Few divisional games in the NFC West lean so heavily on individual performances as Arizona Cardinals vs Los Angeles Rams. Every year they meet twice, and those games often feel completely different: one can be a shootout filled with deep shots and highlight plays, the next a defensive grind where a single throw or interception changes everything.
In recent seasons, that pattern has held up. The 2024 meetings, in particular, showed both extremes: a dominant Cardinals win early in the year and a tight, low-scoring Rams victory late in the season. Looking closely at the match player stats from those games helps explain not just who won, but why.
Rivalry snapshot
The Cardinals and Rams know each other well. They share a division, see each other home and away every regular season, and have watched the balance of power swing back and forth over the past few years.
In 2024, the series split:
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Early in the season, in Week 2, Arizona rolled to a 41–10 home win, powered by explosive plays and a dominant run game.
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Late in the season, in Week 17, the Rams answered at home with a 13–9 victory, leaning on defense, discipline, and timely turnovers.
Through both games, a few names kept showing up in the box score: Kyler Murray, James Conner, Marvin Harrison Jr., Trey McBride for Arizona; Matthew Stafford, Puka Nacua, Kyren Williams, and a disruptive Rams front on defense. The details of their stat lines tell the full story.
Week 17: Rams 13, Cardinals 9
The latest chapter in the rivalry came late in the 2024 season at SoFi Stadium. On the scoreboard, it was simple: Rams 13, Cardinals 9. On the stat sheet, it was much more complicated.
Arizona actually outgained Los Angeles by a wide margin. The Cardinals moved the ball consistently, held the ball longer, and ran more plays. They looked like the more productive offense for most of the day. But football isn’t decided by yardage; it’s decided by points and mistakes.
The Rams struck first with a short touchdown run from Kyren Williams, then added a long field goal before halftime to build a 10–0 lead. The Cardinals clawed back with a short Kyler Murray touchdown pass to Trey McBride and a field goal to make it 10–9. One more Rams kick pushed the margin to 13–9, and that’s where the scoring stopped.
The defining moment came in the final minute, when a Cardinals drive into the red zone ended with an interception in the end zone. Arizona had the yards, the time of possession, and the opportunities. The Rams had the one stat that mattered most: the last defensive stop.
Cardinals offensive stats in the Week 17 loss
On paper, Kyler Murray had the kind of day that usually leads to a win. He completed well over 30 passes, topped 300 passing yards, and added a touchdown throw. His yardage and completion totals showed rhythm and volume. The problem was the two interceptions, both of which came in high-leverage moments.
Arizona’s passing game leaned heavily on Trey McBride, who posted double-digit receptions and more than 100 receiving yards, plus the team’s only touchdown. He worked the middle of the field, converted third downs, and looked every bit like a top-tier tight end. When you see a tight end drawing that kind of volume, you know he’s a focal point of the game plan, not a safety valve.
On the ground, Michael Carter ran efficiently, averaging well over four yards per carry and finishing around the 70-yard mark on relatively modest volume. The Cardinals weren’t explosive in the run game, but they were steady enough to stay on schedule and keep the Rams honest.
If you looked only at Arizona’s total yards, completion percentage, and time of possession, you’d assume they controlled the game. The stats that hurt them were less glamorous: red-zone efficiency and turnovers. Too many trips ended in field goals or empty-handed drives instead of touchdowns.
Rams offensive stats in the Week 17 win
The Rams’ offense in that game didn’t light up the scoreboard, but it didn’t need to. Matthew Stafford had a relatively quiet day by his standards: under 200 passing yards, no touchdown passes, and no interceptions. The stat that stands out most for him is zero turnovers. In a one-score defensive game, that’s critical.
The real offensive stars for Los Angeles were Kyren Williams and Puka Nacua.
Williams handled the bulk of the carries and delivered solid efficiency, churning out more than 50 rushing yards and punching in a short touchdown. It wasn’t a monster fantasy line, but it was exactly what the Rams needed: reliable yardage on the ground and production in the red zone.
