Defense paves way for L.A. win
INGLEWOOD >> John Wolford’s NFL debut started with an interception on his first throw. It ended with the inexperienced quarterback fearlessly leading the Los Angeles Rams back to the playoffs.
And though Wolford capably did his part, everybody in the Rams’ jubilant locker room realized they owed this achievement to a dominant defense that scored as many points as the Rams’ offense — and a couple more than the Arizona Cardinals — in Los Angeles’ 18-7 victory Sunday.
Troy Hill returned an interception 84 yards for a touchdown to lead yet another overwhelming defensive performance by the Rams (10- 6), who earned their third postseason berth in four years under coach Sean McVay.
Wolford passed for 231 yards and ran for 56 more in place of injured Jared Goff. He realized he had the luxury of being backed by a defense that has remedied the flaws of LA’s inconsistent offense all year long.
“The defense played unbelievable,” said Wolford, who went 22 for 38. “Guys were fired up. We had energy throughout the entire game. It was a team win all across the board.”
The Rams would have reached the playoffs even with a loss because Green Bay beat Chicago. 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).
Aaron Donald’s group scored nine points on Hill’s pick- 6 and a safety while holding the Cardinals to 214 yards and shutting them out for the final 55 minutes.
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.
Chris Streveler passed for 105 yards in his first significant NFL action, throwing a TD pass to Jonathan Ward. Murray’s backup also threw that crucial interception shortly before halftime.