Chad Ryland had already done most of the heavy lifting for Arizona on Sunday, and when the Cardinals needed one more kick, he delivered again.
Ryland drilled a 43-yard field goal as time expired, his sixth field goal of the game, to lift the Cardinals past the Rams 18-16. Arizona never found the end zone, going 0-for-6 in the red zone on touchdown chances, but Ryland’s right leg made that moot.
The Cardinals are now 2-4, and both of their wins have come at SoFi Stadium. They opened the season with a victory over the Chargers there, then came back to stun Los Angeles in another tight one.
The finishing sequence carried plenty of drama. A controversial personal foul on the Rams helped set up the final drive after Jalen Brooks caught a pass over the middle and took a glancing hit off his helmet as he went to the ground. Officials ruled it enough for a 15-yard penalty, giving Arizona the opening it needed.
That final kick also erased a late Rams answer. Ethan Evans, working as the Rams’ punter in place of injured kicker Blake Grupe, converted the extra point after Los Angeles tied the game with 47 seconds left on a Matthew Stafford pass to Coldby Parkinson.
Grupe had gone down earlier in the game while trying to make a tackle on a kickoff, leaving Evans to handle the PAT duties. In the end, though, Ryland’s final strike was the one that mattered.
In Other News...
Sean McVays Reaction Said Everything After Cardinals Shocked The Rams
A road win over a division rival is always going to count for something, but this one landed with a little more force for Arizona because of the way it unfolded. The Cardinals snapped a four-game losing streak and did it by beating the Rams 18-16 at SoFi Stadium, a result that left Los Angeles frustrated and searching for reasons after the offense stalled and the game kept slipping away through turnovers and penalties.
Sean McVays postgame tone said plenty about where the Rams are right now. He spent much of his discussion pointing to the critical errors and self-inflicted mistakes that undercut his team, and the bigger concern for the Rams is that the issues were not isolated to one phase or one drive. For Arizona, it was the kind of gritty division win that can steady a season. For the Rams, it was another reminder that clean football still is not coming easily. [Read more 🡒]
Cardinals Still Havent Unlocked Jeremiyah Love In The Passing Game
Jeremiyah Loves role in the passing game has been lighter than Arizona expected, but there is a clear reason for it. Mike LaFleur said the running back is dealing with an ankle injury that has affected his route running, which has limited how much the Cardinals can feature him as a receiver while he works through it.
The encouraging part for Arizona is that this does not sound like a permanent shift in usage. LaFleur expects Love to be involved more as a pass catcher once he gets back to full health, which makes his recovery worth watching for a team that could use another dimension out of the backfield. For now, the Cardinals are waiting on the injury to clear before they can unlock that part of his game. [Read more 🡒]
Cowboys Trade Deadline Push Centers On One Huge Pass Rush Question
The pass-rush market always gets a little louder near the trade deadline, and Josh Sweat is one of the names drawing attention because of what he could mean for a team trying to shore up the edge. Dallas has been linked to the Cardinals defender as it looks for help up front, with the idea being that a proven pass rusher could change the look of a defense in a hurry. Sweats recent performance and contract status only add to the appeal, making him the kind of player contenders check on even when the price is expected to be steep.
Arizona, though, has given no public indication that it is eager to move him, which is why any serious conversation would need to be handled carefully. The Cardinals have every reason to treat Sweat as more than a simple deadline asset, and that uncertainty is what keeps the situation from feeling like a quick fix for Dallas. For now, it is a familiar deadline tug-of-war: a team looking for immediate help, and another weighing whether a valuable edge defender is truly available at all. [Read more 🡒]