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5 takeaways from Rams’ 34-7 victory in Arizona

The Los Angeles Rams dominated the Arizona Cardinals in Week 13. Here are a few takeaways from the victory.

The Los Angeles Rams flashed back to last season on Sunday against the Cardinals, looking like the team that made it all the way to the Super Bowl. They dominated Arizona for the fifth straight time, winning 34-7 in Arizona. The Rams were in control the entire game, jumping out to a 34-0 lead before garbage time began.

It wasn’t until midway through the fourth quarter that the Cardinals got on the scoreboard as Kyler Murray led a touchdown drive with his back against the wall. He capped it off with a nifty 15-yard touchdown run, giving the Cardinals their first score of the day.

Here are a few takeaways from the Rams’ dominant win over the Cardinals.

Defense smothers Cardinals’ offense

Other than Murray’s aforementioned garbage time drive, Kliff Kingsbury and his quarterback had a miserable day against the Rams’ defense. It was an unrelenting performance by the Rams through the first three quarters. The Cardinals failed to score points on their first nine drive, which included four three-and-outs and just one drive of at least 30 yards.

It was a return to form for a defense that had been dominant for most of the season before being dismantled by Lamar Jackson and the Ravens in primetime last week. Murray was sacked six times and six different Rams were credited with sacks. Everybody on the defensive side deserves credit for this win.

It was the fifth time this year where the Rams held an opponent to 10 points or less. If they want to have a shot at the playoffs, it hopefully won’t be the last.

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Twitter reacts to Rams’ blowout win over Cardinals

Twitter was thrilled with the way the Rams played on Sunday

The Los Angeles Rams pulled no punches on Sunday at State Farm Stadium, absolutely dominating the Cardinals on the road. They blew out Arizona 34-7, continuing their strong play against the Cardinals since Sean McVay took over as head coach.

At 7-5, the Rams are still very much alive in the NFC, even though they need help from other teams in the conference – mainly a handful of losses by the Seahawks and Vikings.

Twitter was understandably happy about the result from Sunday’s game as the Rams avoided another losing streak. Here’s how Twitter reacted to the win in Week 13.

After ugly November, Jared Goff starts December with best game of 2019

Jared Goff had his best game of the season when the Rams needed it most.

“No Shave November” is a fun tradition for many men, but for Jared Goff, last month was more like “No Touchdown November.” He went all three games in the month without scoring a single touchdown, limping to a 1-2 record and nearly dragging the Rams out of playoff contention.

The end of November couldn’t come soon enough for Goff, and to open the month of December, he looked like a completely different quarterback. Against the Cardinals on Sunday, Goff had his best game of the season, completely picking apart the defense.

Although he didn’t play half of the fourth quarter, Goff still finished with some eye-popping stats. He completed 32 of 43 passes for 424 yards and two touchdowns. He didn’t turn it over once, either, which is a huge step for the struggling quarterback.

His 74.4% completion rate is the highest he’s had in any game this season, as are his 424 yards. The two touchdowns he threw also tied a season-high for Goff, and his 120.7 passer rating is the highest he’s had all year.

Additionally, he laid a block for Robert Woods on this 48-yard catch-and-run, which padded the numbers for Goff.

As far as throwing the ball goes, Goff was sharp. He made tight-window throws several times, and was excellent rolling both to his right and left.

The Rams’ receivers did a great job of getting open for him at every level of the field, but Goff also threw receivers open and was sharp against zone and man coverage.

This throw to Cooper Kupp for a touchdown was especially good, fitting it into a small window.

This is exactly the type of performance Goff needed. In his last three games combined, he completed 61.4% of his passes for only 628 yards with no touchdowns and five interceptions. He fumbled it four times in that span, too, which has been a problem for him all year.

Perhaps with this step in the right direction, Goff and the Rams offense can get back on track in time for a playoff push.

Rams crush Cardinals 34-7, stay alive in NFC: Instant analysis of win

The Rams were in complete control all game long on Sunday.

