4 biggest takeaways from LA Rams’ 20-12 victory over the Arizona Cardinals

The LA Rams defeated the Arizona Cardinals Sunday afternoon by a score of 20-12 in a very weird game. While it was rather peculiar in style, a win is a win. Here are the five biggest takeaways from the showdown in the desert.

1. Jalen Ramsey shows up big in AZ

After a sub-par week one performance, LA Rams All-Pro defensive back Jalen Ramsey has bounced back big time. In the Week 2 win against the Atlanta Falcons, it was Jalen Ramsey who sealed the deal with a game-winning interception. This week against the Arizona Cardinals, he was his usual dominant self. Making his presence felt all over the field, Ramsey reminded Rams fans and the rest of the league exactly who he is, the best cornerback in the game.

Ramsey was seen multiple times breaking up huge passes on third downs to Cardinals pass catchers, Marquise Brown and Zach Ertz. In the run game, Ramsey wreaked havoc on blockers and made some pretty big tackles on third down. One that comes to mind is the huge hit that flipped Cardinals’ RB James Connor in the second half.

Ramsey had his highest weekly Pro Football Focus score (subscription required) of the season and one of his best as a Rams DB with a grade of 90.4. Safe to say, The Rams got #5 on it. Look for him to stack up good performances this season on his way to his seventh Pro Bowl.

2. Matthew Stafford has the cleanest game of 2022 so far

It was a very odd game for the LA Rams’ offense last night against the Arizona Cardinals defense. So weird, that LA Rams starting quarterback Matthew Stafford played his first game for LA without throwing a touchdown.

Don’t let that fool you though, as Stafford played a very clean and efficient game. He completed 18 of 25 throws, for 249 yards but zero turnovers. That was good for a 72 percent completion percentage. Better yet, he did so without his favorite target, wide receiver Cooper Kupp, needing to have a big game.

Kupp’s streak of 90-yard games came to an end on Sunday, registering only 44 yards. That forced Stafford to spread the ball around, which he did. He got the ball to Rams receivers Ben Skowronek, Brandon Powell, tight end Tyler Higbee and Kendall Blanton.  He also did so while escaping pressure numerous times, finding the closest outlet for a first down.

While a peculiar performance, Stafford and the Rams needed one like that in their journey to try and repeat as Super Bowl champions.

3. Ben Skowronek, fan favorite? 

Last season, LA Rams WR Ben Skowronek made some costly rookie mistakes that made some Rams fans turn on him perhaps a little too early. This season, Rams HC Sean McVay has carved out the perfect role for his skill set.

We all know how much McVay loves eleven personnel, but Skowronek allows the offense to essentially turn into twenty-two personnel. For the last two weeks, he’s been utilized as a fullback, and yesterday he opened up plenty of run lanes for Rams RBs Cam Akers and Darrell Henderson.

In particular, he laid a massive hit on Cardinals LB Zaven Collins during Cam Akers’ 14-yard touchdown in the third quarter. This block cleared the path for Akers to explode through the lane for the score. Not only did he make an impact blocking, but he also led the Rams in receiving with 66 yards on the day. Look for Skowronek and his role to continue evolving, especially as the Rams try to make up for the production of Van Jefferson.

4. Execution in the red zone continues to disappoint

The Rams were clearly the better team on the field on Sunday, but mistakes made by the offense allowed Arizona to be in the game till the very end. Part of that is the apparent lack of execution in the red zone.

Three plays, in particular, stopped the Rams from blowing out the Arizona Cardinals. The first was newly arrived wide receiver Allen Robinson’s drop on the goal line in the first quarter. Stafford threw a dart on a slant to Robinson that would have been a sure touchdown, but it went right through his hands. The Rams settled for a field goal on the drive.

The next play was normally dependable Cooper Kupp’s drop in the end zone on a beautiful dime from Stafford. Kupp beat the defense on a corner ball, and Stafford laid the ball out over his shoulders. Kupp slightly short-armed it, resulting in a drop. This resulted in a 3rd and 12, which led to the Rams settling for the FG on the following play.

The last play was the Cam Akers fumble at the one, which would have ultimately put the game away if a touchdown. This was very remanent of his fumble in Tampa last year during the divisional playoffs. Akers seemed to turn it up a notch, but costly turnovers definitely won’t help his case.

We’ll see if this is an issue that the Rams’ offense can clean up as we get deeper into the season.