Rams could not stop handing it over, and Cardinals made it count — 14-0. Geno Smith — 94 overall — was held to 46 passing yards, against an average of 218. On the ground: Cardinals 41, Rams 4. Rams are 0-4; Cardinals are 3-1.

24 points separated these two, and Ravens had all of them. Lamar Jackson was steady for Ravens — 13/18, 301 yards, 5 TD. Myles Garrett got after the quarterback for Rams — 2 sacks — in a losing effort. Through the air: Ravens 301, Rams 119.

Caleb Brooks: "The Rams' passing game was the difference. Stafford found Nacua 9 times for 165 yards and 4 touchdowns while the Seahawks managed just 141 passing yards total — that's a chasm you don't come back from." Ethan Price: "Blake Corum did the unsexy work—169 yards on 14 carries, which means the Rams didn't need heroics on every play, just competence on the ground. That kind of efficiency, especially in a blowout, is what separates teams that can actually run the ball from teams that talk about it."

The Rams won 41-28 in a game where they controlled the line of scrimmage on both sides: 439 yards to 225, with Blake Corum running for 169 yards and 2 touchdowns and Matthew Stafford completing 18 of 27 passes for 270 yards and 4 touchdowns, one of which went to Puka Nacua among his 9 catches for 165 yards and 4 scores. Seattle finished the regular season at 9-8 despite a point differential that suggests they were slightly better than their record—they scored 2.6 points more per game than expected against the strength of opponent they faced—while Los Angeles, also 9-8, played a marginally softer schedule and finished well below their talent level at 0.3 points better than expectation when adjusted for opponent. Both teams turned the ball over once, but the Rams' season-long edge in ball security and Stafford's 10 consecutive games of 250-plus passing yards made the difference in what was

Sierra Vaughn: "Dallas controlled this game because Los Angeles couldn't move the ball on the ground—49 rushing yards is not a sustainable way to stay competitive—and that imbalance let the Cowboys' defense pin its ears back on pass rush while the offense ran at will with 113 yards. Stafford matched Prescott's 2 touchdowns and Davante Adams was real with 170 yards and 2 of his own, but it wasn't enough when one team's running game simply didn't exist." Jordan Hayes: "Los Angeles went to the air 60% of the time and still couldn't keep pace—at 7-7, they're running out of margin for error in a race where Dallas just proved it can win ugly."

Dallas beat Los Angeles 30-21 behind superior execution on both sides of the ball, outgaining the Rams 487 yards to 325. Dak Prescott completed 29 of 51 passes for 374 yards and 2 touchdowns while the Cowboys controlled the ground game with 113 rushing yards, a crucial advantage given Los Angeles managed just 49 on the ground. Matthew Stafford and Davante Adams kept the Rams close—Stafford hit 16 of 27 for 276 yards and 2 touchdowns, and Adams hauled in 6 catches for 170 yards and 2 scores—but Dallas's extra yardage and ball security won out, with the Cowboys committing just 1 turnover to Los Angeles's none.

Jordan Hayes: "Los Angeles put on an aerial clinic—590 yards and 5 touchdowns from Stafford, 379 receiving yards from Nacua—but Kansas City's 4 turnovers were the actual game: you can't gift a team that efficient 4 chances and expect to stay within 1 point." Ethan Price: "Xavier Worthy went 239 yards and 3 touchdowns on a team that threw 4 interceptions and still nearly won—he was the only reason Kansas City stayed within a point of a superior offense, and that's a problem for everyone else in the division." Sierra Vaughn: "Los Angeles threw it 50 times and ran 4, which is not a scheme—it's surrender to the fact that 16 rushing yards means the ground game is dead—but Stafford and Nacua were so clean that the Rams' expected win rate sits at 53.4 percent even though they lost by 1, meaning the better team went home."

Kansas City won 43-42 in Week 13, a game everyone in the building figured would come down to mistakes—and it did. Matthew Stafford threw for 590 yards and 5 touchdowns while Puka Nacua hauled in 9 catches for 379 yards and 4 scores, but the Rams couldn't stay ahead despite moving the ball at will for 606 total yards. Patrick Mahomes couldn't keep his hands on the ball, throwing 4 interceptions on 11 of 29 passing, and the Chiefs' 4 giveaways against the Rams' 3 proved to be the difference in a 1-point margin that both teams had earned.