Instant Reaction: Cardinals Flattened by Rams

The Arizona Cardinals continue to fall well short against divisional opponents. On Sunday, they were beaten down and flattened by Sean McVay and the Los Angeles Rams, losing 45-17 at home in front of an upset (and sparse) State Farm Stadium crowd.

The Rams are certainly in a class above the Cardinals this season. Their record is elite, they lead the division, and their top-end talent is executing and firing on all cylinders behind one of the best coaching staffs in the league. The matchup was unfavorable to begin with, but it still felt as if Arizona severely underperformed on all sides of the ball.

This goes beyond matchups — Arizona’s effort was not of a competitive caliber. It was difficult to endure.

Arizona Cardinals Beaten Down by Rams

The game started on a hot note, as the Cardinals managed to engineer a brilliant opening drive. Jacoby Brissett and co. marched down the field for a five-play, 67-yard drive that ended in a Michael Wilson touchdown. The defense then held the Rams to a field goal.

But that would be the end of any semblance of proficiency.

Arizona’s offense failed to reach the end zone again until midway through the fourth quarter, while their defense put forward a porous effort. The Cardinals allowed the Rams to truly gash them in the run game, while simultaneously leaving holes in the secondary for QB Matthew Stafford to exploit.

From there, the Cardinals completely broke down. Their defense, which was expected to be a team strength this season, gave up their third 40-plus-point day against a divisional opponent. Arizona surrendered 530 total yards of offense, and especially struggled to stop the run. The Rams dominated the Cardinals’ run defense for an incredible 249 yards and three scores on the ground — an average of 6.9 yards per carry split between three backs.

WR Puka Nacua went for 167 yards and two scores, while Stafford threw for 281 yards and three touchdowns. The Cardinals failed to produce any amount of pressure or front-seven impact all game, and their secondary couldn’t keep up.

But Sunday’s blowout wasn’t simply about the stats or the numbers. The intensity and overall effort — which had held steady in previous weeks despite the losing efforts — seemed to take its sharpest decline of the season.

There was poor tackling, poor coverage, and poor execution defensively, while the offense sputtered to a lackluster total, helped along by some garbage-time drives. Outside the ugly stats, this team looked like it had no hope for the first time all season — and that was the most disappointing part of Sunday’s loss.

The truth is, Arizona simply isn’t close to being a serious contender in the NFC West. That’s a tough reality to swallow, but it’s been evident all season. For as much talent is on the field, there are no results, and that’s unfortunately all that matters in the NFL.

Whether or not serious changes are looming for this Cardinals team, one thing is certain — the Rams, Seahawks and 49ers know exactly how to handle Arizona. Competing in a division that is already full of talent and plus coaching feels like an impossible task, even with the boosted roster the Cardinals brought to the field this year.

2025 continues to be a struggle for the Cardinals and their fans. But a beatdown of this nature, coupled with some lackluster body language and overall lack of intensity on the field, was disappointing, to say the least.