Ram Digest

Rams Hit Rock Bottom, Cardinals Fly Away With Win (Highlights)

Even without Matthew Stafford, the Los Angeles Rams' latest loss is perhaps one of the most alarming stanzas of their Super Bowl defense yet.

Geoff Magliochetti

The Los Angeles Rams' run to Super Bowl LVI was packed with surprises. Their title defense has been the same ... but these sensations have been far from pleasant.

Los Angeles' brutal season took another turn for the worse on Sunday, falling to the Arizona Cardinals by a 27-17 final on Sunday afternoon. Neither team's starting quarterback (Matthew Stafford of the Rams and the Cardinals' Kyler Murray) partook in the defeat, as Arizona's Colt McCoy outpaced John Wolford, the latter of whom failed to stop the Rams' streak of contests below 300 yards, which now stands at three. 

In addition to Stafford, the Rams also lost star receiver Cooper Kupp early on, only worsening their offensive woes. 

After the two sides exchanged field goals on their respective first possessions, five consecutive punts followed before Arizona broke through with a four-yard scoring rush for James Conner, the final of a 13-play, 66-yard trek. 

Things went from bad to worse for the Rams when a Wolford fumble, forced by a Myjai Sanders sack, gave Arizona a short field to work with. The Cardinals capitalized on another score, this of the aerial variety, as McCoy found a leaping AJ Green from six yards out to establish a two-possession halftime lead.

Los Angeles finally made it into the end zone on a four-yard tally by Darrell Henderson Jr., the culmination of a 59-yard drive that saw Tyler Higbee earn 36 on the path. 

Further attempts to cut into the lead went for naught: not only did Conner earn another score, this one from nine yards away, but a Wolford interception, this one to Budda Baker, more or less sealed the Rams' fate, allowing Arizona to boot a Tristan Vizcaino field goal to make it a three-possession game.

The Rams (3-6) did manage to earn the closest thing they could to a beautifier, with Wolford finding Van Jefferson for a three-year score with seven seconds remaining. It was Jefferson's first touchdown of the year and his first since missing the first portions of the year with an injury. 

Los Angeles and Arizona (4-6) split their regular season set for the second consecutive season, though the Rams earned a victory in a postseason rubber match in January en route to their championship.

The Rams will look to end a three-game losing streak on the road against the New Orleans Saints next Sunday (10 a.m. PT, Fox). 

Geoff Magliocchetti is on Twitter @GeoffJMags

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Geoff Magliochetti
GEOFF MAGLIOCHETTI

Geoff Magliochetti

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