For a few glorious moments Sunday afternoon, the Los Angeles Rams thought Matthew Stafford had saved their season.
asserted
Stafford → think → season
The veteran quarterback had engineered a remarkable fourth-quarter comeback, punter Ethan Evans had somehow converted the go-ahead extra point, and over 73,000 fans at SoFi Stadium were ready to celebrate an improbable escape from another afternoon of self-inflicted misery.
asserted
fans → engineer → misery
The Rams left too much time on the clock.
asserted
Rams → leave → clock
And because apparently no Los Angeles football disaster is complete without one final twist of the knife, Arizona Cardinals kicker Chad Ryland drilled a 43-yard field goal as time expired, delivering a stunning 18-16 victory that sent the Rams tumbling into last place in the NFC West.
asserted
that → drill → West
For the second consecutive week, Los Angeles watched an opponent celebrate a walk-off victory while Stafford and his teammates were left wondering how another winnable game had slipped through their fingers.
asserted
game → watch → fingers
The Rams are 2-4, and the wheels haven’t just fallen off their Super Bowl bandwagon.
asserted
wheels → fall → bandwagon
They’re scattered somewhere along the 405 freeway near LAX.
asserted
They → scatter → LAX
What began as a season overflowing with championship expectations has deteriorated into an increasingly embarrassing collection of penalties, turnovers, special teams disasters and questionable decisions.
Sunday offered the entire miserable assortment.
asserted
Sunday → begin → assortment
The afternoon began promisingly when safety Quentin Lake intercepted Jacoby Brissett on Arizona’s opening possession, perfectly undercutting a route intended for tight end Trey McBride.
asserted
Lake → begin → McBride
But the Rams couldn’t turn the takeaway into a touchdown, settling for a 44-yard field goal from newly signed kicker Blake Grupe.
asserted
Rams → turn → Grupe
Seconds later, the nightmare began.
asserted
nightmare → begin → ?
On the ensuing kickoff, Arizona returner Devin Duvernay broke through Los Angeles’ coverage, leaving the 5-foot-7, 150-pound Grupe as the last defender between him and the end zone.
asserted
Duvernay → ensue → him
Grupe made the touchdown-saving tackle but injured his knee, leaving the Rams without their kicker for the remainder of the game.
asserted
Grupe → make → game
For the second consecutive week, Los Angeles’ kickoff coverage was so dreadful that its kicker was forced to make a desperation tackle.
asserted
kicker → force → tackle
Without Grupe, Sean McVay was forced to abandon conventional kicking decisions, turning routine scoring opportunities into fourth-down gambles.
asserted
McVay → force → gambles
Meanwhile, Arizona controlled the football and the clock.
asserted
Arizona → control → football
The Cardinals gained 110 yards in the first quarter while the Rams managed just 23.
asserted
Rams → gain → 23
Los Angeles’ defense repeatedly stiffened near its own goal line, forcing Arizona to settle for six Ryland field goals instead of touchdowns.
asserted
defense → stiffen → goals
Stafford finally provided a spark in the second quarter, connecting with Blake Corum on a 15-yard touchdown screen behind excellent blocks from Kevin Dotson and Steve Avila.
asserted
Stafford → provide → Dotson
But even that score came with an ugly footnote.
asserted
score → come → footnote
With Grupe unavailable, McVay attempted a two-point conversion.
asserted
McVay → attempt → conversion
Stafford was blindsided and fumbled, nearly allowing Arizona to return the ball for two points.
asserted
Arizona → blindside → points
The Rams led 9-6 before entering halftime tied 9-9, having generated just 107 yards of offense.
asserted
Rams → lead → offense
Arizona opened the second half with a 15-play, eight-minute possession that ended in another Ryland field goal.
asserted
that → open → goal
Later, McVay called a fourth-and-1 handoff to tight end Davis Allen, lined up at fullback, only to watch him get stuffed short of the marker.
asserted
him → call → marker
Tyler Higbee subsequently fumbled at Arizona’s 22-yard line, wasting another promising possession.
asserted
Higbee → fumble → possession
Another drive unraveled when a false start turned fourth-and-3 into fourth-and-8, followed by a screen pass that went nowhere.
asserted
that → unravel → pass
The Rams were beating themselves more efficiently than Arizona ever could.
uncertain
Arizona → beat → themselves
And yet Stafford nearly rescued them.
asserted
Stafford → rescue → them
Trailing 15-9 late in the fourth quarter, the veteran quarterback orchestrated a desperate touchdown drive to tie the game.
asserted
quarterback → trail → game
Evans, pressed into emergency kicking duty, then delivered the unlikeliest extra point imaginable to give Los Angeles a 16-15 advantage.
asserted
Evans → press → advantage
The comeback should have been remembered as one of the defining moments of the Rams’ season.
asserted
comeback → remember → season
Instead, it became another cruel setup.
asserted
it → become → ?
Arizona marched downfield on its final possession, positioning Ryland for a 43-yard attempt as the clock expired.
asserted
clock → march → attempt
A miraculous comeback erased.
asserted
comeback → erase → ?
Another game lost.
asserted
game → lose → ?
Another afternoon of bad football rewarded with exactly what it deserved.
asserted
it → reward → what
What it means
The Rams fall to 2-4 and into last place in the NFC West, losing the head-to-head tiebreaker against an Arizona team that entered Sunday with one victory.
asserted
that → mean → victory
The Cardinals improve to 2-4, handing former Rams offensive coordinator Mike LaFleur a dramatic victory over his old boss.
asserted
Cardinals → improve → boss
A preseason Super Bowl favorite has now lost four of its last five games, and the same problems keep resurfacing.
asserted
problems → lose → games
…and 11 more, not listed.
The Aporia
