Murray, Cardinals flying high
Convincing victory vs. Rams has them sitting atop NFC West
INGLEWOOD, Calif. — In every quarter of a dominant victory on the Rams’ home turf, quarterback Kyler Murray and the Cardinals confirmed they’re no longer an afterthought in the NFC West.
The unbeaten Cardinals have shoved their way to the front of this ultra-competitive division with an offense that could run up the score on anybody and a defense that finally managed to outsmart Rams coach Sean McVay.
Murray passed for 268 yards and two touchdowns, and the Cardinals extended their longest perfect start since 2012 with a 37-20 victory Sunday against the Rams.
A.J. Green caught a 41-yard touchdown pass, Chase Edmonds ran for 120 yards and James Conner rushed for two short touchdowns for the Cardinals (4-0), who ended the Rams’ streak of eight consecutive victories in the rivalry during McVay’s career.
The Cardinals haven’t won the division or had a winning record since 2015, but they’re off to a roaring start in 2021 highlighted by this blowout of the Rams (3-1).
‘‘I feel like, as a team, we’re building towards something,’’ said Cardinals cornerback Byron Murphy Jr., who had an interception in the first half. ‘‘We hadn’t beaten the Rams in how many years? I don’t know the exact number. Five years? But this is something definitely growing.’’
The Cardinals won with style, lighting up the Rams’ defense for 465 yards and scoring touchdowns after two early takeaways to affirm their status as a contender despite playing three of their first four games on the road.
‘‘Not really too worried about what other people think,’’ Murray said. ‘‘I think the guys in the locker room understand what we’re doing, what we’re capable of and where we can take it.’’
Maxx Williams also caught a touchdown pass from Murray, who went 24-for-32 and frustrated the Rams’ defense as the Cardinals scored on seven of eight possessions after a game-opening punt.
The Cardinals’ defense, meanwhile, made several big plays and sealed the team’s first victory against the Rams since Jan. 1, 2017, by stopping them on downs at the 1-yard line with 12:05 left.
The NFL’s only remaining unbeaten teams are the Cardinals and Raiders, who host the Chargers on Monday at SoFi Stadium. The Cardinals celebrated their victory on the same field, but they were buttoned up in their postgame comments.
‘‘Not a statement,’’ coach Kliff Kingsbury said. ‘‘We wanted to get a week better. Division games are important. We’ve got to continue to play physical football and clean some stuff up.’’
Stafford went 26-for-41 for 280 yards and two touchdowns in his first loss for the Rams, who had earned a victory against the reigning Super Bowl champion Buccaneers the week before.
‘‘This is a prove-it [sport], and you’ve got to go out there and do it every time,’’ Stafford said. ‘‘I wasn’t good enough at doing that today.’’