Rams stun Cardinals and this one baffling play by Arizona’s defense might have been the difference in the game

When there’s a fumble in the NFL, you almost always see every player from both teams go after it, but that’s not what happened on Monday night in Arizona. In one of the most baffling plays of the year, the Cardinals made no effort to recover a Matthew Stafford fumble, and in the end, it’s a decision that might have cost them the game. 

The drama started in the third quarter after Leonard Floyd picked off a pass by Kyler Murray. Following the interception, the Rams got the ball on Arizona’s 19-yard line. From there, the Rams used five plays to drive down to the six-yard line. 

On a second-and-goal from the six, Stafford dropped back to pass and that’s when this happened: 

That’s Chandler Jones hitting Stafford just before the throw, which caused a fumble. Apparently, everyone on the field assumed that it was an incomplete pass, because NO ONE made an effort to recover the ball. Usually, you’ll see the defense jump on any loose ball JUST IN CASE it’s ruled a fumble, but that’s not what happened here. Instead, the Cardinals allowed Stafford to run more than 10 yards to recover the fumble. 

The closest player to the ball for Arizona was Jordan Phillips (No. 97) and apparently, Budda Baker was irate that Phillips didn’t try to recover the fumble. 

Former Cowboys receiver Brice Butler was watching the game at home and couldn’t believe the Cardinals didn’t try to recover the fumble. 

While the game was being played, there was some question about whether this was a fumble or an incomplete pass, but it was definitely ruled a fumble on the field. The Rams ended up running their next play from the eight-yard line, which is where Stafford recovered the ball. 

If the Cardinals had recovered, the play would have been reviewed and it’s possible that it might have been changed to an incomplete pass, but the replays seemed to be inconclusive. Plus, Stafford clearly thought it was a…