GLENDALE, Ariz. � No Todd Gurley? No problem.
At least not this week.
With the Los Angeles Rams' star running back sidelined for precautionary reasons, veteran C.J. Anderson stepped in Sunday and helped carry the Rams to a 31-9 victory over the Arizona Cardinals at State Farm Stadium.
Anderson, signed by the Rams last week, rushed for 167 yards and a touchdown in 20 carries as the Rams bounced back from two consecutive defeats and improved to 11-4.
Quarterback Jared Goff rushed and passed for touchdowns, and receiver Robert Woods ran for a touchdown and caught a touchdown pass as the offense produced 461 yards.
Goff completed 19 of 24 passes for 216 yards. He did not have a pass intercepted, but he lost a fumble that led to a touchdown. Still, it was a much more efficient performance for a quarterback who had six passes intercepted in the previous three games.
Woods caught six passes for 89 yards, and rushed for 15 yards as the Rams rebounded from losses against the Chicago Bears and the Philadelphia Eagles.
Gurley's status was in question throughout last week after he played through a left knee issue in the Rams' 30-23 defeat by the Eagles.
The NFL touchdowns leader did not practice because of what the Rams described as inflammation, and coach Sean McVay said Gurley's availability would not be determined until he went through a pregame workout.
On Sunday, after Gurley performed drills under the supervision of the team's trainer and strength coach, he huddled with medical personnel and coaches and then was ruled out.
Anderson, a sixth-year pro who rushed for more than a 1,000 yards for the Denver Broncos last season, said last week that he would be ready if called upon to start, even though he had not carried the ball since November, when he played for the Carolina Panthers.
Anderson delivered with his first 100-yard game since Dec. 14, 2017, when he rushed for 158 yards in 30 carries for the Denver Broncos against the Indianapolis Colts. On Sunday, he finished one-yard shy of tying his career-best of 168 yards, set in 2014 against the Kansas City Chiefs.
Rams tackle Aaron Donald had three sacks for a Rams defense that had little problem handling the NFL's worst offense.
Cardinals quarterback Josh Rosen completed 12 of 23 passes for 87 yards, and rushed for 49 yards.
Receiver Larry Fitzgerald caught six passes for 53 yards, and also passed for a touchdown as the Cardinals fell to 3-12.
The Rams led, 21-9, at halftime and increased the lead with a Greg Zuerlein field goal late in the third quarter. They put the game out of reach when Goff connected with Woods for a 39-yard touchdown about midway through the fourth quarter.
The Rams built their halftime lead on rushing touchdowns by Woods, Goff and Anderson.
It didn't start well for the Rams.
Six plays into the first series, Cardinals end Benson Mayowa sacked Goff and caused him to fumble. Linebacker Deonne Bucannon recovered the ball and the Cardinals converted the turnover into a field goal.
The Rams answered with a scoring drive helped along by a personal-foul penalty against the Cardinals safety Tre Boston after a Goff completion to Brandin Cooks.
Woods caught passes of six and 11 yards to help set up his four-yard touchdown run on a fly sweep. It was Woods' first rushing touchdown in six pro seasons.
With Anderson leading the way, the Rams increased their lead to 14-3 early in the second quarter. Anderson's 27-yard run to the Cardinals' 14-yard line set up his one-yard touchdown run three plays later.
The Cardinals used some trickery to cut the deficit.
Immediately after the Cardinals showed a tribute to Fitzgerald on the giant stadium screens, Rosen fired a pass to Fitzgerald behind the line of scrimmage on the left side. Fitzgerald then rolled a few steps to his right and delivered a perfect pass to running back David Johnson for a 32-yard touchdown.
Anderson then did most of the work during a 75-yard drive that featured Goff completions to tight end Gerald Everett, Cooks and Woods before Anderson scored on a four-yard run.
