GLENDALE, Ariz. – Career days from WR Robert Woods, TE Tyler Higbee and safety Taylor Rapp pushed the Rams (7-5) to a 34-7 victory over the Cardinals (3-8-1) Sunday evening at State Farm Stadium.
Woods finished with 13 receptions for 172 yards, setting a new career high for receiving yards and matching his career high for catches. Higbee registered seven receptions for 107 yards, both career highs, and a touchdown, all by halftime.
Rapp recorded his first career interception on a 31-yard pick six in the third quarter. Los Angeles' defense held Arizona's offense scoreless in the first half – the first time all season Arizona's offense was shut out in the first half – and notched six sacks.
QB Jared Goff completed 32 of 43 pass attempts for 424 yards – his fourth career game with 400 or more passing yards – and two touchdowns, while RB Todd Gurley II racked up 19 carries for 95 yards and one touchdown, adding one reception for 20 yards. WR Cooper Kupp chipped in six catches for 65 yards and a touchdown.
The Rams opening series had a good rhythm offensively. Goff connected with Woods four times for 41 yards. Woods reached 400 career receptions with the final one of that drive. Though the drive stalled at the Cardinals 10-yard line, it still led to a 27-yard field goal by kicker Greg Zuerlein for an early 3-0 lead. L.A.'s defense followed suit forcing a 3-and-out by Arizona's offense on its first drive.
L.A.'s second offensive possession stalled with another field goal attempt, but this time Zuerlein missed a 41-yard try wide left. However, the Rams' defense would make sure its offense would get another opportunity, forcing the Cardinals to punt near midfield.
Capitalizing on the prime field position, the Rams extended their lead to 10-0 on a 2-yard touchdown pass from Goff to Higbee early in the second quarter. It marked Goff's first touchdown pass since Oct. 27 against the Bengals and Higbee's first score since the season opener against the Panthers.
Gurley boosted Los Angeles' lead to 17-0 with a one-yard touchdown run late in the second quarter. That same drive saw Higbee move his stat line to six receptions for 98 yards, tying career highs in both categories.
Zuerlein added a 33-yard field goal as time expired to make it 20-0 Rams by halftime.
On the opening drive of the second half, Rapp initially had his first career interception after dropping a potential pick-six earlier in the contest. However, the Cardinals successfully challenged for pass interference against Rams CB Nickell Robey-Coleman, wiping out the play.
Goff threw his second touchdown pass of the day to Kupp, connecting from 10 yards out to extend L.A.'s lead to 27-0 with 8:44 left in the third quarter. Sixteen seconds later, Rapp finally got his first career interception, and he returned it 31 yards for a touchdown for a 34-0 lead that the Rams would take into the fourth quarter.
The Cardinals finally got on the scoreboard with 8:35 left on a 15-yard touchdown run by Murray which cut the Rams lead to 27, but it was too little too late by that point.
