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Rams Outlast Kyler Murray, Cardinals in Week 3 Road Win

The Los Angeles Rams won their second consecutive game after taking care of business against the Arizona Cardinals in Week 3.

Grant Afseth

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The Los Angeles Rams improved to 2-1 with a 20-12 win over the Arizona Cardinals in Week 3. 

After beginning the matchup with a 13-0 lead in the opening half, the Rams were outscored 12-6 for the remainder of the game. However, the advantage they established early on was enough to sustain their lead, ultimately resulting in a win.

The Cardinals' offense had a much simpler time moving the chains as halftime neared and after the break but failed to find the end-zone. The Rams' defense held Arizona to 0-2 execution on red-zone possessions overall.

Kyle Murray and Marquese Brown accounted for big performances for the Cardinals' offense. Murray attempted a staggering 58 passes and gained 314 yards. Brown hauled in 14 catches on 20 targets for 140 receiving yards. 

Both of the Rams' two touchdowns resulted from the ground game. Cam Akers scored his first touchdown run of the season while Cooper Kupp registered his first-career rushing touchdown. Akers finished with 12 carries for 61 rushing yards in addition to his touchdown run, but he did lose a fumble.

Establishing the ground game played a helpful role in the Rams' strategy offensively. Stafford completed 10 of 11 passes when using play action, resulting in 168 yards. Of his 25 pass attempts, 46.2 percent resulted from play action — the highest rate for a single-game in his previous seven seasons.

While Kupp tends to be the Rams' most productive receiving threat, it was Ben Skowronek (66) and Tyler Higbee (61) who finished with the most receiving yards against the Cardinals. 

The next step for the Rams will be to turn more of their possessions into touchdown drives, especially after a strong start. The passing attack has a lot of firepower to not find the end-zone. Regardless, producing enough to achieve a victory is what matters most.

Aaron Donald made NFL history in this game by becoming the fastest defensive tackle to ever reach 100 career sacks.

The Rams will face another NFC West rival in Week 4 when they take on the San Francisco 49ers at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, California. Kickoff is set for 5:15 p.m. (PDT).

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Grant Afseth
GRANT AFSETH

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