Cardinals Beat Rams 18-16 on Final Kick
By Brian Hradsky
The Arizona Cardinals defeated the Los Angeles Rams 18-16 on Sunday at SoFi Stadium, winning on Chad Ryland’s 43-yard field goal as time expired. Ryland made all six of his attempts and accounted for every Arizona point in a division game that turned twice in the final minute. Both teams finished Week 6 at 2-4, with the Cardinals leaving Los Angeles with a victory built around defense and special teams.[1][2]
How the game turned
The Rams appeared to have secured the decisive score when Matthew Stafford found Colby Parkinson for a 6-yard touchdown with 47 seconds remaining. Punter Ethan Evans converted the extra point, giving Los Angeles a 16-15 lead after an 86-yard drive. Evans handled the kick because Blake Grupe had left the game with a knee injury after making a tackle on a kickoff return.[3]
Arizona still had enough time to move into kicking range, helped by an unnecessary roughness penalty against the Rams. Ryland converted from 43 yards on the final play, reversing the lead and ending the game. His perfect afternoon made the Cardinals’ inability to score a touchdown survivable, although it also highlighted how narrow their margin had become.[1][3]
Key performances and context
Ryland’s field goals came from 34, 30, 22, 38, 27 and 43 yards, according to the official scoring summary. Arizona repeatedly sustained drives long enough to create opportunities for its kicker, including two extended possessions after halftime. Those drives kept the Rams’ offense off the field and helped the Cardinals build the 15-9 advantage that Los Angeles briefly erased.[2]
The Rams scored their earlier touchdown on Stafford’s pass to Blake Corum, but their failed two-point attempt and late defensive penalty became part of the final accounting. Sean McVay’s postgame assessment emphasized execution and the team’s overall standard rather than treating the close score as reassurance. Arizona’s defense deserved credit for limiting a dangerous offense, while Los Angeles left with another game shaped by opportunities it did not complete.[2][4]
NFL Sports Blog Take
Ryland’s six-for-six afternoon was the difference, but Arizona also earned the win by sustaining possessions and keeping the Rams within reach. The Cardinals still need touchdowns to make this approach more reliable against stronger opponents. Los Angeles had the late lead it wanted, then lost it through a short final defensive sequence that made its earlier mistakes much more expensive.