Chad Ryland on his six-kick day: Arizona’s last drive went ‘to a T’

Chad Ryland had just scored every point of an 18-16 win over the Los Angeles Rams, the last three on a 43-yard kick as time ran out at SoFi Stadium. When he talked about it afterward, the Arizona Cardinals kicker spent most of his time on the 51 seconds before his kick.

Ryland’s view was that the final drive had been run the way it is drawn up. “Look at that last drive, we did it to a ‘T,'” he said after the game on Sunday, October 18. The offense moved the ball into range and, in his words, “got the ball to the hash I prefer, and we knocked down the kick.” He called it the work of a team that understood the situation, not a solo act.

Had himself a day 🌟 @C_Ryland38 pic.twitter.com/jjCWal9kb4

— Arizona Cardinals (@AZCardinals) October 19, 2026

Six attempts, six makes

The kicks came at every stage of the game. His first, from 34 yards, came before the end of the opening quarter. He added kicks of 30 and 22 yards in the second to tie the game 9-9 at halftime, then made it from 38 in the third quarter and from 27 with 9:28 to play. Arizona got inside the Rams’ 20 five times and did not score a touchdown on any of those trips, so every drive ended with Ryland on the field.

The last one had the least time behind it. Matthew Stafford had put Los Angeles ahead 16-15 with 47 seconds left. After a touchback, Jacoby Brissett found Jalen Brooks for 21 yards, a roughness penalty added 15 more, and three plays later Ryland lined up from 43 yards for the win.

He had reason to want a game like this one. A week earlier, against Detroit, he missed from 53 yards. On Sunday he became the first kicker in the league this season to make six field goals in a game, a career high for him. Only one Cardinal has made more in a single game: Jim Bakken, with seven in 1967. No Arizona kicker had scored 18 points in a game since Jay Feely put up 25 in 2010. He also said he could not recall a game he had swung as much as this one.

What it meant for Arizona

The win ended a four-game losing streak and an eight-game run of defeats against NFC West opponents. The Cardinals arrived as double-digit underdogs and left with the Rams level with them at 2-4. Brissett completed 24 of 35 passes for 218 yards, Trey McBride caught seven passes for 53 yards, and the defense held a Rams offense that had led the league in total yards to 286.

Head coach Mike LaFleur made clear that he did not want to make a habit of winning this way, saying he hopes never to see six kicks in a game again unless they are extra points. Ryland’s afternoon was also the reason Arizona did not need a touchdown, and it was only the club’s fifth win since 2000 without one.

The full scoring summary is in the Cardinals-Rams recap, and the Cardinals’ season so far is on the Arizona Cardinals team page.

What comes next

Next up is a home game at State Farm Stadium: Denver visits at 4:05 p.m. EDT on Sunday, October 25. Ryland’s next chance to add to his season will come in his own building, against one of the league’s toughest defenses.