The Arizona Cardinals struggled in the first half defensively for the second consecutive week. After the Houston Texans scored 21 points and gained more than 300 yards in the first half against the Cardinals in Week 11, the Rams nearly repeated that.
They scored 21 points on 287 yards of offense. They could have had more points, but Lucas Havrisik missed a 50-yard field goal and Matthew Stafford threw an interception in field-goal range at the end of the first half.
Stafford threw three touchdown passes on 19-of-24 passing for 193 yards in the half. Playing for the first time since he faced the Cardinals in Week 6, running back Kyren Williams rushed for 64 yards on 10 carries and caught four passes for 56 yards and a touchdown in 30 minutes of play.
Receiver Tutu Atwell added three catches for 76 yards, while the Rams were 3-for-6 on third down.
The struggles were not limited to the defense. After a 75-yard touchdown drive on their first possession, the Cardinals gained 27 yards the rest of the half. Murray, after completing 5-of-7 passes for 50 yards during the first drive, was 3-for-10 for 16 yards after that. James Conner had 24 yards at halftime, but only three came after they scored.
They turned the ball over on downs once and had a 57-yard field goal made at the end of the half taken off the board because of a penalty.
Listen to the latest from Cards Wire’s Jess Root on his podcast, Rise Up, See Red. Subscribe on Apple podcasts or Spotify.
