Wolford, defense lead Rams past Arizona 18-7, into playoffs
INGLEWOOD, Calif. (AP) — John Wolford passed for 231 yards and rushed for 56 more in his NFL debut, and the Los Angeles Rams are headed to the playoffs with an 18-7 victory over the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday.
Troy Hill returned an interception 84 yards for a touchdown to lead yet another dominant defensive performance by the Rams (10-6), who earned their third postseason berth in four years under coach Sean Mcvay.
Wolford bounced back from an interception on his first career throw with a steady effort in place of Jared Goff for the Rams, who would have gotten into the playoffs even with a loss because Green Bay beat Chicago while a few minutes were left at Sofi Stadium.
Despite failing to score an offensive touchdown for the second straight game, Los Angeles still snapped its two-game skid heading to the postseason with its eighth consecutive win over Arizona (8-8).
Los Angeles’ fearsome defense led the way, scoring nine points on Hill’s pick-6 and a safety while holding the Cardinals to 214 yards. Coordinator Brandon Staley’s unit finished the regular season allowing the fewest points (296) and total yards (4,511) in the NFL.
Kyler Murray passed for 87 yards after sitting out for most of the first three quarters with an ankle injury for the Cardinals, who missed the playoffs for the fifth consecutive season. Arizona would have clinched a postseason spot with a victory.
After Murray played the opening series, backup Chris Streveler passed for 105 yards in his first significant NFL action. The backup also threw that crucial interception to Hill shortly before halftime.