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...
Matthew Stafford Off-Field Admission Adds New Twist To Rams Struggles
Matthew Stafford and the Rams have been trying to find steadier footing early in the 2026 season, and a recent loss to the Arizona Cardinals only added to the questions around a team that has looked uneven. Off the field, Kelly Stafford offered a personal glimpse into the familys routine when she shared on Instagram that she has been dealing with insomnia, a reminder that the quarterbacks life away from the facility can be just as demanding as what happens on Sundays.
Kelly Stafford also spoke in a 2025 Forbes interview about how sleep quality has affected their marriage, which gives this latest admission a little more weight than a passing update. Whether or not it has anything to do with Staffords play is impossible to say, but it does add a human layer to a Rams start that already has plenty of people looking for reasons behind the inconsistency. [Read more 🡒]
Sean McVay Tries To Defuse Kyren Williams Drama As Rams Spiral
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The backdrop is hardly ideal for the Rams, who are 2-4 and fighting through real offensive issues. With Davante Adams expected to miss several weeks, the margin for error gets even thinner, and the teams frustration has only been easier to spot as the losses pile up. In that kind of stretch, McVays message was as much about protecting a player as it was about keeping the season from sliding further off course. [Read more 🡒]
Matthew Stafford Off-Field Concern Adds To Rams Fans Growing Frustration
Matthew Staffords uneven stretch comes at an awkward time for the Rams, who are trying to steady themselves after a frustrating 18-16 loss to the Arizona Cardinals. The veteran quarterback has been up and down in recent games, and any inconsistency around him tends to magnify quickly in Los Angeles, where expectations are always tied to how well Stafford is driving the offense.
Adding another layer, Kelly Stafford recently shared on Instagram that she has been dealing with insomnia, and she has spoken before about how sleep quality affects their marriage in a 2025 Forbes interview. It is the kind of off-field detail that can easily get pulled into the conversation when a quarterback is searching for rhythm, even if any connection to Staffords play is only speculation for now. [Read more 🡒]