Kyler Murray threw for 266 yards and three touchdowns, rookie receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. caught his first two NFL touchdown passes and the Arizona Cardinals rolled over the Los Angeles Rams 41-10 on Sunday.
The Cardinals’ offense – highlighted by the Murray-Harrison combination – shone en route to a 24-3 halftime lead.
Murray found Harrison for a 23-yard touchdown on the first drive, a 60-yard touchdown on the second drive, and then somehow evaded three Rams defenders before hitting tight end Elijah Higgins for an 18-yard touchdown on the third drive for a 21-0 lead.
Arizona (1-1) ended a nine-game losing streak against the Rams (0-2) at State Farm Stadium and won the NFC West rivalry for only the third time in 16 attempts.
James Conner ran for a five-yard touchdown on the first drive of the third quarter and high-stepped into the end zone, giving the team a 31-3 lead. Conner finished the game with 122 rushing yards and the 29-year-old surpassed the 5,000-yard mark on the ground in his career. Harrison had 130 receiving yards.
Dennis Gardeck had two sacks. Matt Prater kicked two field goals, including one from 57 yards that made the score 34-3.
While Arizona’s offense flourished, Los Angeles faltered. Matthew Stafford was sacked three times in the first half and the Rams failed to reach the end zone. On the final play of the second quarter, coach Sean McVay opted to attempt a touchdown from the 4-yard line instead of kicking a field goal, but Stafford’s pass sailed well over Tyler Johnson’s head and out of the end zone.
To make matters worse, star receiver Cooper Kupp left in the second quarter with an ankle injury and did not return. The Rams have had a tough injury spree over the first two weeks, with three key players being placed on the injured list this week.
Stafford completed 19 of 27 passes for 216 yards.
Harrison’s first NFL touchdown catch wasn’t easy. The rookie receiver caught the ball hard in the back of the end zone, got both feet on the ground and held on to it as it fell to the ground.
The rookie — Ohio State’s No. 4 pick — was back on the next drive. Murray rolled right before hitting the completely open receiver, and the Cardinals were up 14-0 after barely six minutes. Harrison became just the 13th receiver since 1991 to catch at least 130 yards in the first quarter.
Harrison was much more productive than in his debut last week, when he caught just one pass for 4 yards in a loss to the Bills.
The Cardinals took a 21-0 lead early in the second quarter after Murray outsmarted three defenders, weaved through traffic and then threw to Higgins, who raced along the back of the end zone and caught a ball while sliding.
Rams: S John Johnson III (shoulder) left the game in the second half.
Rams: Host the San Francisco 49ers next Sunday.
Cardinals: Host the Detroit Lions next Sunday.
