How The Los Angeles Rams Managed a Stunning Upset Over Arizona Cardinals

For the second week in a row, the Los Angeles Rams found ways to grind out another road win in the desert over the Arizona Cardinals.

Not many people had the Los Angeles Rams emerging from Week 4 with a 3-1 record, especially with three of those four games being on the road. Following a week where Rams found ways to grind out a shootout win against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, they managed to come away with another win on the road against an Arizona Cardinals team that many considered a much tougher challenge.

Los Angeles was able to pull off their win in Arizona with the simple formula of focusing on their strengths while working on utilizing their untapped talent with creativity and variation. The centerpiece of this Rams’ team has been their stellar defense this entire season, minus the Week 1 meltdown against the San Francisco 49ers.

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Aaron Donald and company led the way by keeping Carson Palmer busy all night as they were unwilling to give him the time or space to allow him opportunities to really hurt them downfield as he is prone to do. Donald was finally able to get his first sack of the season and helped in containing the running game to a minimum amount of damage inflicted. Aside from the run containment and the pass disruptions, the defense was also able to make solid tackles all night, including a key forced fumble in the third quarter.

The secondary regained some reinforcement in the return of E.J. Gaines, which added a more physical element to the Rams’ pass defense. With the poor play from Coty Sensabaugh as of late, the addition of Gaines could not have come to a better time, as the Cardinals quickly realized that with the relentlessness the front seven were playing, the pass game efficiency would be paramount.

However, the combination of Gaines, along with Trumaine Johnson and T. J. Mcdonald, made sure that those plans of having an air-raid offense would be foiled. These three helped limit the Cardinals’ high-powered offense to only 13 points with the help of three interceptions throughout the game, including a key interception at the end of the game to seal the win for Los Angeles.

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Finally, although Todd Gurley‘s running game struggles continue, the Rams play calling found ways to still utilize his talent to gain yards by throwing the ball downfield and work the running back into the passing game. After working on his pass-catching skills during last week’s practice, Gurley gained 49 yards on five receptions, highlighted by his longest one-handed catch of 33 yards.

However, Gurley will need to find ways to find traction in the ground game to continue the team’s success. This will help Gurley avoid being one dimensional while making an impact through the air coming out of the backfield while keeping defenses honest.

Los Angeles continues to find ways to grind out hard-earned wins, and that’s certainly a point of excitement for fans moving forward. With a Week 5 matchup at home against a mediocre Buffalo Bills team, the Rams have a good chance to keep their winning streak alive. The way the Rams have shown mental toughness on the road shows that this is a very winnable game, assuming they can continue to focus on their strengths of shutting offenses down. Not to mention keeping their own offense multidimensional, and to maintain mental discipline and minimize the flags they draw.