Ryland's Perfect Six: Cardinals Stun Rams 18-16 in Inglewood

Six kicks, one upset

The Arizona Cardinals scored no touchdowns on Sunday. They did not need to. Kicker Chad Ryland was a perfect six-for-six on field goals, including the game-winner as time expired, and the Cardinals stunned the Los Angeles Rams 18-16 at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood on October 18.

It is the kind of win that defies every modern expectation of how NFL games are decided: an offense that moved between the twenties all afternoon but stalled in scoring territory, rescued six times by its kicker. It is also the second win of the year for an Arizona team that has been short on moments to celebrate, and one of the most painful home defeats of Sean McVay's coaching career.

The final 47 seconds

The Rams looked like they had stolen it. Trailing 15-9 with 47 seconds to play, Matthew Stafford drove them 86 yards in eight plays in just 2:01, the worst field position of their afternoon turning into a touchdown on a five-yard strike to Colby Parkinson. In a surreal scene, the extra point was kicked by Rams punter Ethan Evans — and it was good, giving Los Angeles a 16-15 lead.

Evans was only holding that duty because of what happened in the first quarter. Blake Grupe, signed earlier that week, was injured making a tackle, leaving the Rams without a kicker for the entire game. They had already been burned by his absence once: after Stafford's short touchdown pass to Blake Corum in the second quarter, the Rams had to go for two, Stafford was hit while searching for an open receiver, and defensive end L.J. Collier scooped the ball and rumbled to midfield.

Ryland, by contrast, needed no such luck. He drove Arizona into position one last time, and his sixth field goal — struck as the clock hit zero — ended it at 18-16.

Grupe's injury changes everything

It is impossible to tell this story without lingering on the kicker situation, because it defined both teams' afternoons. The Rams lost their only kicking option after roughly one quarter of football, in a game decided by two points. The failed two-point conversion, the punter taking an extra point, the constant fourth-down calculus — all of it flowed from Grupe's injury. ClutchPoints called the loss "a definite lowlight" of McVay's tenure, and it dropped the Rams to 2-4 on the year, a team now far closer to crisis than to contention.

For Arizona, Ryland's perfection was the mirror image. His field goals came from 34, 30, 22 and 27 yards among the six, each one chipping away at a Rams side that could not pull away. It is not often a kicker outscores an entire offense, and rarer still that it wins a game. But on this afternoon in Inglewood, it did.

A rough road to 18 points

The stat sheet shows how the Cardinals got there. Jacoby Brissett was 25-of-35 for 218 yards with one interception — picked off by Rams safety Quentin Lake on just the second pass of the game . Zonovan Knight carried 15 times for 80 yards, and Trey McBride led all players with seven catches for 53 yards.

The Cardinals' defense did its share too, sacking Stafford three times and forcing two fumbles, including a second-half fumble recovered by Denzel Burke. Aaron Donald made three consecutive stops in the first quarter for Los Angeles, but the Rams could not make it matter. Stafford finished 25-of-33 for 222 yards and two touchdowns, Puka Nacua caught six passes for 80 yards, and it still was not enough.

The rest of a chaotic Sunday

The upset was the loudest result on a day defined by close finishes, with eight of the twelve games decided by seven points or fewer. C.J. Stroud threw for 312 yards and three touchdowns as Houston edged Jacksonville 34-31 in London, surviving a four-touchdown day from Trevor Lawrence. Josh Allen threw for 255 yards and two scores in Buffalo's 33-30 win at Las Vegas, tying Jim Kelly's franchise touchdown-pass mark, while Tyler Bass kicked four field goals. Kansas City stayed unbeaten at 5-0 behind Kenneth Walker's 128 rushing yards and two touchdowns in a 22-6 win over the Chargers.

Caleb Williams returned from a hamstring injury to lead Chicago past Atlanta 31-23, throwing for 305 yards. Jordan Love accounted for two touchdowns in Green Bay's 23-13 win over Dallas. Cleveland's Andre Szmyt drilled a 37-yard field goal at the buzzer to beat Baltimore 13-10. Aaron Rodgers threw a seven-yard overtime winner to Germie Bernard in Pittsburgh's 26-19 win at Tampa Bay. Bryce Young threw for 281 yards and two scores in Carolina's 25-14 win at Philadelphia, and Drake Maye threw three touchdowns in New England's 26-19 win over the Jets.

What it means

For the Cardinals, this is proof of concept: the run game and the defense can keep them in games, and Ryland gives them a weapon few teams possess. For the Rams, the questions multiply — about health and execution, and about a season that is slipping. A 2-4 record with the offense struggling and the defense unable to finish is not what anyone expected in Los Angeles this year. And on a Sunday when kickers decided games across the league, the team that lost its kicker in the first quarter lost the game in the final second.