Ahkello Witherspoon’s clutch pick, historic defensive streak

After beating the Cardinals on Saturday, the Rams clinched the NFC West on Sunday through the strength of victory tie-breaker. Los Angeles has now won five-straight games and will host a home playoff game in January.

On Saturday, the Rams had another outstanding defensive showing that featured a blocked extra point and a game-sealing interception. Meanwhile, wide receiver Puka Nacua’s 129 receiving yards led the way on offense in an otherwise-sluggish offensive game for both teams.

Here are five interesting stats from the Rams’ 13-9 win over Arizona on Saturday night:

With 42 seconds left in the game, the Cardinals had a first-and-goal at the five-yard line. They trailed by four points and had a 61.3% chance to win. Then, quarterback Kyler Murray’s pass was batted into the air and Witherspoon went full extension for the pick. After that, the Cardinals had just a 6.1% chance of winning and the Rams took over on the one-yard line.

That play was the single most impactful defensive play of the NFL season with regard to a team’s chances of winning. The second-most was also a fourth-quarter Rams interception, from Kam Kinchens against Seattle in Week 9. This Rams defense just continues to make plays when they need them most.

The last team to achieve this feat was the 2021 Patriots, helmed by one of the greatest defensive minds in NFL history in then-head coach Bill Belichick. This defense is commanded by first-year defensive coordinator Chris Shula.

After giving up 42 points in a win over Buffalo, Shula and the defense have rebounded in an unthinkable fashion. Over the past three games, Los Angeles has accumulated eight sacks and three interceptions while only allowing two touchdowns.

The last time the Rams accomplished that was 2013, when they were still in St. Louis. Stafford was pressured on just 24.2% of dropbacks on Saturday, via Next Gen Stats, the eighth-lowest mark of the week, as the offensive line continued their dominant run of late.