(Photo by Luke Hales/Getty Images) | Getty Images Ricky O'Donnell Mon, October 19, 2026 at 12:00 PM UTC · 2 min read About Our Ads Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement The Arizona Cardinals and Los Angeles Rams were at opposite ends of our NFL Power Rankings to open the season . The Rams were the obvious No. 1 team in the rankings entering the year after an explosive offseason headed by trades for Myles Garrett and Trent McDuffie. The Cardinals came in at No. 32, dead-last, as they came off a 3-14 season and had major questions at quarterback with Jacoby Brissett slated to be the starter.
Six weeks later, the Cardinals and Rams have the exact same record, and it's the supposedly mighty Rams who find themselves in the cellar of the NFC West after losing to Arizona on Sunday.
The Cardinals beat the Rams, 18-16, at SoFi Stadium without scoring a touchdown. Instead, kicker Chad Ryland banged in six field goals, including a 43-yarder to walk it off and win the game. Watch Ryland's game-winner here:
The Cardinals consistently sustained long drives against the Rams' defense, but couldn't punch the ball in the end zone. That's where Ryland came in. Here's a list of his made field goals on the day:
The Cardinals out-played the Rams in every phase of the game. Arizona dominated time of possession at 34:52 to 25:08 for LA. It finished with more yards (338 to 286) by out-gaining the Rams through the air and the ground. The Cardinals had more first downs, too.
A couple years ago, Ryland missed a kick for the New England Patriots that landed them the pick that became Drake Maye. He'll be a New England icon forever for that one even if he's a career 77% kicker during his time in the league. Ryland now has another fan base that should love him, if only because the Cardinals beating the Rams should have been absolutely impossible based on preseason expectations. And that's why they play the games.
Source: Sport
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