Nacua put up another big receiving performance, crossing the 100-yard mark and catching double-digit passes. He was Stafford’s most trusted option all afternoon, especially on intermediate routes that moved the chains. When you see a receiver with that combination of targets and yardage, you know the defense never really found an answer.
As a team, the Rams finished with well under 300 total yards and ran fewer plays than the Cardinals. Yet because they avoided turnovers and capitalized on their best scoring chance with Williams’ touchdown, their more modest player stats still translated into a win.
Defensive performances in Week 17
If you want to understand why the Rams came out on top despite losing most of the yardage categories, you have to look at the defensive stats.
The standout defensive moment was the game-sealing interception in the end zone by cornerback Ahkello Witherspoon. That single play erased a potential game-winning touchdown drive for the Cardinals and locked in the final score. It may only show up as one interception in the box score, but it carried massive weight.
The Rams’ secondary and linebackers combined for multiple passes defended and strong tackling numbers, limiting yards after catch and forcing Arizona to execute long drives. Up front, the defensive line generated pressure and sacks at key moments, including contributions from young interior linemen who collapsed the pocket and disrupted timing.
On the other side, the Cardinals defense actually played winning football by most measures. They held Stafford out of the end zone, held the Rams under 70 rushing yards, and kept the total points allowed to just 13. Several Arizona defenders recorded solid tackle numbers and pressures.
The problem for Arizona wasn’t defensive production; it was complementary football. Their defense did enough to win. The offense’s turnovers and red-zone difficulties meant those defensive stats never translated into a result.
Week 2: Cardinals 41, Rams 10
To see the other side of this rivalry, you only have to rewind to Week 2 of the same season. This time, the game was in Arizona, and the Cardinals put together one of their most complete performances of the year, winning 41–10.
The team stats were brutally one-sided:
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Arizona approached 500 total yards of offense.
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The Cardinals dominated time of possession, staying on the field for well over 35 minutes.
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They piled up more than 200 rushing yards, while holding the Rams to barely over 50 on the ground.
Those team numbers were driven by big afternoons from the Cardinals’ key offensive players.
Cardinals offensive stats in the Week 2 blowout
This was the kind of game that shows exactly how dangerous the Cardinals can be when everything clicks.
Kyler Murray was ruthlessly efficient. He completed the vast majority of his attempts, threw for around 260–270 yards, and tossed three touchdown passes without an interception. His yards per attempt were excellent, and he didn’t need an inflated pass volume to get there. That combination of high efficiency, strong yardage, and three scores is the recipe for a near-perfect quarterback line.
In the backfield, James Conner had a classic workhorse performance. He carried the ball more than 20 times, crossed the 100-yard rushing mark, and added a touchdown on the ground. He controlled the tempo, wore down the Rams’ front, and kept Arizona ahead of the chains all afternoon.
The breakout star, though, was rookie wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. He turned just a handful of catches into a massive day, eclipsing 100 receiving yards and scoring two touchdowns, including a long strike that effectively broke the game open. When a receiver averages more than 30 yards per catch and scores twice, the defense is in survival mode.
Tight end Trey McBride chipped in with a solid, chain-moving performance, adding multiple catches and around 60-plus yards. He didn’t have the headline numbers he posted in Week 17, but he helped sustain drives and balanced out the passing attack.
Put together, those player stats paint the picture of a unit that did everything well: explosive plays, efficient passing, physical running, and clean football with no costly turnovers.
Rams offensive stats in the Week 2 blowout
On the Rams’ side, the Week 2 box score was the mirror image of the later game.
Matthew Stafford finished with a respectable completion rate and just over 200 passing yards, but the offense never consistently threatened the end zone. The ground game stalled almost completely, with Rams runners combining for barely more than 50 yards on the ground at a very low yards-per-carry clip.
Without a functional running game and facing a large deficit, the Rams became predictable. Their receivers had modest stat lines, and no one in the passing game produced the kind of explosive performance that Harrison Jr. did for Arizona. The result was an offense that looked solid in spurts but couldn’t sustain drives or match the Cardinals’ scoring pace.
