REPORT: How Rams Defense Saved the Day vs. Cardinals

The Los Angeles Rams were unable to pull away from an Arizona Cardinals team determined to ruin their playoff hopes. That is, until the Rams' defense swooped in and sealed a critical victory.

Dec 28, 2024; Inglewood, California, USA; Los Angeles Rams defensive tackle Kobie Turner (91) celebrates after sackiing Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray (1) in the second half at SoFi Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images / Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

The Los Angeles Rams beat the Arizona Cardinals home on Saturday in a thrilling matchup between NFC West foes. While the Arizona Cardinals technically did not have anything to play for, as they had already been eliminated from playoff contention before the game, their admirable performance said otherwise.

Bobby Kownack of NFL.com noted how well the Rams' defense played against the Cardinals. He credited many of the Rams' younger players, helping them win the game.

"Forget the rankings, which put the Rams at 18th in points allowed and 24th in yards surrendered coming into Week 17," Kownack said. "This young Rams defense is dangerous, peaking at exactly the right time. The youth movement on the defensive line showed up again against Arizona, as rookie Braden Fiske tallied what is already his third career multi-sack game. His fellow former Florida State Seminole, Jared Verse, got pressure throughout and also stonewalled James Conner on a fourth-and-1 at Los Angeles’ 14-yard line in the second quarter, delivering a momentum-turning stop with the game still scoreless.

"And when the Rams offense stalled late, the secondary stepped up to keep Arizona out of the end zone. First, it was Kamren Kinchens picking off a Kyler Murray bomb on fourth down with 3:02 remaining (although he should’ve probably batted it down for field position.) Then, after L.A. went three-and-out and the Cardinals subsequently drove down to the 5-yard line, Ahkello Witherspoon came up with a miraculous diving catch on a ricochet off Trey McBride's helmet to seal the deal.

Kownack credited the Rams' defense with a stellar performance that has put them on the doorstep of the postseason. With one more win, the Rams will be in the playoffs.

"Saturday was the Rams’ third straight game holding a team to single-digit points,"
Kownack said. "More importantly, they’re inching ever closer to an NFC West title. If they get 2.5 combined wins (two wins and at least a tie) from the [Minnesota] Vikings, [Buffalo] Bills, [San Francisco] 49ers, [Washington] Commanders, and [the Cleveland] Browns over the rest of Week 17, they’ll clinch on strength of schedule over the [Seattle] Seahawks.

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