Rams quietly made it impossible for the Cardinals to ignore Mike LaFleur

Losing offensive coordinator Mike LaFleur to an external promotion, especially to a division rival, stings and leaves questions about the Los Angeles Rams' philosophical approach. However, it's easy to see why the Arizona Cardinals hired him as their new head coach.

As the saying goes, for every action, there's an equal and opposite reaction. The Rams were so good on LaFleur's side of the ball throughout the 2025 campaign, and the Cardinals evidently noticed. His now-former unit was particularly dominant in their two meetings against Arizona.

Is it a coincidence that the Cardinals landed on LaFleur after getting an up-close view of him dismantling them twice this season? We think not.

Rams' demolition of Cardinals in 2025 made Mike LaFleur-Arizona partnership all too obvious

In fairness, the Cardinals were among the most porous defenses in football this year. They ranked 27th in total yards (357.7 per game) and 29th in scoring (28.7 points per game). Yet, while most teams were torching them, LaFleur's efforts ostensibly left a strong lasting impression on Arizona's brain trust.

Los Angeles blew the doors off the Cardinals in a lopsided 45-17 victory in their first clash in Week 14. Rams star quarterback Matthew Stafford completed 71 percent of his throws for 281 and three touchdowns without taking a sack, posting a dazzling 131.2 passer rating. Meanwhile, Arizona allowed a whopping 249 rushing yards and three additional scores.

The Rams' ground game was tamed in the second showdown, amassing 143 scoreless yards on 31 carries. Nevertheless, Stafford continued to pick the Cardinals' secondary apart, going for 259 passing yards and four touchdowns. He was also kept clean again, being brought down behind the line of scrimmage just once.

Performances like the ones highlighted above have staying power. That's why LaFleur, the younger brother of Green Bay Packers head coach Matt LaFleur, will now be in charge in Arizona. Few, if any, understand this more than the Rams' leader, Sean McVay.

This isn't the first time McVay has had a top assistant poached from his staff, and it likely won't be the last. He's been the victim of his and the Rams' success virtually every offseason in this regard and figures to continue learning that the hard way.