Los Angeles Rams @ Arizona Cardinals
Final Score: Cardinals 41 – Rams 10
Writer: Cesar Escajeda (@cescajeda13 on Twitter)
As dry as the desert is, the Arizona Cardinals sure poured it on the division rival Los Angeles Rams.
Three Up
- Marvin Harrison Jr., WR (AZ) – A week after a dud 4-yard outing in Buffalo, Harrison Jr. EXPLODED to start the Cardinals home opener, catching both of his TDs on the first two Cardinals possessions. Both were perfectly placed bombs by Kyler Murray, with his second being a burner of a route that sprung him open for 60 yards and the score. Last week, they were questioning his speed – this week, they’ll be questioning how they ever slept on him.
- Kyler Murray, QB (AZ) – Murray hit the ground running, proving himself lethal with the football at home against their division rivals. He missed a total of four passes on the night, instead lighting up the Rams’ secondary and racking up a strong 59 yards through the ground as well. He spread the ball around effortlessly, hitting seven different receivers and scoring three times with his arm on the night. As lethargic as the offense looked in the second half in Week 1, they sure bounced back here in a big way.
- James Conner, RB (AZ) – From the onset in this one, Conner was a force in the run game and imposed his will upon a very strong Rams front seven. His chunk gains helped set the tone for the Cardinals’ offense to the tune of 5.8 yards per carry, moving the chains often and helping to keep the game out of reach for the LA offense.
Two Down
- Cooper Kupp, WR (LAR) – Kupp’s game was a far cry from his monster Sunday Night Football performance, and while he still battled, it wasn’t nearly enough to will his team towards a more competitive showing. Then, the injury happened. The play he sustained it on looked harsh and put a damper on the afternoon for the Rams after already losing promising second-year wideout Puka Nacua last week. The hope is that it’s minor and he bounces back sooner rather than later, but after an injury-plagued season last year, it was disheartening to see him go down.
- Rams Pass Catchers – It isn’t easy to replace two of the most prolific wide receivers in the league in Kupp and Nacua, but the Rams had to find a way to do so to have any chance in this one. Needless to say, the WR corps failed to live up to it in Glendale this afternoon, and with Nacua on IR and news pending for Kupp and the extent of his injury, the likes of Demarcus Robinson, Tutu Atwell, and rookie Jordan Whittington will have to step up – fast.
Los Angeles Rams
Quarterback
Matthew Stafford: 19/27, 216 Yards, 1 Fumble (Lost)
It was a pedestrian afternoon for the veteran QB without his favorite weapons.
From the beginning of the game, the Cardinals jumped out in front and put the Rams into a steep hole. Stafford couldn’t connect with Kupp on an early 4th down attempt and couldn’t get any sort of momentum going until early in the 2nd quarter when they managed to push into field goal range. On that drive, Stafford dropped a 42-yard dime to Demarcus Robinson to put the Rams in place, but that was all she wrote for the half. The Arizona defense just clamped down, and with the run game stagnant, Kupp exiting late in the game, and the other pass catchers on the offense failing to do much, there wasn’t a ton to do to try and climb back in this outing.
Stafford was sacked five times on the day as his offensive line failed to give him protection in key moments. There was little time to progress through his options as the Cardinals proved extremely physical and stingy, bullying their way to the veteran QB more than LA would like. Whatever the situation, the Rams need to try and address this, or they risk losing Stafford to a potential injury as well.
Running Back
Kyren Williams: 12 Carries, 25 Yards, 1 TD | 5 Targets, 4 Receptions, 27 Yards
Williams proved sluggish with the ball on all accounts throughout the game. Both on the ground and through the air, Williams simply could not get anything going against a tough Arizona front seven. His 2.1 yards per carry average was abysmal and led to the Rams falling into a steep hole so early on in the game. He likely salvaged his day a bit for fantasy owners with his garbage time TD in the 4th quarter, but for the most part, Williams left many wanting with his inefficient performance.
The offense as a whole was bad, so you can’t put everything on the shoulders of Williams; that being said, Blake Corum saw playing time at the tail end of this rout, and while it was garbage time, he did better with his opportunities. It’s certainly nothing to worry about yet – just a situation to note as the weeks go by.
Blake Corum: 8 Carries, 28 Yards
The rookie got the rock to close the game out for the Rams, and while it wasn’t world-beating, he averaged a modest 3.5 yards per carry and looked tough with the ball in his hands.
Wide Receiver/Tight End
Cooper Kupp: 6 Targets, 4 Receptions, 37 Yards
Injuries are a bummer.
