After falling to the Panthers on the road last week, the Rams got right in a big way against a divisional opponent with a 45-17 victory over the Cardinals.
Los Angeles held a 24-10 lead over Arizona at halftime and scored 21 straight points to go up 45-10 early in the fourth quarter to put the game out of reach.
Receiver Puka Nacua went off, catching seven passes for 167 yards with a pair of touchdowns. Nacua had 136 yards in the first half alone, displaying his dominance with several contested catches to get the Rams out ahead.
The L.A. run game was just as dominant, with Blake Corum and Kyren Williams creating a two-headed monster. The running backs combined for 212 yards on the ground and three touchdowns. Corum led the way with a career-high 128 yards on two carries, including a 48-yard touchdown early in the fourth quarter. Williams took 13 carries for 84 yards with a 2-yard touchdown run in the second quarter.
After three giveaways last week, quarterback Matthew Stafford got back to his MVP pace in Week 14. Stafford finished the contest 22-of-31 passing for 281 yards with three touchdowns and no interceptions. Jimmy Garoppolo was inserted into the game early in the fourth quarter for mop-up duty.
Running back Ronnie Rivers also came in for mop-up duty in the fourth quarter, finishing the contest with 41 yards on eight carries.
In all, L.A. finished with 530 total yards, with 249 coming on the ground. It would have been over 250 if Garoppolo hadn’t taken three kneel downs to end the game. Los Angeles faced just one third down in the first half, with the Rams efficiently moving down the field to score on each of their four possessions in the first two quarters.
It was a historic offensive day for the Rams, who had three passing touchdowns and three rushing touchdowns. According to the FOX broadcast, it was the first time the Rams had done so in a road game since a 42-34 victory over the 49ers all the way back in 1954. ESPN noted it was generally the first time the Rams had done that since the heyday of the Greatest Show on Turf in 2001.
For the Cardinals, Jacoby Brissett finished the contest 25-of-44 for 271 yards with two touchdowns and an interception. Receiver Michael Wilson had a big game, finishing with 11 catches for 142 yards with a pair of TDs.
Tight end Trey McBride also had five catches for 58 yards. According to the FOX broadcast, McBride tied the longest all-time streak for a tight end with his 15th consecutive game with at least five catches.
Now at 10-3, the Rams have regained the NFC’s No. 1 seed with Chicago’s loss to Green Bay. Los Angeles will be at home to face Detroit for a significant conference matchup next Sunday.
The Cardinals are now 3-10 and playing out the string. They’ll face the Texans on the road in Week 15.
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