GLENDALE, Ariz. — Toward the end, you could clearly make out the “Coooop” chants for Cooper Kupp, the Los Angeles Rams‘ rookie slot receiver. University of Phoenix Stadium had emptied itself of Arizona Cardinals fans by the final minutes of the Rams’ eventual 32-16 victory on Sunday.
Backed by a relentless pass rush, an efficient attack through the air and an elite special-teams unit, the Rams rolled over their division rivals for the second time this season, proving once again that they are among the NFL’s elite. Below is a look at how it unfolded.
What it means: That the Rams have been taking care of business, not fooling around against teams they should beat. They have blown out the Indianapolis Colts, New York Giants and Houston Texans, and they have outscored the Cardinals by a combined 49 points in two meetings this season. With the win, the Rams improved to 9-3 overall, securing their first winning record since 2003. They also stayed one game behind the Minnesota Vikings for that all-important first-round bye heading into a tough three-game stretch.
What I liked: The Rams’ special-teams unit is one of the best in the NFL, and it showed Sunday. Tyrunn Walker blocked an extra point attempt and Michael Brockers blocked a 45-yard field-goal attempt. At one point, Johnny Hekker punted out of his own end zone and pinned the Cardinals at their own 21-yard line. After the L.A. defense forced a three-and-out, Pharoh Cooper returned a punt 30 yards, helping to set up the Rams’ third touchdown. The Rams’ opening drive ended in a 56-yard field goal from Greg Zuerlein, who is 6-for-7 on 50-plus-yard field goals this season.
What I didn’t like: It is difficult to answer this without feeling like it’s nitpicking. The Rams jumped to a 16-0 lead and let the Cardinals back in it with back-to-back touchdown drives — one a methodical type that absorbed more than six minutes and the other taking up less than 2 1/2 minutes and resulting in a wide-open Larry Fitzgerald. But the defense — led by Aaron Donald, who notched two sacks and now has seven in his past seven games — picked up six total sacks and held the Cardinals to 149 scrimmage yards in the second half. The Rams’ offense also had a hard time finishing drives with touchdowns, but Zuerlein easily leads the NFL with 143 points and is on pace for a record 191.
Fantasy fallout:Todd Gurley didn’t get a whole lot of carries early, but he wound up carrying the load for the offense again. Gurley rushed for 74 yards on 19 carries and picked up another 84 yards on six catches, with the screen game working wonders for him once again. Gurley entered the contest ranked second in the NFL in scrimmage yards, and he now has a career-high 1,502 on the year. Sammy Watkins had only three catches on four targets for 38 yards, but he scored a touchdown. Kupp had five catches for 68 yards. And Jared Goff (21-of-31, 220 yards, two touchdowns, one interception) became the first Rams quarterback to top 3,000 yards since Sam Bradford in 2012.
Injury report:Alec Ogletree injured his left elbow while making a tackle on a short pass across the middle at the two-minute mark of the first quarter and was forced to exit shortly thereafter, after being in noticeable pain while the Cardinals marched up the field for a touchdown. Ogletree, the Rams’ leader in defensive snaps heading into the game, intercepted a pass and returned it 41 yards for a touchdown to give the Rams an early 16-0 lead. Bryce Hager took his place as inside linebacker and signal-caller for the rest of the defense.
What’s next: The Rams will play their biggest game of the year, at home against a first-place Philadelphia Eagles team that was 10-1 heading into a Sunday night matchup against the Seattle Seahawks. It’ll be Goff, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2016 NFL draft, against Carson Wentz, who went second. It’ll be the Rams’ Sean McVay against the Eagles’ Doug Pederson, two favorites for NFL Coach of the Year honors. And it’ll be two stout defenses matching up. The Rams will be tested like they haven’t been this season.