C.J. Anderson gets Rams back in the win column, beat Cardinal 31-9

The Los Angeles Rams found their way back into the win column with at 31-9 win over division rival Arizona Cardinals, moving to 12-3 on the season.

It was a journeyman running back named C.J. Anderson who helped lead the Los Angeles Rams back into the win column over an Arizona Cardinals team who will begin to look to 2019 for better times.

Anderson, who was picked up off of the scrap heap this past week, revived a running game that had become suddenly elusive with the injury to Pro Bowler Todd Gurley. Gurley, who was in street clothes on Week 16, will look to benefit with some additional time off as he readies for the postseason.

Rams quarterback Jared Goff was the biggest recipient of the running game, as his afternoon wasn’t what fans have been used to, but good enough to get rid of the bad taste of a two game losing streak that was filled with turnovers and a possible loss of confidence. Goff would throw for 216 yards on 24 passes and 19 completions. He would also add to his turnovers total with a fumble early on.

The star of the day without question was LA’s newest running back acquisition. Anderson would rush for 167 yards on 20 carries and scoring one touchdown.

Los Angeles now moves to 12-3 while the Cardinals fall to a dismal 3-12. The Rams win also keeps pace not necessarily for the top seed in the NFC, but to stay a game ahead of the Chicago Bears who won on the road at the San Francisco 49ers 14-9.

Winning in Arizona and beating a pretty bad Cardinals team may not fix everything for Los Angeles, but it’s a win that helps them keep a key first round bye in play with one game to go in Week 17, where they will be back home in the Coliseum to play their NFC West rival 49ers.