Mike LaFleur says he believed with 51 seconds left, and now wants touchdowns after the Cardinals win on six field goals

Mike LaFleur said he was sure the Arizona Cardinals would win even after they fell behind with 51 seconds to play at SoFi Stadium on Sunday. Chad Ryland proved his head coach right with a 43-yard field goal at the gun, his sixth of the afternoon, for an 18-16 win over the Los Angeles Rams and Sean McVay, the coach LaFleur once worked for as offensive coordinator.

The result snapped a four-game losing streak, moved Arizona to 2-4 alongside the Rams and gave the Cardinals their first NFC West win since the 2024 season. In his postgame news conference, LaFleur spread the credit around, but he did not pretend that winning without a touchdown is a plan.

LIVE: HC Mike LaFleur and QB Jacoby Brissett https://t.co/LY5cLBXlzM

— Arizona Cardinals (@AZCardinals) October 18, 2026

Why he trusted the last drive

The Rams had just gone ahead 16-15 on Colby Parkinson’s short touchdown catch, with punter Ethan Evans kicking the extra point because Blake Grupe had hurt his knee. LaFleur said his confidence came from how his players had performed all day, and he pointed to a detail that made the job smaller: the Rams kicked the ball through for a touchback, so Arizona started at its own 35 and needed only a few chunks to reach range.

The first snap did most of the work. Jacoby Brissett went right back to Jalen Brooks, who had dropped a third-down throw minutes earlier, and Brooks held on to a 21-yard catch over the middle while taking a hit, which drew an unnecessary roughness flag on Josh Wallace for 15 more yards. Ryland did the rest. “Chad’s a stud,” LaFleur said, adding that the kicker keeps the sideline loose.

Credit for the defense, a note on the red zone

LaFleur singled out defensive coordinator Nick Rallis for an excellent game plan. Arizona blitzed Matthew Stafford throughout, Josh Sweat and Budda Baker each had a sack, Cody Simon forced a fumble that Denzel Burke recovered, and the Rams were stopped twice on fourth down. Los Angeles finished with 286 yards, and for the first time since Week 1 the Cardinals held an opponent under 30 points. The coach also acknowledged “uncomfortable” conversations with players and coaches during the week, without saying what was discussed.

The other side of the ledger was the one he plans to study. The offense put together four drives of 10 or more plays and controlled the ball for 34:52, but it reached the red zone five times and settled for a field goal every time. LaFleur made the point plainly: if the team is going to kick, the kicks have to go in, and on Sunday they all did. Brissett finished 24 of 35 for 218 yards, Trey McBride caught seven passes for 53 yards, and Bam Knight ran for 80 yards on 15 carries with Jeremiyah Love sidelined.

One worry came late. Defensive tackle Walter Nolen III missed part of the fourth quarter with an ankle injury, and LaFleur did not yet have a diagnosis. The full numbers are in the Game Center.

What comes next

Arizona returns home to face the Denver Broncos and one of the league’s stingiest defenses on Sunday, October 25, with a 4:05 p.m. EDT kickoff at State Farm Stadium, on a day the club will honor Larry Fitzgerald in its Ring of Honor. The matchup is in the Game Center, and the season so far is on the Cardinals team page.