National Football League
L.A. Rams 38, Arizona 28
When: 4:05 PM ET, Sunday, December 6, 2020
Where: State Farm Stadium, Glendale, Arizona
Temperature: Dome
Head Official: Jerome Boger
Attendance: 0

Jared Goff passed for 351 yards and one touchdown, and also ran for a score, as the Los Angeles Rams moved back into a first-place tie in the NFC West with a 38-28 victory on Sunday over the Arizona Cardinals at Glendale, Ariz.

One week after falling out of first place, the Rams (8-4) are even atop the division again with the Seahawks after Seattle was upset 17-12 by the New York Giants.

Goff was 37 of 47 in the air without a turnover, bouncing back from a home loss against the San Francisco 49ers last week when he threw two interceptions and also lost a fumble. The fifth-year QB had 10 turnovers (six interceptions) in his previous four games.

The Cardinals (6-6) struggled to sustain consistent offense against a stifling Rams' defense but managed to take advantage of opportunities to stay close. Arizona quarterback Kyler Murray completed 21 of 39 passes for 173 yards and three touchdowns.

Arizona scored a pair of second-half touchdowns to remain within striking distance, getting one on a 4-yard pass from Murray to DeAndre Hopkins after converting a fourth-and-12 during a 15-play drive.

The Cardinals also had a 4-yard TD run from Kenyan Drake early in the fourth quarter to pull within 24-21 after recovering a fumble by the Rams' Nsmiba Webster on a punt return. The Rams defense entered having given up just two second-half touchdowns all season.

The Los Angeles offense answered with a quick-strike drive that covered 76 yards on seven plays and finished on a 38-yard touchdown run by Darrell Henderson for a 31-21 lead with 10:07 remaining.

The Rams' defense took over from there as Justin Hollins forced a Murray fumble that was recovered by Greg Gaines with 7:25 remaining. Rams cornerback Troy Hill then returned a Murray interception 35 yards for a touchdown and a 38-21 lead with 4:33 remaining.

Arizona's Dan Arnold had two TD receptions, including a 2-yard scoring pass from Murray with 2:04 remaining. Rams receiver Robert Woods had 10 receptions for 85 yards.

The Cardinals had an early 7-0 lead on a 59-yard TD pass from Murray to Arnold on the opening drive of the game. But the Rams owned the second quarter, taking a 14-7 lead into the break on a 9-yard TD run from Cam Akers and a 1-yard scoring pass from Goff to Tyler Higbee.

Rams head coach Sean McVay improved to 7-0 against the Cardinals in four seasons, with his team scoring at least 31 points in each victory.

--Field Level Media

Top Game Performances
Rushing
L.A. Rams   Arizona
Cam Akers Player Kenyan Drake
21 Attempts 10
72 Yards 49
3.4 Avg Yards 4.9
1 Touchdowns 1
12 Long 27
Receiving
L.A. Rams   Arizona
Robert Woods Player Dan Arnold
10 Receptions 2
85 Yards 61
8.5 Avg Yards 30.5
0 Touchdowns 2
18 Long 59
Team Stats Summary
 
  Yards Scoring Defense
Team Tot Rus Pas TD FG INT Sck FF
L.A. Rams 463 119 344 5 1 1 2.0 1
Arizona 232 92 140 4 0 0 1.0 1
Upcoming Games
  • Arizona will play their next game on the road against N.Y. Giants. The Cardinals have a W/L % of .500 after a win and .400 after a loss.
  • L.A. Rams will play their next game at home against New England. The Rams have a W/L % of .429 after a win and 1.000 after a loss.