Rewind: Arizona Cardinals settle for field goals while Rams score touchdowns

Emily Horos, Arizona Republic

September 25, 2022 at 7:43 PM·8 min read

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The Los Angeles Rams scored touchdowns while the Arizona Cardinals settled for field goals. The result was a 20-12 victory by the Rams on Sunday afternoon at State Farm Stadium.

The Rams built a 13-6 halftime lead before adding another touchdown in the third quarter. Meanwhile, the Cardinals did a little bit of everything just to get the three field goals.

Arizona went for it on fourth down five times — and succeeded on four of those attempts. The Cardinals forced the only turnover of the game when Budda Baker punched the ball out of the hands of Cam Akers inside the Arizona 1 and Jalen Thompson recovered.

Kyler Murray attempted a career-high 58 passes. He completed 37 of those for 314 yards. Marquise "Hollywood" Brown led all receivers with 14 catches for 140 yards.

Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford was 18-for-25 for 249 yards. Neither team's quarterback accounted for a touchdown or interception.

Arizona was slow to start the game. The Cardinals received the opening kickoff and went three-and-out before a punt that was blocked. That led the the Rams' first points of the game.

The Cardinals punted on their first four possessions, while the Rams came away with a pair of field goals and a touchdown. From that point on, the Cardinals got field goals on four of their five possessions. The other was a turnover on downs. Meanwhile, the Rams scored just once more — a touchdown in the third quarter — while punting on three possessions and fumbling away the other.

Turnover

Budda Baker forced a fumble inside the 1-yard line and Jalen Thompson recovered it to keep the Rams out of the end zone and the Cardinals in the game midway through the fourth quarter.

It was the first turnover of the game.

Minutes earlier, the Cardinals attempted a fourth-down conversation, but the pass by Kyler Murray fell incomplete. The Cardinals were 3-for-3 on fourth down up to that point. The Rams took over at their own 26 with a 20-9 and 11:29 left to play.

The Cardinals would attempt one more fourth-down conversion — this time on fourth-and-7 — with success. Murray completed a 14-yard pass to Hollywood Brown that brought Arizona out to the L.A. 45.

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Third quarter

Cam Akers plowed across the goal line to end a 14-yard run and give the Los Angeles Rams a 20-9 lead over the Arizona Cardinals.

The Rams offense found the spark it had lost in the first half and put together an eight-play 75-yard drive to build on its lead.

The final four plays of the drive all featured Akers. They were runs of 5, 14, 6 and 14 yards. The first two plays also featured Akers, who only needed a little help from his friends — Matt Stafford completed a 26-yard pass to Tyler Higbee — on the drive.

The third quarter ended with the Cardinals facing a second-and-10 from their own 25.

Another 3

A promising drive for the Arizona Cardinals sputtered and ended with a 49-yard field goal from Matt Prater.

The Cardinals moved the ball quickly — gaining 50 yards on 12 plays over 6 minutes — before stalling at the Rams 30.

Kyler Murray is now 23-for-36 passing for 201 yards.

The Rams lead 13-9 with 5:10 left in the third.

The drive also included the Cardinals' third fourth-down conversion of the game. James Conner ran five yards up the middle to pick up the fourth-and-1.

The Cardinals forced the Rams to punt to open the half. It was the third straight third-and-out for the Rams, who scored on each of the first three possessions.

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Halftime

The Los Angeles Rams took a 13-6 lead to the locker room, but that score might be better than it sounds for the Arizona Cardinals, who got off to a slow start.

Arizona's first punt of the game was blocked, which gave the Rams a short field and produced a field goal. While the Cardinals were held in a series of three-and-outs, the Rams added a touchdown and another field goal for a 13-0 lead.

Arizona chipped into the lead with a 23-yard field goal from Matt Prater and forced the Rams to punt on consecutive possessions. The Cardinals ended the half with a 43-yard field goal, which made it a one-score game.

Through three first halves this season, the Cardinals have scored a total of 13 points. That's not a playoff team.
— Bob McManaman (@azbobbymac) September 25, 2022

Matt Prater boots it through the uprights, set up by a long reception for Greg Dortch, and the Cardinals trail 13-6. This is far better than being down 20-0 at half last week and 23-7 at the break in Week 1.
— José M. Romero (@RomeroJoseM) September 25, 2022

Turnaround

The Arizona Cardinals needed a pair of fourth-down conversions, but they finally got on the scoreboard. They trail the Rams 13-3 late in the first half.

The first conversion was a fourth-and-1 from their own 39 after they came up just short on third-and-11. James Conner rushed two yards up the middle.

The second came on fourht-and-2 from the Arizona 49. On that play, Kyler Murray found Hollywood Brown with a 4-yard pass.

The Cardinals faced a third-and-10 from the LA 27, but converted that with a 14-yard pass from Murray to Greg Dortch.

Connor drops pass on 3rd down. Kingsbury decides to kick it on fourth and goal from the 5. Good move, I think.The whole operation inside the 10 was not smooth
— Kent Somers (@kentsomers) September 25, 2022

On the drive, the Cardinals tripled the total yards. When the drive started, they had just 30 for the game. On the 19-play drive, they gained 65 yards.

Rams lead grows

While the Arizona Cardinals continue to do little on offense, the defense is at least keeping them in the game.

The Rams have just 13 points to show for their 175 yards of offense. They've been held to field goals twice and punted once. The Rams have been penalized four times for 25 yards.

The Rams did add to their lead early in the second quarter with a 40-yard field goal from Matt Gay. It was his second field goal of the game and gave Los Angeles a 13-0 lead over the Cardinals.

First quarter

Cooper Kupp broke up the sideline for a 20-yard touchdown. The point after put the Rams up 10-0.

The touchdown capped a 58-yard drive that needed just seven plays. On the drive, Matthew Stafford completed passes to Tyler Higbee and Kupp of 19 and 14 yards, respectively.

The Cardinals weren't able to do much on their next possession. After a 13-yard completion to Hollywood Brown on first down, the Cardinals found themselves moving backward and faced a third-and-21, which they nearly converted. However, they again had to punt.

In their first three possession of the game, the Cardinals have just 26 yards. Meanwhile, the Rams have 158 yards and 10 points to show for it.

Starting slowly

The Cardinals weren't able to accomplish anything on their first possession. After an incompletion on third-and-2, Arizona punted only to have it blocked by the Rams.

Los Angeles began its first possession on the Cardinals 35. The Rams appeared destined for the end zone before the Arizona defense applied some pressure and forced the visitors to settle for a 22-yard field goal and a 3-0 lead.

The Cardinals did slightly better on their second possession in that they were able to get the punt off after the three-and-out. The Rams began their next possession on their own 42.

Coin toss

Los Angeles called heads and won the coin toss. The Rams deferred to the second half. The Cardinals will receive the opening kickoff at the south end of State Farm Stadium.