Kupp couldn’t repeat his 14-110-1 line from Week 1 but still was the premier option for Stafford out wide. The savvy veteran did well to add extra yardage on a few of his catches but, for the most part was bottled up by the Cardinals’ secondary. Even with his injury just before halftime, he paced the Rams in targets on the afternoon, but it doesn’t help much for those counting on better productivity from the WR1. Keep an eye out for an update on Kupp’s situation as the week progresses.
Demarcus Robinson: 4 Targets, 2 Receptions, 50 Yards
A decent, if not distant, replacement for the injured wideouts in Arizona.
Robinson registered most of his numbers on a long 42-yard pass in the 2nd quarter that helped put up the Rams’ first three points. It was a quiet day the rest of the way, though, tying for third on the team in targets. There isn’t much to say for Robinson after watching the game – he is what he is, it seems: a solid backup option, but not exactly who you want leading your receiving efforts down the stretch.
Tutu Atwell: 4 Targets, 3 Receptions, 48 Yards
Jordan Whittington: 2 Targets, 2 Receptions, 22 Yards
Tyler Johnson: 3 Targets, 2 Receptions, 20 Yards
Colby Parkinson: 2 Targets, 1 Reception, 12 Yards
Ronnie Rivers: 1 Target, 1 Reception
Arizona Cardinals
Quarterback
Kyler Murray: 17/21, 266 Yards, 3 TDs | 5 Carries, 59 Yards
A perfect QBR caps off one of the more perfect games for Murray as a pro.
From the very beginning, the Cardinals could do no wrong in this game, and Murray led them up and down the field for scores on four of their five first-half drives. Murray himself seemed to be on a mission, finding the rookie Harrison Jr. for two quick-succession long TDs and creating plays with his mobility, outrunning Rams defenders left and right.
The touchdown to Elijah Higgins early in the 2nd quarter was a masterclass in elusiveness and pocket presence, as Murray made the entire affair look easy. He caused four separate Rams defenders to miss, extending the play for what felt like forever before launching a dart into the back of the end zone for the score. It was ridiculously impressive, another talented display for Murray and the cherry atop a mountain of disappointment for the Rams on Sunday afternoon.
Clayton Tune: 1 Carry, -6 Yards, 1 Fumble (Lost)
Running Back
James Conner: 21 Carries, 122 Yards, 1 TD, 1 Fumble (Recovered) | 1 Target, 1 Reception, 2 Yards
Conner put on an RB1-type performance in the desert on Sunday.
The physicality was on full display for Conner, bullying multiple Rams defenders for gash rushes on multiple drives, but it was his spry and quick cut running that impressed me; he knew where to cut back in the running lane, found holes that the Cardinals’ offensive line opened up for him, and made defenders miss on a handful of runs that made you forget he has been doing this for a long time in this league now.
It was a very impressive outing, and while Benson got some solid playing time as well, this is still his backfield to lead for the immediate future.
Trey Benson: 11 Carries, 10 Yards | 1 Target, 1 Reception, 7 Yards
For all of the production his teammates had on the afternoon, Benson had more of an outing to forget. The volume of touches is there, but he failed to do anything with them while Conner racked up major yardage and scored. Experience will do wonders for Benson, but his time is still a ways away.
Emari Demarcado: 2 Carries, 46 Yards
Wide Receiver/Tight End
Marvin Harrison Jr.: 8 Targets, 4 Receptions, 130 Yards, 2 TD
What a showing for the talented rookie, the first of hopefully many. Harrison Jr. likely heard all of the detractors come out of the woodwork last week after a less-than-stellar season opener. There was talk about how slow he looked and registered on his routes, how lost he looked downfield in this offense, etc., etc.
He put all of that to bed extremely early.
Murray looked his way on his first throw of the game and followed it up with five more in the first three Cardinals drives, two of which led to TDs of 23 and 60 yards. The rookie looked explosive on Sunday afternoon, and now that he, Murray, and the offense know what they’re capable of in the desert, the sky is the limit for the number four overall selection in the 2024 NFL Draft.
Trey McBride: 6 Targets, 6 Receptions, 67 Yards, 1 Fumble Recovery TD
McBride was as reliable as could be in this game, even remedying a teammate’s error for a score.
The numbers for McBride weren’t gaudy, but he sure did his job. He caught every one of Murray’s passes sent his way, finishing second in overall targets and receiving yards. He routinely found himself open in space and made some solid moves downfield, beating the Rams’ secondary for clutch gains. It was a bounce-back of sorts from a mediocre afternoon last week in Buffalo, and if the positive trend continues, McBride will be an asset for the Cardinals and any fantasy roster that has him.
Michael Wilson: 2 Targets, 2 Receptions, 31 Yards
Elijah Higgins: 1 Target, 1 Reception, 18 Yards, 1 TD
Greg Dortch: 2 Targets, 2 Receptions, 11 Yards