The Arizona Cardinals beat the Los Angeles Rams 18-16 at SoFi Stadium, and Chad Ryland scored every one of their points. His 43-yard field goal as the clock hit zero answered a Rams touchdown that had flipped the lead moments earlier.

Arizona went 0-for-5 in the red zone and still won. It did so by holding the ball for nearly 35 minutes and running 70 plays to the Rams' 56. Los Angeles went 0-for-2 on fourth down and missed a two-point try that loomed large at the finish.

How It Happened

Blake Grupe opened the scoring with a 44-yard field goal at 9:41 of the first quarter. Ryland answered with a 34-yarder to tie it at 3-3.

Ryland's 30-yarder early in the second quarter put Arizona up 6-3. Matthew Stafford then found Blake Corum for a 15-yard touchdown, but the two-point pass failed, leaving the Rams ahead 9-6. Ryland hit from 22 yards with 46 seconds left in the half to tie it 9-9 at the break.

The second half belonged to Ryland until the final minute. His 38-yarder in the third quarter broke the tie, and a 27-yarder at 9:28 of the fourth stretched the lead to 15-9.

Stafford hit Colby Parkinson for a 6-yard touchdown with 47 seconds left, and Ethan Evans added the kick to give Los Angeles a 16-15 lead. Because of the earlier failed conversion, that was a 1-point cushion, and a field goal was enough to erase it. Ryland's 43-yarder at 0:00 did exactly that.

Key Performers

Chad Ryland, Arizona: 6 field goals made – 34, 30, 22, 38, 27, 43 YDS
Matthew Stafford, Los Angeles: 2 passing TD – Blake Corum 15 YDS, Colby Parkinson 6 YDS
Arizona rushing: 35 ATT, 120 YDS, 3.4 per carry
Arizona passing: 24-35, 218 net YDS, 1 INT, 0 sacks allowed
Arizona pass rush: 3 sacks, 28 YDS

Arizona's offense never broke through, but it controlled the clock. It ground out 120 rushing yards on 35 carries and kept the Rams off the field for 34:52. That volume produced 6 scoring trips in a game where the Rams had 10 drives to make something of.

The Rams were more efficient play for play, 5.1 yards per play to Arizona's 4.8. They simply didn't have the ball enough, and they came up empty on both fourth-down attempts.

What It Means

Both teams leave at 2-4. For Arizona, the pattern holds: it is 2-2 on the road and 0-2 at home, so both of its wins have come away from home. This one fits the profile of a team that grinds on the road rather than one that wins pretty.

The red zone is the warning sign. Going 0-for-5 inside the 20 against a team that scored 2 touchdowns is not a formula Arizona can count on repeating. A single conversion in any of those trips would have made the final drive unnecessary.

The Rams fall to 1-3 at home. Turnovers were even at 1 apiece and they held Arizona to 3.4 yards per carry, but they had the ball for only about 25 minutes.