Tag: clinching

After the Bengals victory over the Broncos earlier on Saturday, the Rams entered their matchup with the Cardinals needing a win and some realistic help to clinch the NFC West.

It took a game-saving interception to seal it late in the fourth quarter, but Los Angeles was able to come away with a 13-9 win.

The Rams had a 10-0 lead at halftime, but the Cardinals brought that down to one point with a pair of long drives in the third quarter. Trey McBride caught his first touchdown of the season on his 98th catch, though the extra point was blocked to keep L.A. up 10-6.

Then Chad Ryland nailed a 28-yard field goal to cap a 14-play drive, reducing the Cardinals’ deficit to 10-9.

Los Angeles had only three plays for 19 yards in the third quarter, but finally got things going with a long drive in the fourth — ending with a 25-yard field goal by Joshua Karty.

The Rams picked up a turnover on fourth-and-10 from the Arizona 40 with Kamren Kitchens’ interception on a pass intended for Marvin Harrison Jr. But the decision to catch it instead of knocking it down was costly, as the Rams started their possession on the 10 instead of the 40.

Then they went three-and-out, giving the Cardinals the ball on their own 36.

It didn’t take long for Arizona to get into the red zone, with a first down on the L.A. 20 with 1:12 left. A few plays later, the Cardinals had first-and-goal at the 5 with 42 seconds remaining.

But that’s when cornerback Ahkello Witherspoon saved the day, securing a pass that went off of McBride’s hands for an interception. Witherspoon had control of the ball before it hit the ground, and the play was able to stand upon further review.

With his second interception of the game, Murray finished the night 33-of-48 for 321 yards with a touchdown. He also had 32 yards rushing on four carries.

McBride tied a career-high 12 catches, totaling 123 yards with a TD. Marvin Harrison Jr. caught six passes for 96 yards.

For the Rams, Matthew Stafford finished 17-of-32 passing for 189 yards. Puka Nacua caught 10 passes for 129 yards. Kyren Williams had 56 yards on 13 carries with a touchdown.

With the win, the Rams are now 10-6 and can clinch the NFC West if three of Minnesota, Buffalo, San Francisco, Washington, and Cleveland win this weekend. Or two of those teams can win with one tie.

If they don’t clinch that way, the Rams can punch their ticket with a victory over the Seahawks in Week 18.

The 7-9 Cardinals will finish the season against the 49ers next week.