Cardinals head coach Kliff Kingsbury hasn’t defeated his friend Sean McVay in four tries, but that could change on Sunday.
Arizona has taken advantage of a pair of L.A. turnovers and leads 24-13 at halftime.
Cornerback Byron Murphy picked up his third interception in the last two games in the first quarter, picking off a Matthew Stafford deep pass to DeSean Jackson. Then edge rusher Markus Golden forced a fumble off running back Sony Michel that Budda Baker recovered deep in L.A. territory. The Cardinals scored touchdowns on both possessions.
The Rams have had a pair of trips to the red zone, but scored a touchdown on only one of them. Stafford hit receiver Van Jefferson for a 14-yard TD late in the fourth quarter. But in the second, L.A. settled for a 22-yard field goal after Stafford threw incomplete to receiver Cooper Kupp on third-and-goal from the 4.
The Cardinals added a field goal just before halftime, though they also had a chance for more. Edge rusher Leonard Floyd was flagged for roughing the passer on a sack of Kyler Murray, giving Arizona first-and-goal the L.A. 5. But a James Conner run for no gain paired with two incomplete passes left the Cardinals settling for a 23-yard field goal.
Murray has played well, going 17-of-24 passing for 186 yards with a pair of touchdowns. He also has 34 yards rushing, including an 18-yard scraper to convert a third-and-16. DeAndre Hopkins has three receptions for 49 yards and A.J. Green has three catches for 50 yards with a TD.
On the other side, running back Darrell Henderson has 65 yards on nine carries after missing last week’s game due to a ribs injury. Van Jefferson leads the team with 48 yards on three catches. Cooper Kupp has a pair of receptions on seven targets for 40 yards.
The Cardinals will have the ball the start the second half.