Arizona Cardinals clinch sixth straight win

By Sian Cowper, Reporter | 06 December 2015

The Arizona Cardinals extend their winning streak to six games with a 27-3 victory over the St Louis Rams.

The Arizona Cardinals have extended their winning run to six games with a 27-3 win over NFC West rivals the St Louis Rams at the Edward Jones Dome.

J.J. Nelson #14 of the Arizona Cardinals catches a pass for a touchdown while under pressure from Maurice Alexander #31 of the St. Louis Rams in the first quarter at the Edward Jones Dome on December 6, 2015 © Getty Images

The Cardinals made a quick start to the game, finding the endzone on their opening possession as Michael Floyd hauled in a 20-yard catch, before Carson Palmer connected with JJ Nelson in the endzone a couple of plays later.

Arizona soon had the ball back as a Nick Foles pass intended for Kenny Britt was underthrown, allowing Rashad Johnson to make the interception, but the Cardinals were unable to add to their score following the turnover.

Both teams had to punt on three straight possessions as the two defenses put in strong second-quarter performances, but the NFC West leaders managed to add to their score again just before half time, with Chandler Catanzaro kicking a field goal.

Having been shut out in the first half, the home side put some points on the board early in the third quarter, with Todd Gurley rushing for a combined 51 yards out on back-to-back plays to set Zach Hocker up for a 35-yard field goal.

The visitors were in the endzone for the second time in the game with their next drive though, as David Johnson put an earlier fumble behind him to collect a 10-yard pass from Palmer.

The Cardinals extended their lead further before the end of the third quarter with Floyd making an acrobatic catch for a first down, before Kerwynn Williams slipped through the defensive line to run for a 35-yard score.

Foles tried to give the Rams some late hope, but the quarterback could not find his receivers, tossing incompletions to Britt, Tavon Austin and Jared Cook while trying to keep the offense on the field.

The Cardinals pushed for another touchdown late on, but Johnson was tackled short before letting a pass slip through his fingertips on the next play, leaving Catanzaro to kick the field goal.

The result sees the Cardinals improve to 10-2, keeping them three wins clear at the top of the NFC West, while the Rams slip to 4-8.