McVay says Rams must improve after Cardinals win on final field goal
Arizona beat Los Angeles 18-16 on October 18, leaving Rams coach Sean McVay criticizing his team’s performance and his own answers after another narrow defeat.
Los Angeles Rams coach Sean McVay said his team’s performance was not good enough after the Arizona Cardinals won 18-16 on Chad Ryland’s field goal as time expired on Sunday, October 18, at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles. The defeat left the Rams at 2-4, while Arizona claimed its first win since the season opener.
The finish gave McVay a particular reason for frustration: Los Angeles had taken a 16-15 lead with 47 seconds left, only for Arizona to move into position for the winning kick. CBS Sports reported that the Cardinals had entered as 13.5-point underdogs and called the result the largest upset of the season.
What McVay said after the Cardinals game
“Collectively, even if we had come away with the result, it’s just not good enough,” McVay told reporters after the game, according to a USA TODAY report republished by Yahoo Sports. He said too many things were out of alignment and that finding better answers “starts with me.” His assessment went beyond the final kick: he said the Rams needed to stop beating themselves before they could expect better results.
“I have to do a much better job,” McVay said, adding that he had nothing positive to say about the day. The loss followed another close defeat: USA TODAY reported that Harrison Mevis had a potential winning field goal tipped in overtime against Buffalo the previous week. The Rams subsequently parted ways with Mevis and signed Blake Grupe.
How Arizona set up Ryland’s winning kick
Arizona led 15-12 with less than three minutes remaining despite failing to score a touchdown. Matthew Stafford then drove the Rams downfield, completing key passes to Puka Nacua before finding Colby Parkinson for a five-yard touchdown with 47 seconds left. Punter Ethan Evans converted the extra point to give Los Angeles its one-point lead, CBS Sports reported.
On the Cardinals’ next possession, Jacoby Brissett found Jalen Brooks for 21 yards. A 15-yard unnecessary-roughness penalty on Rams defender Josh Wallace helped put Arizona in range, and Ryland made a 43-yard field goal as time ran out. CBS Sports reported that the Cardinals scored on six of their 10 drives, with all six scores coming from field goals.
Los Angeles had to adjust its kicking duties during the game. USA TODAY reported that Grupe was injured while tackling Devin Duvernay in the first quarter and did not return. CBS Sports identified it as a knee injury after a 40-yard kickoff return; Evans handled the late extra point. The injury added to a difficult special-teams stretch for a Rams side that has lost games by two, three and four points this season, according to CBS Sports.
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Sources and context
- Sean McVay exasperated after Cardinals' upset win over RamsUSA TODAY, republished by Yahoo Sports; by Andrés Soto
- Meltdown in LA: What went wrong for Rams as Cardinals earn largest upset of the seasonCBS Sports
AI-assisted article checked against the listed sources. NewsJaws did not conduct interviews or attend the reported events.