Rams Fall to 2-4 as Chad Ryland's Six Field Goals Lift Cardinals 18-16: Fantasy Fallout

The Arizona Cardinals beat the Los Angeles Rams 18-16 at SoFi Stadium on Sunday without scoring a touchdown. Chad Ryland went 6-for-6 on field goals, the last a 43-yarder as time expired, after Matthew Stafford had put Los Angeles ahead with a short touchdown pass to Colby Parkinson with 47 seconds left. The loss drops the Rams to 2-4 and into last place in the NFC West, with Arizona, also 2-4, holding the head-to-head tiebreaker.

The scale of the upset is what stands out. Most books had the Rams as 12.5-point favorites, with some consensus numbers at 13.5, and CBS Sports called it the biggest upset of the season so far. A team that entered 2026 with Super Bowl expectations has now lost four of six.

How Arizona stole it

The Cardinals did it with defense and a kicker. Jacoby Brissett threw an interception to Rams safety Quentin Lake on the third play of the game while targeting Trey McBride, then played mistake-free the rest of the way and took no sacks. He finished 24-of-35 for 218 yards. Arizona kept stalling inside Rams territory, and Ryland kept converting.

The Rams found the end zone twice: a 15-yard touchdown catch by Blake Corum in the second quarter and Parkinson's go-ahead score, which was awarded on replay after he was initially ruled down at the 1. Los Angeles also lost kicker Blake Grupe to a knee injury after he made a tackle on the kickoff following his opening 44-yard field goal, so punter Ethan Evans had to kick the go-ahead extra point. Arizona then moved into range with help from a 15-yard unnecessary roughness penalty, and Ryland finished it.

Rams fantasy fallout: Stafford, Nacua, Adams and a backfield split

Stafford was efficient but capped at 25-of-33 for 222 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions. Puka Nacua caught six passes for 80 yards, but half of those catches came on the final drive, including a 42-yarder that sparked it. For most of the afternoon, the Cardinals took away the Rams' top target, and that is the concern: the Rams' offense has been unable to stay on schedule without big plays.

The bigger worry is Davante Adams. He caught three passes for 39 yards before hopping off late in the fourth quarter with a non-contact injury to his left leg. He was examined on the sideline and did not go to the locker room, and Sean McVay had no update on Adams or Grupe after the game. McVay is expected to speak Monday. Until there is a diagnosis, treat Adams as uncertain for Week 7 and line up a replacement.

Kyren Williams had only 10 carries for 50 yards and three catches for 17 yards on six targets. Corum nearly matched him with nine carries for 42 yards and two catches for 18 yards plus the touchdown. Asked after the game why the offense could not sustain drives, Williams reportedly pointed to his own limited time on the field. That is a player openly questioning a timeshare, and fantasy managers should take it as a sign the split is real.

Cardinals fantasy fallout: Love, Allgeier, McBride and Ryland

Jeremiyah Love was ruled out with a left ankle injury he first hurt in Week 4 against the Giants and played through in Week 5. Coach Mike LaFleur said the team has not discussed injured reserve, and the hope in Arizona is that Love returns for Week 7 against Denver. Watch Wednesday's practice report closely: if he is limited or better, he resumes his RB1 role.

Tyler Allgeier was the start-of-the-week pickup, but the box score undercuts him. He carried 18 times for just 38 yards, while Bam Knight turned 15 carries into 80 yards. If Love sits again, Allgeier still projects for the volume, but Knight is the more interesting add in deeper leagues after outplaying him.

Trey McBride led Arizona with seven catches for 53 yards on nine targets, and his 49 receptions are tied with Seattle's Jaxon Smith-Njigba for the league lead. With Marvin Harrison Jr. traded to Houston last week, McBride's target share has even less competition. He remains an elite tight end even with Brissett throwing short.

Ryland is the obvious waiver story. Six makes on six tries in a game where his offense never reached the end zone is the extreme version of a kicker's ideal script: a conservative offense that moves the ball into range and stalls. That profile is repeatable with Brissett at quarterback.

Betting and the Verdexed angle

The Rams' slide is not about one bad bounce. Los Angeles was a double-digit favorite and lost to a team that did not score a touchdown, with a kicking problem now layered on top of a possible receiver injury. Markets will likely shade the Rams down, but the correction may not be complete if Adams misses time and the team needs a new kicker.

Verdexed's model leans heavily on exactly these inputs: injuries to pass catchers and specialists, offensive efficiency rather than reputation, and how a team performs as a big favorite. For the model's current view of both teams, see Verdexed's NFL predictions page at /nfl/predictions, and check the full slate at /blog/nfl-week-7-picks-2026.

What comes next

The Rams travel to Las Vegas to face the Raiders on Sunday, Oct. 25. Monday's injury updates on Adams and Grupe will shape everything: an Adams absence pushes more volume to Nacua and Parkinson, and a Grupe absence means a kicker signing this week. The Cardinals host the Denver Broncos the same day, with Love's practice participation the key fantasy question.

At 2-4, the Rams have little margin left in a division where they now sit last. The roster was built to contend now, and every week without a fix to the offense narrows the path.

The takeaway: Add Chad Ryland and, in deeper leagues, Bam Knight. Keep Nacua and McBride in lineups, downgrade Kyren Williams to a flex while the Corum split persists, and hold Adams on your bench until the Rams announce a diagnosis.