The Rams were in grave danger of falling way behind in the NFC playoff race, desperately needing a win over the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday afternoon. They got exactly what they needed, blowing out Kliff Kingsbury’s squad on the road, 34-7.

It was an unusually dominant win by the Rams, who went 1-2 in their last three games, including a 45-6 loss to the Ravens. They were in complete control of this game from start to finish, keeping the Cardinals off the scoreboard until there was 8:35 left in the fourth quarter.

The Rams offense was hot out of the gate, but the scoreboard didn’t reflect that as they led 3-0 after two drives. Then they broke through with a touchdown pass to Tyler Higbee and scored on three of their following four possessions.

The Rams looked like the team we saw in the last two years, but it was against the Cardinals, whose defense has not been great this season. Still, it was an encouraging performance by Los Angeles.

Player of the Game: Jared Goff

There were a lot of players to choose from, but Goff had arguably his best game of the year. He racked up 424 yards on 32-for-43 passing with two touchdowns and a passer rating of 120.7. He sat out half of the fourth quarter, too.

Stat of the Game: 27

The Rams had 27 first downs in this one, which is exactly how many they had in the previous two games combined. They also totaled 549 yards, their most of the season.

Game notes:

  • Goff looked like a completely different quarterback than he did the last three games. He was making every throw to every part of the field, whether he was in the pocket or rolling out to one side or the other. His touchdown pass to Cooper Kupp was one of his best throws of the game, fitting it into a tight window for six.
  • Todd Gurley once again nearly reached the 100-yard, gaining 95 yards on 19 carries with one touchdown. He also caught one pass for 20 yards, giving him more than 100 yards from scrimmage. If not for David Edwards’ holding penalty, he would’ve had another touchdown and 30 more yards rushing.
  • Tyler Higbee and Robert Woods did the heavy lifting in the passing game. Woods caught 13 of his 19 targets for 172 yards, while Higbee finished with seven receptions for 107 yards and a touchdown. Higbee had those numbers at the half, and set new career-highs in receptions and yards.
  • Taylor Rapp could’ve easily had three interceptions, but he finished with just one. He dropped a pick-six and had another interception called back by a pass interference penalty, which was only called after Arizona challenged the non-call. The pass that he did pick off he returned 31 yards for a touchdown.
  • The defense as a whole was stout on Sunday. Outside of the garbage-time yards and points the Cardinals picked up, Los Angeles essentially shut down Arizona’s offense. Prior to the fourth quarter, seven of the Cardinals’ nine drives went for fewer than 10 yards and only one had more than six plays. The Cardinals picked up 117 yards on their final three possessions and finished with 198 total yards in the game.
  • David Edwards did not have a good game, committing four penalties on the afternoon. One was a false start, while the other three were holding penalties, one of which negated a 30-yard touchdown by Gurley.

Watch: Taylor Rapp gets first career INT, returns it 31 yards for TD

Taylor Rapp made sure this one counted after nearly having two interceptions earlier in the game.

Taylor Rapp is just a rookie, but he’s had a big impact on the Rams this season. Since taking over as a start when John Johnson went down with a season-ending shoulder injury, Rapp has played well and gotten better each week.

On Sunday, he finally pulled down his first career interception, and he made sure this one counted. After having an interception called back due to an overturned pass interference penalty on Nickell Robey-Coleman earlier in the game and dropping a would-be pick-six, Rapp intercepted Kyler Murray and returned it 31 yards for a touchdown.

It was his first takeaway and touchdown, and it was a beauty. He read Murray like a book and did a great job to get in the throwing lane, picking it off by high-pointing the pass.

Watch: Jared Goff throws block for Robert Woods on 48-yard gain

Jared Goff helped spring Robert Woods free for a 48-yard gain.

Nothing has gone right for Jared Goff in the last month, going three straight games without a touchdown. The calendar turn was apparently just what Goff needed, though, as he came out firing against the Cardinals on Sunday.

He racked up 323 yards and a touchdown in the first half alone, helping put the Rams up 20-0 before halftime. In the second half, his sharp play continued, picking apart the Cardinals secondary and pushing his yardage total over 400.

