The Los Angeles Rams were able to keep their 2020 NFL season alive by beating the Arizona Cardinals in the Week 17 finale, clinching a postseason berth in the process.
Rams quarterback John Wolford, who was making his first career start in place of the injured Jared Goff, saw his day get off to a rough start after his first pass intended for wide receiver Josh Reynolds was intercepted. It took the Cardinals just two plays to capitalize with a touchdown to take a 7-0 lead.
Fortunately, those would be the only points that the defense would allow all day. Not only that, they would eventually respond with a few scores of their own.
A key fumble by running back Cam Akers on the goal line gave Arizona the ball back with a chance to extend the lead. Instead, the defense managed to force a safety in order to make it a 7-5 game.
Of course, this group was not done putting points on the board just yet. They managed to end the half in spectacular fashion after cornerback Troy Hill returned an interception 84 yards to the house to take a 12-7 lead at the break.
Wolford was eventually able to find his footing under center and managed to throw for 231 yards while rushing for a team-high 56 yards. Meanwhile, the Cardinals had to make some adjustments under center of their own after Chris Streveler replaced the injured Kyler Murray.
The only time Arizona got back into scoring position was during the fourth quarter when Murray made his return. However, L.A.’s defense did not flinch and they were able to maintain their lead thanks to a blocked field goal from defensive tackle A’Shawn Robinson.
Although there may have been a few hiccups, Wolford managed to seal the deal for the Rams by rushing for a crucial first down on third-and-8. Perhaps even more impressive is the fact that he managed to do it without the team’s top rusher in Darrell Henderson and receiver in Cooper Kupp.
Now that the regular season has come to an end, the Rams are now preparing for a crucial tiebreaker versus the Seattle Seahawks in the Wild Card round next week.
