The Rams went into Arizona for the third time in as many seasons Sunday and once again showed their dominance over the Cardinals. They blew out Arizona 34-7 on the road, moving their record to 7-5 on the year.
Though their playoff chances remain slim, the Rams are still alive in the NFC after this victory. It was their most impressive win of the season, racking up 549 yards, including 424 yards by Jared Goff.
Here are our studs and duds from Week 13.
Studs
TE Tyler Higbee
Higbee had a career day in Arizona, and all of his work occurred in the first half. He finished the game with seven catches for 107 yards and one touchdown, all of which came before the halftime break. He set career-highs in receptions and yards, doing everything for the Rams against the Cardinals.
QB Jared Goff
Goff bounced back from an underwhelming November, throwing two touchdown passes and racking up 424 yards. He set season-highs in completion percentage and passer rating, leading the Rams to victory with his best performance of the year. He really didn’t make any mistakes, either, committing zero turnovers and hitting open receivers when given the chance.
WR Robert Woods
Woods ran wild against the Cardinals. He gained 172 yards on 13 catches (19 targets), and although he still hasn’t scored a touchdown, he continued what’s been a very good season. He’s effective at every level, whether it’s on screen passes or routes over the middle. His block on Todd Gurley’s 9-yard run on the opening drive helped spring the running back free, too.
S Taylor Rapp
Rapp broke up two passes, including a pick-six that he returned 31 yards. He could’ve had two other interceptions, too, but he dropped one and another was called back due to a pass interference penalty on Nickell Robey-Coleman. Rapp only had two touchdowns, but his pick-six was icing on the cake for the Rams.
RB Todd Gurley
Gurley carried it 19 yards for 95 yards with one touchdown, and his longest rush was only 11 yards; that shows how consistently he picked up chunks of yardage. He also had a 20-yard reception and broke a handful of tackles on a run in the red zone. The Rams don’t lean on him the way they used to, but he’s still a playmaker when given the football.
OLB Dante Fowler Jr.
It was a quiet November for Fowler, going the entire month without a sack or quarterback hit and only one tackle for loss. He was impactful on Sunday, though, recording one sack, two tackles for loss and two passes broken up. His sack was particularly impressive, containing Kyler Murray in the pocket and using one arm to corral the shifty quarterback.
Duds
RG David Edwards
Edwards was one of the few disappointments in this 27-point win. He was flagged four times, including three holding penalties. His last one brought back a 30-yard touchdown run by Gurley, which fortunately didn’t make a difference on the scoreboard. He also had a false start that pushed the Rams back 5 yards before a field goal attempt, which Greg Zuerlein ultimately missed.
Special teams
Speaking of Zuerlein, he and the special teams unit was not very good. Zuerlein missed a 41-yard field goal on the Rams’ second drive of the game, though he did make a 27-yarder and 33-yard field goal. JoJo Natson made a poor decision late in the game to take a kickoff out from 7 yards deep, which he only returned to the 7-yard line.
