Rams give Ryland one more chance, and his sixth field goal beats them 18-16

The Rams finally got the touchdown they needed, improvised an extra point with their punter and took a 16-15 lead with 47 seconds left. Then they surrendered 36 yards on Arizona's first offensive snap through a completion and a penalty.

That was enough room for Chad Ryland. His sixth field goal, a 43-yarder as time expired, gave the Cardinals an 18-16 victory Sunday in Los Angeles. Arizona ended a four-game losing streak without scoring a touchdown, while the Rams fell to 2-4.

A game that offered Los Angeles several chances to take control instead ended with Arizona trusting the one part of its offense that had worked throughout the afternoon.

Six kicks overcome an empty end zone

The Cardinals went into the red zone five times and came away with field goals each time. Ryland connected from 34, 30 and 22 yards before halftime, then from 38 and 27 after the break to build a 15-9 lead.

Those stalled drives kept the Rams close. Their offense did little with the opening for much of the fourth quarter. Cody Simon forced a fumble by tight end Tyler Higbee, and Denzel Burke recovered to end one Los Angeles possession.

The Cardinals' official video shows how that opportunity disappeared:

Another Rams drive ended on fourth down. Arizona held Los Angeles to 286 total yards, enough defensive resistance to make a field-goal-only attack viable.

Jacoby Brissett threw for 218 yards. Bam Knight provided 80 rushing yards on 15 carries before cramps restricted his second-half work. Tyler Allgeier gained 38 yards on 18 carries as Arizona kept asking its kicker to finish possessions.

A lead that lasted less than a minute

Matthew Stafford eventually delivered. A 42-yard completion to Puka Nacua helped set up a 6-yard touchdown pass to Colby Parkinson with 47 seconds left. Ethan Evans, normally the punter, converted the extra point because Blake Grupe had injured his knee tackling on a kickoff and was ruled out.

The Rams had done enough to move ahead. They still needed one stop.

Brissett's 21-yard completion to Jalen Brooks immediately changed the field position. Josh Wallace's unnecessary-roughness penalty added 15 more yards. After a five-yard Allgeier run, Ryland had his final opportunity and made it.

FOX Sports captured the decisive kick:

Stafford finished with 222 passing yards and two touchdowns, including an earlier 15-yard scoring pass to Blake Corum. The failed two-point try following that first touchdown remained part of the tight scoring margin.

Davante Adams left with a late knee injury. The available postgame reports did not establish a diagnosis or timetable. Walter Nolen III suffered an ankle injury for Arizona.

The Cardinals, also 2-4, host Denver next. Los Angeles heads to Las Vegas after losing a game in which its opponent never scored six points on a single play.