Donald, OBJ, receivers pressure Cardinals
Entering Monday night’s Cardinals’ Week 14 home matchup against the Rams, everything pointed in the Cardinals favor to not only beat L.A. but sweep their NFC West rival this season.
Most of ESPN’s talking heads in their morning debate shows predicted the Cardinals would get their 11th win, clinch their first playoff spot since 2015, and improve to 5-0 in the division.
The Cardinals had a 2.5-point edge in the spread. Then COVID took away five of their players, including four of their starters in All-Pro cornerback Jalen Ramsey, running back Darrell Henderson, tight end Tyler Higbee, right tackle Rob Havenstein, and backup CB Dont’e Deayon. Ramsey and Higbee were placed on the Reserve/COVID-19 list about four hours before the kickoff.
“My initial reaction was ‘You gotta be s---ting me,” Rams coach Sean McVay said about when he learned Ramsey and his fourth-best receiver Higbee had positive test results.
It was wrong to think this game was a lock for the Cardinals to win.
The Rams (9-4) controlled the pace of the game from the onset and beat the Cardinals, 30-23, mainly from the play of their top pass rusher Aaron Donald and their wide receivers Odell Beckham Jr., Cooper Kupp (game-high and careerbest 13 receptions, 123 yards, 1 TD) and Van Jefferson (two catches, 58 yards, 10 yards from one carry, 1 TD).
Arizona’s only lead the came at 3-0 through the first quarter and early in the second, and the rest of the game Arizona (10-3) played catch-up.
In fact, the game ended the way it started.
Donald sacked Kyler Muray (32-of-49, 383 yards, 7 carries for 61 rushing yards, no touchdowns) on the first play of the game at Arizona’s own 25 for a loss of six yards. He balled out compared to his quiet four-tackle performance in the Rams’ 37-20 home loss to Arizona on Oct. 3.
Donald finished the first quarter with a sack, tackle for loss, a quarterback hit, and pass deflection, which led to Murray’s first of his two interceptions. The first INT was caught by linebacker Ernest Jones after Donald tipped Murray’s targeted pass to Zach Ertz on third-and-4 from the Rams 23 at 5:26.
Donald finished his dominant performance with five tackles (three solo, two assisted), three QB hits, three sacks, tackles for loss of 35 yards. That includes his final sack in the final play of the game for a loss of 18 after the Cardinals’ onside kick recovered by Zaven Collins at 37 seconds left to play that put their own 48, and their two consecutive penalties for offensive holding and false starts.
“All these quarterbacks now are so fast and can do so much, man, so it’s definitely a headache for us,” Donald said. “When you got guys that can just bottle them up and find ways to make them uncomfortable, and have them thinking too much, thinking more about the rush, it can sometimes slows them down a little bit. It’s definitely tough playing against him, but I think we did a good job today.”
Beckham, Kupp, and Jefferson each had huge chunk plays. Each players’ longest catch was for 40, 44, and a 52yard TD early in the third quarter.
Odell Beckham Jr.’s grabbed a touchdown that helped put the Rams ahead, 7-3, at the 12:53 mark. He had his best game as a Ram since he signed with them as a free agent on Nov. 11 after the Cleveland Browns released him the previous week. Beckham and Stafford (23of-30, 287 yards, 3 TDs) connected on six passes for 77 yards.
“It’s just kind of more time,” Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford said after the game. “He’s got a great guy in Cooper to help him out out there and week in and week out on the practice field. He and I are communicating nonstop trying to make this thing come to life.
Beckham went into the game with a vendetta against the Cardinals.
“It felt great to get that win,” Beckham Jr. said. “There was a little more on this game for me. I lost to Arizona earlier in the year, didn’t sit well with me, so it was a much needed win tonight.”