Forty-eight yards came on this play alone, which was a broken screen pass to Robert Woods. Goff got out in front of Woods after he reversed field and threw a block on Patrick Peterson to spring the wideout free.

Goff needs to catch fire in the final few weeks if the Rams want to make a playoff push, especially after going just 1-2 in their last three games. This is a nice start.

Tyler Higbee sets new career-highs in only one half vs. Cardinals

Tyler Higbee set new career-highs in a single game in only one half against the Cardinals.

The Los Angeles Rams gave Tyler Higbee a four-year, $31 million extension back in September, making him one of the highest-paid tight ends in the NFL. It was a surprising move by the front office, considering Gerald Everett has a higher ceiling at tight end, but Higbee’s potential is also apparent.

He showed it off in the first half of Sunday’s game against the Cardinals, looking like a true No. 1 tight end for the Rams. In the first 30 minutes alone, Higbee caught seven passes for 107 yards and one touchdown.

He set new career-highs in receptions and yards, surpassing his previous single-game highs of six catches and 98 yards.

Higbee was doing it all, too. He was separating from defenders in man coverage on drag routes, getting open in the flat and making plays after the catch, and sitting down against the zone to get open for Jared Goff.

He’s regarded as a better blocker than receiver, but Higbee has the athleticism to do everything at tight end.

Watch: Jared Goff off to hot start, hits Tyler Higbee for TD

Jared Goff came out firing against the Cardinals.

Jared Goff went the entire month of November with zero touchdown passes, spanning three games without a score. He started December in much better fashion, throwing a touchdown pass on just the third drive of the game against the Cardinals.

Goff came out firing and red-hot, racking up 171 yards passing on 14-for-16 passing on the Rams’ first three drives. He capped it off with a touchdown pass to Tyler Higbee, who also got off to a great start.

The touchdown put the Rams up 10-0, as they were finally able to cap off a drive with a touchdown. Their first two possessions ended with a field goal and a missed field goal, so this score was encouraging.

The Rams had 200 yards in the first quarter alone, while holding the Cardinals to just 21 yards in the first 15 minutes.

Rams Week 13 inactives: Everett and Havenstein out, Christian active

There are no surprises among the Rams’ inactives this week.

The Los Angeles Rams will once again be without a few key starters on Sunday against the Cardinals. Sean McVay previously ruled out Gerald Everett and Rob Havenstein, so they’ll be sidelined on Sunday. The same goes for backup cornerback Darious Williams, who remains out with an ankle injury.

As for the Rams’ other inactives in Week 13, Marqui Christian is not among them. He was initially hampered by a knee injury early in the week but came into this game without a designation. He’s active against the Cardinals.

Nsimba Webster, Natrez Patrick, Jamil Demby and Tanzel Smart are all healthy scratches, as well.

Kyler Murray was listed as questionable for this game against the Rams, but he’s officially active. The only notable inactive for Arizona is wide receiver KeeSean Johnson, which means Andy Isabella could see some additional playing time.

Rams at Cardinals: Time, TV and streaming info for Week 13

How to watch the Rams-Cardinals matchup on Sunday.

The Rams and Cardinals will meet for the first time this season on Sunday afternoon, pitting Sean McVay against his friend Kliff Kingsbury. It’ll also be the Rams’ first taste of Kyler Murray, who joins the ranks of a very strong division of quarterbacks.

To get you ready for Week 13 of the regular season, we’ve compiled all the important game day information – from streaming options to the officiating crew on Sunday. And be sure to follow along on Twitter with @TheRamsWire and @camdasilva.

You can live stream the game on fuboTV (try it free).

Los Angeles Rams at Arizona Cardinals – Sunday, December 1 at 4:05 p.m. ET

TV channel: FOX

Live stream: fuboTV (try it free)

Radio: ESPN LA 710 AM

Location: State Farm Stadium

Forecast: Mostly cloudy, 60 degrees, 2 mph winds

Referee: Alex Kemp

Odds: Rams -2.5, over/under 47.5