The final kick looked simple only because Arizona had survived everything before it. Chad Ryland’s 43-yard field goal at the final whistle gave the Cardinals an 18-16 victory over the Rams on Sunday, completing a six-for-six afternoon. The kick was the finish; the defense was the reason Arizona still had a chance to take it.
Arizona’s offense left the defense little room for error. Arizona did not score a touchdown. It visited the red zone five times and came away without one. Ryland supplied all 18 points, but the defense repeatedly denied Los Angeles the extra possession or conversion that might have made those field goals irrelevant.
Stops that kept the door open
The clearest example arrived in the second quarter. Los Angeles drove 73 yards in 12 plays and reached the Arizona 15 before Matthew Stafford found Blake Corum for a touchdown. The Rams tried to add two points, but Josh Sweat sacked Stafford on the conversion attempt. L.J. Collier recovered the resulting fumble, and the try failed.
That preserved a three-point game instead of allowing Los Angeles to stretch the margin to five. Arizona then answered with Ryland’s 22-yard field goal before halftime, making the score 9-9. A two-point try is easy to overlook beside six made field goals, but in an 18-16 game it belonged to the final arithmetic.
The Cardinals also stopped two Rams possessions on downs. One ended after Los Angeles moved from its 27 to the Arizona 27, where a fourth-down run produced no gain. Later, after the Rams reached the Arizona 39, Stafford’s short pass to Kyren Williams fell incomplete on fourth down.
Those endings lacked spectacle, which is usually how defensive football earns its keep when an offense is settling for kicks.
Budda Baker and Sweat each recorded a sack, with Baker adding two tackles for loss. In the fourth quarter, Cody Simon forced a fumble from Tyler Higbee, and Denzel Burke recovered at the Arizona 25. Stafford had recovered his own fumble after being sacked on the previous play; Simon and Burke then ensured the next loose ball belonged to Arizona.
Burke’s recovery still mattered. Arizona led 15-9 at the time, a six-point margin, and the takeaway stopped a Rams possession that had reached the Arizona 22. The Cardinals did not capitalize, punting after three plays. That was an offensive miss, but the defensive recovery prevented Los Angeles from adding points, cutting the deficit or potentially taking the lead before the final exchange.
The Rams eventually broke through. Stafford’s late drive included a long completion to Puka Nacua and ended with a touchdown pass to Colby Parkinson. With 47 seconds remaining, Los Angeles led 16-15. Arizona needed a response, and the response was efficient rather than theatrical.
The final drive was enough
The Cardinals began at their 35 after a touchback. Jacoby Brissett hit Jalen Brooks for 21 yards, with the catch taking the ball to the Los Angeles 44. A 15-yard unnecessary-roughness penalty on Josh Wallace then moved Arizona to the Rams 29; that flag, rather than extra receiving yardage, supplied the rest of the field position.
