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Did Sunday's blowout in LA tell us more about the Rams or the Cardinals?
Cameron DaSilva
October 4, 2021 6:56 am PT
After the first quarter of Sunday’s game at SoFi Stadium, it looked like the Rams and Cardinals would go back and forth trading scores all afternoon. The Rams grabbed a 10-7 lead after the first 15 minutes, but from that point on, the Cardinals outscored them 30-10.
It was a complete and utter blowout in Inglewood, with Arizona earning its fourth win of the season, 37-20. The Rams were outplayed, outcoached and outshined by Kyler Murray and the Cardinals.
But did this game tell us more about the Rams and their potential weaknesses or the Cardinals and their impressive roster? It’s a mix of both, but there’s no reason to panic in Los Angeles. The Cardinals are just a really good team right now and are likely the best in the entire league.
Arizona ranks first in points, second in yards, fourth in passing, sixth in rushing, fourth in points per drive, third in takeaways, ninth in points allowed and sixth in third-down defense. By just about every measure, they have a top-10 offense and defense right now. There’s no shame in the Rams losing to a team as talented as this one. It’s not like they got blown out by the Jets or Jaguars.
This is a really talented Cardinals roster that’s led by the MVP favorite, Kyler Murray. Byron Murphy is a No. 1 cornerback, Chandler Jones is one of the top pass rushers in football, Budda Baker is a playmaker at safety and oh yeah, DeAndre Hopkins still plays in Arizona.
It’s an impressive group from top to bottom, and Murray is the one who brings it all together to make this a difficult team to beat. How do you stop a quarterback who’s averaging 318.3 passing yards per game and can run the way he does? Even if he’s not putting up big numbers on the ground, he’s still putting defenses in a bind with his scrambling ability.
This is a play only one or two quarterbacks in the NFL can make, and it came on third-and-16 when Kenny Young nearly got home for a sack.
It was a frustrating loss for the Rams, but it’s not one that should cause an uproar in Los Angeles. Just as the Buccaneers didn’t panic after the Rams blew them out last week, the Rams shouldn’t worry too much about this loss.
The Cardinals look like the team to beat in the NFC and no defense has stopped them yet. They’ve scored 38, 34, 31 and 37 points in their first four games. They’ve allowed more than 20 points only once. They’re taking the ball away, protecting it on offense and are a nightmare to defend in the red zone with Murray under center.
The Rams will get another shot at Arizona in Week 14, a massive Monday night showdown on the road. That’s not for another two-plus months, though. In the meantime, the Rams have to bounce back against the Seahawks on Thursday night and prove they’re closer to the team we saw blow out the Bucs and not the one that got crushed by the Cards.
Sunday’s game was more about the Cardinals being legitimate Super Bowl contenders and less about the Rams’ weaknesses.
