Rams, Matthew Stafford take care of ball and Cardinals – Orange County Register

INGLEWOOD – Going into the Rams’ game against the Arizona Cardinals on Monday night, the question is whether Matthew Stafford can ultimately win the playoffs.

From there, the question was, why would he stop with just one.

Playoff Stafford turned out to be the best Stafford of the whole season.

Passing two touchdowns, sneaking in for another, and allowing Cardinals defender Kyler Murray to make big blunders, Stafford led the Rams to a 34-11 victory in an NFC wild card game in front of 70,625 men. fans at SoFi Stadium.

The fourth-seeded Rams advance to face the second-seeded Buccaneers at Tampa Bay at noon Sunday PT.

Fifth-seeded Cardinals and full-back Kyler Murray received their regrets against Phoenix after losing for the fifth time in six games.

It’s also not as if the Rams are thrilled with how they ended the regular season, taking a 17-point lead in the first half and losing to the San Francisco 49ers in the final.

But after the lecture from their coach of the week about getting started and strong endings and avoiding reversals, the Rams showed what happens when they do.

The Rams took a 28-0 lead after Stafford hit Cooper Kupp on a seven-yard touchdown to score their first goal of the second half before the Cardinals were on the scoresheet.

The Rams’ riskiest pass was not thrown by Stafford but by wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr., who received Stafford’s cross and threw deep for Cam Akers to reach 40 yards to set up a Kupp touchdown.

Akers is on his way with a night that limits his swift return from an Achilles tendon injury in July. Akers got his feet wet with some carry and caught up with the 49ers. On Monday, he stretched his legs, charged 17 times in 55 yards and caught a pass into 40.

And Stafford was on his way to the most careful and best performance of his career, completing 13 of 17 for 202 yards, two touchdowns and no interception while being fired just once. .

It was his first match without an intercept in 5 games. He’s been tied for the NFL lead in regular-season interceptions.

Both quarterbacks are looking for their first playoff win, Stafford has lost 0-3 in 12 years in Detroit and Murray has been crowned post-season for the first time in three years in Arizona.

One looked at that part, eyes wide in the Monday night spotlight. Murray threw two interceptions in the first half. The first was a fatal mistake.

Draw 14-0, still searching for Arizona’s initial first point after four possessions, Murray faded back into his own finish area on third and seventh and was set up by the inside pawn Troy Reeder. Desperate to avoid contact for safety, Murray shot the ball to the right of the Cardinals’ cross. No Cardinals come close to catching it.