Coming off a rough performance against the San Francisco 49ers, the Los Angeles Rams traveled to take on the Arizona Cardinals in Week 13 in what was a division matchup with major postseason implications.
Although they got off to a slow start, the Rams eventually took control of the game and earned a 38-28 victory over the Cardinals, improving to 8-4 on the season.
We already have a post up that includes highlights and a bit of a recap from the victory, so feel free to give that a read if you missed the game, and I am going to get straight into my observations and analysis:
Bounce back Goff
Jared Goff received some much-needed criticism from Sean McVay after turning the ball over three times in the loss to the 49ers. Instead of sulking, Goff took the criticism in stride and used it as motivation to get better, which resulted in a huge bounce-back game against Arizona.
Goff completed 37-of-47 passes for 351 yards and a touchdown, also adding a score on the ground in what was a very methodical day for the Rams’ signal-caller. Most importantly for Goff, he was able to take care of the ball.
The Rams’ formula for winning has become very clear in recent weeks and it’s this: Dominate on defense and take care of the ball on offense.
Goff turned the ball over nine times in the Rams’ four losses, and now only five times in their eight wins. How far this team will go will depend on the quarterback not turning the ball over. It’s really that simple.
Ramsey does it again
A lot of people criticized the Rams for giving up two first-round picks for Jalen Ramsey and then making him the highest-paid cornerback in the league, but so far this season, he is proving week-in and week-out why he was absolutely worth all of that.
It’s no secret that the Cardinals have one of the best wide receivers in the league in DeAndre Hopkins, but as was the case with other big-name receivers the Rams have played like D.K. Metcalf, Mike Evans, etc., Ramsey was able to make Hopkins essentially a non-factor.
The two are very familiar with each other from their days in the AFC South and Hopkins had even had some success against Ramsey in the past. That wasn’t the case this time though as this is how they matched up:
 From NFL NEXT GEN STATS: #Cardinals WR DeAndre Hopkins averaged a season-low 4.0 yards per target on Sunday. #Rams CB Jalen Ramsey lined up across from Hopkins on 34 of his 40 routes, holding Hopkins to 36 yards and 6 catches on 11 targets (3.3 yds per target).
— Ed Werder (@WerderEdESPN) December 7, 2020
The Rams’ defense has been one of the best in football this season, and a big reason for that has been the play of Ramsey in the secondary and Aaron Donald up front. When superstars play at a superstar level, that makes it easier on other players to just do their jobs and the rest seems to fall into play, which has absolutely been the case in L.A. this season.
McVay continues dominance over Cardinals
Last week I talked about how Sean McVay and the Rams have struggled against Kyle Shanahan and the 49ers, losing four straight to their division rivals. Well the same can be said about McVay against the Cardinals, although he is the one doing the dominating this time as the Rams are 7-0 against Arizona during his tenure, including 3-0 since Kliff Kingsbury became their head coach.
The Rams have one more game against the Cardinals at home in Week 17, which could end up deciding the NFC West.
McVay’s second-half dominance also continued on Sunday as the Rams are now 32-0 when leading at halftime in his tenure.
Akers taking over?
I’ve kept an eye on the Rams’ running back committee all season, and as the weeks go by, rookie Cam Akers is slowly taking over as the lead back.
The Rams drafted Akers in the second round this year and were believed to be very high on him, although his career got off to a slow start due to a rib injury. His touches have increased in four of the last five weeks though, and against the Cardinals, he was L.A.’s lead back for the first time.
Akers carried the ball 21 times for 72 yards and a touchdown, also adding a reception for 22 yards. Now, both Darrell Henderson and Malcolm Brown had solid days as well, breaking off some big plays of their own. But they combined for nine total touches to Akers’ 22, so it is becoming clearer and clearer by week who the Rams want to feature in the run game.
I’ve been calling to see more Akers for weeks, so I’m certainly happy with the direction this committee is headed.
Kicking update
Something else I’ve been keeping an eye on all season is the Rams’ kicking situation, and Matt Gay had another solid-but-not-perfect day.
Gay made all five of his extra points, but only one of his two field-goal attempts after doinking a 37-yarder off the left upright in the fourth quarter. Luckily, the Rams were leading comfortably and that didn’t cost them.
Overall in three games with the team now, Gay has converted all 10 of his extra points and five of his seven field goals. That is a huge improvement from what we were getting from the kicker position at the beginning of the season, so it looks like Gay will surely be the guy for the rest of this season.
Rams got some help
Looking around the league, the Rams got some help on Sunday with the New York Giants beating the Seattle Seahawks, 17-12.
The Rams and Seahawks are now tied atop the NFC West standings at 8-4, with the final four games of the year, including a head-to-head matchup in Week 16, deciding who will win the division and get a home playoff game in the first round.
Up next…
The Rams have a quick turnaround before their Week 14 game as they will be hosting the New England Patriots on Thursday night. This will mark the first time that McVay has matched up with Bill Belichick since the Super Bowl a couple of years ago, which obviously didn’t go well for the Rams so they will be looking to get some revenge.
The Patriots are coming off a 45-0 win over the Los Angeles Chargers at SoFi Stadium and have won four of their last five, so this will be yet another tough challenge for the Rams on a short week.
