The Arizona Cardinals escaped SoFi Stadium with an 18-16 win over the Los Angeles Rams in Week 6, but an 0-for-5 showing in the red zone left little room to celebrate the offense. Cardinals kicker Chad Ryland supplied six field goals, while a late unnecessary roughness penalty put Arizona in range for the winning kick.
Locked On Cardinals host Alex Clancy called the red zone performance unsustainable, even as he credited Jacoby Brissett and the offense for moving the ball and controlling possession for long stretches. Clancy’s central point: Arizona cannot expect to keep winning when promising drives repeatedly end with field goals instead of touchdowns.
The defensive response gave the Cardinals their path to get out of Los Angeles with a victory. Clancy said defensive coordinator Nick Rallis returned to the aggressive approach that had been missing through much of the first five weeks, leaning on pressure and blitzes rather than allowing the Rams to dictate the game. Cardinals safety Budda Baker stood out in that attack, according to Clancy, who also praised the collective pass rush.
Clancy argued Rallis deserved the game ball and said the performance should ease immediate pressure on the coordinator after Arizona had allowed 142 points across its previous four games, all losses. The host cautioned that one defensive breakthrough does not solve the season, but he viewed it as evidence that the unit can give the Cardinals a workable formula when it attacks rather than sits back.
The offensive concern remains more difficult to dismiss. Clancy criticized conservative play calling for much of the afternoon and said the Cardinals looked particularly limited near the goal line. He pointed to the missed red zone chances as a warning that the win cannot become a blueprint.
Arizona next hosts the Denver Broncos in Week 7. The Cardinals need Rallis’ pressure-based defensive plan to continue, but the more urgent test will be whether the offense can turn sustained drives into touchdowns.
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