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After a so-so first two games, the Rams put together their best game of the young season during Sunday's 20-12 win over the Cardinals. Los Angeles enjoyed an efficient offensive performance while leaning on a defense that did not allow the Cardinals to cross the end zone.
The Rams are now 2-1 on the season after dropping their season opener to Buffalo. The Cardinals fell to 1-2 following last Sunday's thrilling comeback win against the Raiders.
The visiting Rams took control of the game after taking a 20-9 lead on Cam Akers' 14-yard touchdown run with over a minute left in the third quarter. The Rams were on the doorstep of icing the game midway through the fourth quarter before Budda Baker forced a fumble of Akers just inches away from the goal line. The Cardinals drove down the field but had to settle for Matt Prater's fourth field goal of the game with 1:07 left. Arizona's hopes of a win were extinguished after Los Angeles recovered the ensuing onside kick.
The Rams jumped out to a 13-0 lead on Matt Gay's two field goals and Cooper Kupp's 20-yard touchdown run with four minutes left in the first quarter. After punting on their first four drives, the Cardinals put together a 19-play drive on their fifth possession. The long drive had a disappointing finish, however, as the Rams defense were able to hold the Cardinals to a field goal in what was a foreshadowing of things to come.
Arizona trimmed its deficit to 13-9 before Kyler Murray misfired on a fourth-down pass to Marquise Brown with 11:35 left. The Rams scored on their ensuing drive on Akers' touchdown run.
The Rams' win came with some history, as Aaron Donald became the fastest defensive tackle in NFL history to reach 100 career sacks.
Here's a closer look at what went down in the desert.
Why the Rams won
The Los Angeles defense did not allow a touchdown while holding Arizona to 0 of 2 in the red zone. The Rams were especially tough against the run, as they held the Cardinals to just 70 yards on 21 carries.
The Rams offense enjoyed a solid performance from Matthew Stafford, who was sacked just once while going 18 of 25 for 249 yards. With Kupp drawing most of the attention, Stafford had success getting the ball to Ben Skowronek and Tyler Higbee, who combined to catch eight passes for 127 yards. His fumble notwithstanding, Akers made several key runs and finished the game with 61 yards on 12 carries.
Why the Cardinals lost
Murray and the Cardinals offense failed to score a touchdown. While he threw for 314 yards, Murray had several throws he surely wishes he had back from Sunday, including his incomplete pass to Brown on fourth-and-4 from the Rams' 26-yard line with 11:35 left and the Cardinals trailing by 11 points.
Turning point
The Cardinals trimmed their deficit to 13-9 with 5:10 left in the third down. Their defense, while solid for most of the game, was unable to stop the Rams offense on their ensuing drive. The big play was an 11-yard completion from Stafford to Kupp on third-and-11 on the Rams' 24-yard line. Stafford hit Higbee for a 26-yard gain on the next play, followed by Akers' four consecutive carries for 39 yards that included his touchdown run.
Play of the game
Akers' touchdown put the game away while showcasing the Rams' ever-improving rushing attack. Akers' run was impressive, but so was Skowronek's key block that helped Akers on his way to the end zone.
Quotable
"It's a blessing. Any time you the body of work in, things come into fruition and you accomplish great things, you're going to be proud of it. But my job is just to go out there, play ball and try to help my team win through slide protection, double teams, triple teams, trying to be consistent and try to help my team win." -- Donald to Fox Sports on becoming the fastest defensive tackle in NFL history to reach 100 sacks
What's next
The Rams will travel to San Francisco to take on the 49ers, the team they defeated in last year's NFC title game. Arizona will head to Carolina to face a Panthers team that picked up its first win of the year after upsetting visiting New Orleans on Sunday.