Comparing the two games
When you put the two 2024 meetings side by side, the team and player stats tell a fascinating story.
In both games, the Cardinals finished with more total yards and more time of possession. They controlled the ball, moved it between the 20s, and generally looked like the more productive offense on paper.
Yet the scoreboard split the series evenly: one blowout win for Arizona, one close loss.
The difference can be boiled down to a few key statistical themes:
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Turnovers:
In the big win, Arizona played clean football: no interceptions and no major mistakes. In the close loss, Murray threw two interceptions, including the back-breaking one in the end zone. The Rams, by contrast, went turnover-free in the Week 17 win. -
Red-zone efficiency:
Early in the season, the Cardinals turned drives into touchdowns with James Conner’s power running and Marvin Harrison Jr.’s explosive plays. Later in the year, they too often settled for field goals or came away empty after long drives. -
Explosive plays:
In the blowout, Arizona hit multiple deep shots, especially to Harrison Jr. In the Rams’ win, those big downfield plays were much harder to find, and Los Angeles kept the game in a tighter, low-variance script that favored their defense.
All of this underscores a simple truth: not all 300-yard passing days and 100-yard receiving days are created equal. Context matters just as much as totals.
Fantasy and betting angles
From a fantasy football perspective, the two games couldn’t have been more different.
In the Week 2 explosion, Kyler Murray was a top-tier fantasy quarterback with his efficient three-touchdown day. James Conner delivered classic RB1 numbers with his workload and yardage. Marvin Harrison Jr. was the kind of player who can win you a week almost on his own: high yardage, multiple touchdowns, and highlight-level plays.
In Week 17, the fantasy story shifted. Trey McBride was a PPR star with his massive target share and triple-digit receiving yards. Puka Nacua was the Rams’ clear fantasy winner with his big receiving line. Kyren Williams, even with modest yardage, maintained value by finding the end zone. Murray’s yardage kept him playable, but the interceptions and low team scoring capped his ceiling.
From a betting standpoint, the Week 17 game was a textbook example of why you look beyond surface narratives. The Rams won the game but did not dominate the stat sheet. Arizona covered the spread thanks to their yardage and defensive effort, while the low final score sent the total well under. When you see a box score where the underdog wins in yards but loses in turnovers, it’s a sign that the result may not be as straightforward as it looks.
How to read player stats in this matchup
If you’re trying to analyze Arizona Cardinals vs Los Angeles Rams match player stats for content, scouting, betting, or fantasy, a few patterns are worth keeping in mind:
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Quarterback stats need context.
A 300-plus-yard day with multiple interceptions and stalled red-zone drives can be less valuable in real football than a 250-yard day with three touchdowns and no turnovers. -
Target concentration is key.
When players like Trey McBride or Puka Nacua see double-digit targets, it tells you where the game plan is focused and who the quarterback trusts most. -
Run-game efficiency matters more than volume.
Twenty-plus carries at five yards per attempt with a touchdown from someone like James Conner changes the entire feel of a game. Even a smaller workload with efficient gains and a score, like Kyren Williams produced, can be just as important. -
Defensive splash plays outweigh raw tackle counts.
An interception in the end zone, a strip sack, or a crucial third-down sack can matter more than ten routine tackles. Those moments swing win probability, not just the box score.
Looking at stats through that lens helps you see which performances were truly impactful and which were just numbers on a page.
Looking ahead in the rivalry
Recent seasons have shown that when the Cardinals and Rams meet, almost anything is possible. One game might showcase Kyler Murray dissecting a defense with efficiency and deep shots to Marvin Harrison Jr., backed by a bruising run game and a big day from James Conner. Another might highlight the Rams’ ability to grind out a win behind Matthew Stafford’s careful decision-making, Kyren Williams’ tough running, and a defense that steps up in the red zone.
For Arizona, the player stats point toward an offense with genuine firepower but one that needs to be sharper in the red zone and more careful with the ball in tight games. For Los Angeles, the numbers reinforce their identity as a team that can win with discipline, opportunistic defense, and reliable production from its core playmakers.
