Matthew Stafford reaches 46 TD passes as Rams handle Cardinals
Matthew Stafford threw four touchdown passes and the Los Angeles Rams wrapped up the No. 5 seed in the NFC playoffs with a 37-20 victory over the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday at Inglewood, Calif.
Colby Parkinson had two TD receptions for the Rams (12-5), Puka Nacua and Tyler Higbee had one each and Kyren Williams had 60 rushing yards. Los Angeles ended a two-game losing skid and set up a wild-card game at the Carolina Panthers next weekend.
Stafford completed 25 of 40 passes for 259 yards and finished the regular season with a career-high 46 passing TDs to lead the league for the first time in 17 NFL seasons. Nacua finished with a career-best 10 TD catches and had 10 receptions on the day to finish with an NFL-leading 129.
Jacoby Brissett completed 22 of 31 passes for 243 yards and two TDs as the Cardinals (3-14) closed on a nine-game losing streak. Brissett went 1-11 as the starting QB after Kyler Murray went down with a foot injury.
Trey McBride had seven receptions to finish with 126 on the season, extending his single-season NFL record for a tight end. Michael Wilson had five receptions for 99 yards and a touchdown for Arizona.
The Rams scored their first touchdown 1:22 before the end of the first half when Stafford hit Nacua on a 2-yard pass for a 13-6 lead. Ahkello Witherspoon's interception led to a Harrison Mevis field goal and a 16-6 Los Angeles lead at halftime.
The Cardinals converted a fake punt for a first down on their opening drive of the second half and Brissett found Michael Wilson on a 43-yard TD pass one play later to pull within 16-13.
Arizona took a 20-16 lead on a 7-yard touchdown pass from Brissett to Josiah Deguara with 3:51 remaining in the third. Los Angeles followed with a 70-yard drive that finished on a 21-yard touchdown pass from Stafford to Parkinson.
Higbee's 22-yard TD catch early in the fourth gave the Rams a 30-20 lead, and Parkinson added his second score with 4:15 left.
Cardinals Pro Bowl safety Budda Baker departed with just more than a minute remaining in the third quarter with a left shoulder injury.
Arizona's Josh Sweat had a sack to finish with a career-high 12 on the season. Byron Young had one of the Rams' six sacks to also finish with a career-high 12.
--Field Level Media