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Sean McVay is positive about the Rams’ loss: it’s over
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Sean McVay is positive about the Rams’ loss: it’s over

GLENDALE, Ariz. (AP) — The Los Angeles Rams defense, still adjusting to playing without Aaron Donald, had no answer for Kyler Murray and the Arizona Cardinals.

The offense, plagued by injuries on the line, had little chance to create holes or protect quarterback Matthew Stafford.

The result: a 41-10 loss to the Cardinals on Sunday, ending Los Angeles’ nine-game winning streak in the desert.

“There’s nothing positive about it,” Rams coach Sean McVay said. “The only positive is this game is over and we can move on.

“It was an incredibly humiliating three-hour period. They did what they wanted to do from the start and we did nothing to give ourselves a chance.”

The Rams (0-2) have dominated the series against the Cardinals (1-1) since McVay took over in 2017, winning 13 of 15 games, including nine in a row in Glendale.

A series of injuries, particularly to the offensive line, and slumps left the Rams swirling around State Farm Stadium like a billowing cloud of dust.

Sean McVay isn’t the only Rams leader taking the Cardinals game hard

“That’s not how we want to look and that’s not who we are,” Rams defenseman Kobie Turner said.

The Rams offense had some good moments last week against Detroit, despite a slew of injuries to the offensive line, which sent the Lions into overtime, but they eventually lost 26-20.

Los Angeles’ patchwork offensive line was no match for the Cardinals on an ugly Sunday in the desert.

Arizona’s shifting defense created all sorts of problems, closing holes quickly before the Rams’ runners could get in. Los Angeles finished with 53 yards rushing on 20 carries.

More concerning was the pressure put on quarterback Matthew Stafford.

The Cardinals came off blocks so quickly that Stafford had little time to read the defense, let alone make downfield throws. Outside of a 42-yard completion on a broken play in the second quarter, Stafford was repeatedly forced to throw underneath, finishing with 216 yards on 19 of 27 passing.

Stafford was also sacked five times – three by Dennis Gardeck – and lost a fumble.

“I had a couple of chances to get the ball out of my hands, but I didn’t,” Stafford said. “It’s frustrating as a player to do that.”

The retirement of Donald, one of the best defenders of a generation, left a big hole, but the Rams did have some good moments last week against the Lions.

Nothing seemed to go right against the Cardinals.

The wily Murray repeatedly escaped pressure to extend plays, giving his receivers time to break free. He hit Marvin Harrison Jr. for a 60-yard touchdown on a rollout late in the first quarter and evaded three tackles in the second before hitting Elijah Higgins in the back of the end zone for an 18-yard TD that put Arizona up 21-0.

Murray also ran for 59 yards on five attempts, while James Conner gave the Rams 122 yards and a touchdown on 21 attempts.

“He was moving around in the pocket, doing Kyler Murray stuff, running around,” Rams linebacker Michael Hoecht said. “We just got to contain him, take it one step further, get him on the ground and not let him play, because then he’s Kyler Murray.”

Even when the Rams did something right, it went wrong.

With Arizona driving, Rams linebacker Jared Verse stripped Conner around the 4-yard line for a fumble. The ball rolled forward and tight end Trey McBride pounced on it in the end zone for a touchdown that put the Cardinals up 41-10 early in the fourth quarter.

“It was one of those days that was really humbling,” McVay said.