Summing up 5 instant reactions to Rams Saturday Night Football victory

It's the morning after. The LA Rams (10-6) defeated the Arizona Cardinals (7-9) in the most unlikely ways in Week 17 to advance their probability of competing in the 2025 NFL Playoffs. With the win, the Rams sink the Cardinals into another losing season. But don't feel bad for the Cardinals. With nothing more to play for than pride, they put up a tough battle to ensure the Rams could not sleepwalk through the game. And if the Cardinals defeat the San Francisco 49ers in Week 18, they will have doubled their win total in just one year.

If the Rams win in Week 18 over the Seattle Seahawks, they will have improved upon last season's record of 10-7, despite the retirement of All-Pro defensive lineman Aaron Donald. That's right. Aaron Donald retires, and the team actually could end the season with a better record. And much of the success clearly has fallen on the shoulders of the Rams defense.

Imagine that.

I thought this one would be a shoot out, and I was wrong. The Rams did not approach this game like a shootout. The Rams passed 32 times for 17 completions, 189 yards, and no touchdowns. The Rams running backs carried the football just 16 times for 52 yards and one touchdown. But the Rams had a secret weapon for the Cardinals defense. Veteran QB Matthew Stafford scrambled for 16 yards and at least two first downs. At one point in the game, Stafford's scrambling was more effective than his passing.

This was a topsy-turvy game that had few outcomes that fans expected. In fact, in my feature article setting 7 Bold Predictions for the game, I was only correct on three of seven. Bold or not, that's not a good track record.

So how did the Rams win? That's worth talking about, so let's flip the page and start into discussing five instant reactions: