Rams hold on to beat Cardinals, 13-9: Instant analysis of Week 17 win

It looked like the Rams were going to blow it but the defense came through in the clutch to take down the Cardinals

Though the Los Angeles Rams couldn’t technically clinch the NFC West with a win over the Arizona Cardinals on Saturday night, they badly wanted to beat their rivals and win their fifth straight game. It would increase their playoff odds to greater than 99%, all but punching their ticket to the postseason.

And despite another terrible showing by the offense, the Rams found a way to get it done – again. The defense was excellent from start to finish, even though it bent and allowed some yards, giving up just nine total points.

Despite getting outgained by the Cardinals, 396-257, the Rams gutted out a win at home in a game that greatly helped their postseason chances. Puka Nacua stuffed the stat sheet again, Kyren Williams averaged a healthy 4.3 yards per carry and the defense intercepted Kyler Murray not once, but twice.

Here’s a recap of how things went down on a wild night at SoFi Stadium.

Final score: Rams 13, Cardinals 9

Game notes

  • The Rams once again got off to a slow start in the first quarter, punting on each of their first two drives. The first drive reached the Cardinals’ 48-yard line but stalled after an incompletion to Cooper Kupp on third down.
  • Braden Fiske made a big play on the Cardinals’ second drive, sacking Kyler Murray for a 17-yard loss on third-and-13 to force a punt.
  • It took until the Rams’ fifth possession to finally get anything going. After gaining just 60 yards on their first four drives, the Rams went 60 yards in nine plays on their fifth drive. Kyren Williams capped it off with a 1-yard touchdown run. On the drive, Cooper Kupp had a 29-yard catch and Matthew Stafford scrambled for 12 yards.
  • The defense was outstanding in the first half, holding the Cardinals to just 2-for-7 on third down and 140 total yards. They brought a 10-0 lead into halftime.
  • The Cardinals put together a good series to open the second half, going 68 yards in 13 plays and scoring a touchdown on a throw to Trey McBride. Michael Hoecht was called for holding on third down at the 2-yard line, giving the Cardinals a fresh set of downs.
  • Arizona dominated the third quarter, holding the ball for 12:48 in the quarter. The Rams only ran three plays in the entire third period, gaining just 19 yards.
  • The Cardinals cut into the Rams’ lead even more early in the fourth quarter, kicking a field goal to make it 10-9 after getting to the Rams’ 10-yard line.
  • On just the Rams’ second drive of the second half, they held the ball for 7:27 and put together a 13-play, 60-yard march down the field, overcoming a bad holding penalty by Joe Noteboom to make it first-and-20. However, the offense stalled from the 8-yard line and they were forced to settle for a field goal to up their lead to 13-9.
  • Kamren Kinchens had a really nice game but he made a bad mistake in the fourth quarter. On fourth-and-10, he intercepted Murray at the 11-yard line, which gave the ball back to Los Angeles with a 13-9 lead and only 3:02 on the clock. However, had he batted it down, it would’ve given the Rams about 20 more yards of field position.
  • The Rams’ ensuing drive was short-lived. They ran it on first and second down, gaining just 6 yards, before throwing it on third down and punting after the incompletion. The drive only took 1:01 off the clock.
  • The Cardinals marched down the field on their final offensive possession, gaining 59 yards on their first eight plays. But their ninth play of the drive was a deflected pass that was intercepted by Ahkello Witherspoon.
  • The Rams took over with 37 seconds left and all they had to do was milk the clock to zero.

It was over when…

… Ahkello Witherspoon intercepted Murray in the end zone to seal the Rams’ win with under a minute to play.

3 stars of the game

No. 3 star: Byron Young – 8 tackles, 1 QB hit, 1 sack, 1 TFL

No. 2 star: Ahkello Witherspoon – 6 tackles, 2 PBU, 1 game-saving INT

No. 1 star: Puka Nacua – 10 catches, 129 yards

Play of the game

The Rams’ defense was getting gashed play after play on the Cardinals’ final drive, but Witherspoon came through in the clutch with an interception after a deflection in the end zone.

He made a diving catch and maintained control all the way to the ground, making a spectacular play in the biggest moment of the game.

What’s next?

The Rams will regroup and enjoy this win briefly before welcoming the Seahawks to SoFi Stadium next weekend. They don’t yet know if the game will be on Saturday or Sunday, but they’ll have some time to rest and recover from a crazy game against the Cardinals. A win over the Seahawks will lock up the division, if they don’t clinch it beforehand this Sunday.