Los Angeles Rams Defense, Running Game Wears Down Arizona Cardinals

The Los Angeles Rams wore down the Arizona Cardinals with tough defense, and a push in the running game.

Matt Galatzan | Oct 15, 2023

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Los Angeles Rams

Coming off of a disappointing loss to the Philadelphia Eagles last week, The Los Angeles Rams were looking to right the ship and get back to .500 against the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday at SoFi Stadium.

And thanks to their dynamic running game led by Kyren Williams, as well as some tough-nosed defense, the Rams were able to do just that, wearing down the Cardinals, and taking home the 26-9 win.

Things started slow for the Rams, who trailed 9-6 at halftime in a battle of field goals.

However, to start things off in the second, the Rams went straight to the run game, rushing nine times, six of which went to Williams on what became a 10-play, 75-yard touchdown drive.

That drive was capped off by a short TD pass from Matthew Stafford to Cooper Kupp, putting the Rams up 13-9.

The Los Angeles Rams defense swarms the Cardinals ball carrier / Alex Gallardo-USA TODAY Sports

From there, the Rams never looked back, scoring on five-straight possessions and outscoring the Cardinals 20-0 in the second half to secure the win.

Williams was the star of the show for L.A., rushing 20 times for 158 yards, and a touchdown - giving him six rushing touchdowns for the season.

Meanwhile, Stafford and Kupp were in vintage form for the second straight week, connecting seven times on nine attempts for 148 yards and a score. Stafford ended the game with 226 yards on 15 of 24 passing, with the touchdown to Kupp.

Defensively, the Rams were as good as they had been all year, holding the Cardinals to just 275 of offense until garbage time, and allowing them to convert just 6 of 16 third downs.

Following the win, the Rams (3-3) move back to .500 for the year and will remain home in Los Angeles to take on the Pittsburgh Steelers on Oct. 22.

This will be the first time the Rams and Steelers have faced off since 2019, with the Steelers taking the last four games in between the two teams dating back to 2007.

Published Oct 15, 2023

MATT GALATZAN

Matt Galatzan the Editor-In-Chief of RamDigest.com. Galatzan graduated from the University of Mississippi, where he studied integrated marketing communications, with minors in journalism and business administration. Galatzan started in the sports journalism industry under Mike Fisher at DallasBasketball.com in 2014, which at the time was part of the 247Sports network. He also spent two years covering the SMU Mustangs for PonyStampede.com on the 247Sports network. When DallasBasketball.com and CowboysCountry.com moved over to Sports Illustrated's Fan Nation network in 2020, Galatzan followed suit, eventually being taking over as the Managing Editor and Publisher of LonghornsCountry.com and AllAggies.com a year later. Through the years, Galatzan has conducted a handful of high-profile one-on-one interviews to add to his resume — in both writing and podcasting. Some of his biggest interviews have been with Mavs owner Mark Cuban, former Longhorns players Dan Neil and Phil Dawson, and many other recruits, and current/former players for each of the teams he has covered. Galatzan is also a full-time employee in the digital media department for Audacy and KRLD FM's 105.3 The Fan in Dallas, which is the official radio home of the Dallas Cowboys. You can find Galatzan on all major social media channels. For any inquiries, please email matt.galatzan@gmail.com