foe.
The Good
Rams rebounded by not playing with their food this week
The Cardinals got on the board first and even tied it at 10 early in the second quarter. After that, it was all Rams.
Los Angeles was clearly not in the mood to
play with their food this week, winning their 15th game against their rival in the last 18 tries. L.A. went on a 35-0 run before Arizona scored a garbage time touchdown early in the fourth quarter.
We’ll get to Matthew Stafford in a moment, but Puka Nacua was BREATHTAKING in this one. Nacua had the first multi-touchdown game of his young career, leading the Rams with 7 receptions for 167 yards and the aforementioned 2 scores.
The offense racked up 530 yards, including 249 on the ground. Kyren Williams and Blake Corum were the best they’ve been all season. Corum led the way with 128 yards and 2 touchdowns on 12 carries.
This was the elite version of Corum Rams fans have been waiting to see, and the Michigan product is making the most of his opportunities. Kyren Williams had 84 yards and a score and Ronnie Rivers added 41 yards on 8 attempts.
Defensively, Arizona was one-dimensional all day, never getting anything going in the run game. It was so bad for them that quarterback Jacoby Brissett was the Cardinals’ leading rusher. L.A. allowed only 51 yards total on the ground, tightening up their run D after giving up 164 yards to the Panthers last week.
The defense also set up the offense on one touchdown drive as linebacker Nate Landman intercepted Brissett, and Stafford then fired a 31-yard dart to Nacua for the touchdown.
Sunday’s win showed why the Rams are the NFL’s best team. One tough loss seemed to make most of the league forget that.
In a season when no team is formidable, L.A. has a better chance than most at making a deep run, given their ability to play tight, complementary football. When the Rams are on, they’re on, so good luck to any NFC team trying to stop them.
Matthew Stafford’s MVP campaign back on track
What a difference a week makes.
Matthew Stafford played his worst game of the season in a three-turnover performance in Carolina. This week, Stafford’s MVP campaign got back on track after being temporarily derailed.
The game marked his seventh with at least 3 touchdown passes, and pushed his touchdown-to-interception ratio to 35-4. Stafford put the Panthers game behind him and then some. The MVP race is seemingly turning into a two-man race between him and Drake Maye.
Assuming Stafford’s play and the Rams don’t fall off a cliff in these final few weeks, he should do enough to hold off the new kid on the block. His former favorite target seems to think an MVP trophy will only add to his legacy.
Bears lose grip on the NFC lead
The best development from the afternoon slate was the Packers’ 28-21 win over the Bears at Lambeau Field. Chicago went from the NFC’s top seed to No. 7 in the conference standings after the loss.
That is obviously great news for L.A. as they moved back into the top spot with four games left.
I’m beyond grateful that nasty article I wrote about the Bears didn’t come back to haunt me. Well, I guess there’s still time and enough season left, but for now, I’m sitting pretty.
Anyway, the Rams are in an excellent spot with the Lions coming to town in Week 15. Los Angeles needed the win to not only further their chances at home field advantage but to get ahead of the rival Seahawks breathing down their necks. Seattle is also 10-3, yet the Rams currently have the tiebreaker stemming from their 21-19 win a few weeks ago.
A lot is at play in these final weeks of the season, and the margin for error — and another bad loss — is lessening.
The Bad
Davante Adams’ touchdown streak is over
After six games, Davante Adams saw his impressive touchdown streak come to an end.
Adams caught 11 of his league-leading 14 touchdowns during that span and took a backseat to Nacua on Sunday. The veteran wideout had just 4 receptions for 29 yards in Arizona.
Besides the touchdowns, Adams isn’t a big-play threat at this stage of his career. He’s excellent in the red zone, but aside from that, he doesn’t really add too much depth to the offense.
Adams is still an upgrade over Cooper Kupp, yet not as much as expected. With only one 100-yard outing this season, the Rams didn’t get a great value with his contract this offseason, even if he’s a scoring machine.
The Ugly
Arizona’s future as a team
There was nothing ugly that came out of this one besides the final score. What the game showed is just how far the Cardinals are from competing against the rest of the division.
Arizona is far and away the worst team in the NFC West, which is a shame considering this was supposed to be their best team since the Carson Palmer days. Now, their future is uncertain, and they’re clearly going to be a bottom feeder for quite some time.
During my last Q&A with Revenge of the Birds, writer Seth Cox said that “by all accounts” expects coach Jonathan Gannon to get a fourth year in the desert. He also added that Kyler Murray is likely gone after this season.
Things are not pretty for the Redbirds, and L.A. had better be grateful they’re not in this spot the next time they think the world is ending after a loss.
