The Los Angeles Rams receive plenty of accolades for their offense Austin Blythe Jersey , but the defense is what really has stood out the past two games.One week after holding New Orleans without a touchdown, the Rams put up an impressive goal-line stand late in the fourth quarter of their 20-13 victory over the Cleveland Browns Sunday night.The Rams were backed up to their 4 and facing first-and-goal before forcing Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield to throw four straight incomplete passes .“It was really just a great job by them. I just thought to be able to re-gather themselves,” McVay said. “Four straight downs and fighting through it, especially with Baker’s ability to be able to extend plays, and some of the athletes that they do have. It was just incredible. It showed great mental toughness, and for them to be able to close it out was outstanding.”The Rams are ranked third in the league in total defense and fourth against the pass after three games.Safety Eric Weddle isn’t ready to proclaim his unit as the best in the league, but it is making a strong case.“No plays up the field, that’s what we pride ourselves on. Communicate, put yourself in the right position to take away those dangerous threats, and make them work for every inch,” he said.WHAT’S WORKINGLB Clay Matthews has a sack in each of his first three games with the Rams. On a night when his father was inducted into the Cleveland Browns Ring of Honor, Matthews recorded his first multi-sack game in two years.It is the second time in his 11-year career that Matthews has started the season with a sack in three straight games.The Rams were very effective in generating pressure with a four-man rush out of their dime package. Opposing teams already have a handful in trying to double-team Aaron Donald, but that also allows opportunities for Matthews and Dante Fowler Jr. to make plays.WHAT NEEDS HELPFinding someone besides Todd Gurley to carry the football. Malcolm Brown had only 7 yards on three carries as the Rams look to manage Gurley’s carries throughout the season.Los Angeles had only one carry over 10 yards on Sunday,only the fifth time in McVay’s three seasons the Rams have been held to one or fewer double-digit gains on the ground.“It was tough to get us into a rhythm, and it starts with me,” said McVay of the run game. “I keep saying it. I can’t keep sitting up here and saying the same thing. I have to find a way to get it fixed and be better for our football team.”STOCK UPDonald had only one sack but he continues to create havoc on opposing offensive lines.He was able to consistently beat double-teams by the Browns and pressure Mayfield. Donald was angry about a roughing-the-passer call late in the fourth quarter Sean Mannion Jersey , but he seems to be on the cusp of having another run of sacks in coming weeks.STOCK DOWNRight guard Jamil Demby, starting in place of the injured Austin Blythe, was called for two false start penalties and got beaten for a sack during the second quarter.INJUREDThe Rams got out of the game without any additional significant injury. They were without tight end Tyler Higbee (bruised lung) and Blythe (ankle) for the Browns game.KEY NUMBER13 — Touchdown passes Jared Goff has thrown to Cooper Kupp, the most of any Rams receiver. Kupp had two TDs vs. the Browns, marking his second career game with multiple scores.NEXT STEPSThe Rams have two games over an 11-day stretch. They host Tampa Bay on Sunday before going on the road for a Thursday night game at Seattle on Oct. 3. Los Angeles is 9-1 in September games under McVay. GLENDALE, Ariz. — Larry Fitzgerald took a backward pass from Josh Rosen, shuffled a couple of steps right and set his feet.Arizona’s all-time leading receiver cocked his right arm back and let a not-quite-a-spiral fly into the desert air. The ball landed softly into the hands of Cardinals running back David Johnson, hitting him stride for a 32-yard touchdown.The Cardinals may have lost 31-9 to the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday, but Fitzgerald added another highlight as Arizona fans celebrated what could be the final home game of his storied 15-year career.“It’s awesome,” Rosen said. “This town loves Larry, he’s an unbelievable player. The fans were looking for something positive and that was a fun one.”Fitzgerald hasn’t decided if he will return for a 16th NFL season and the Cardinals still have one game left, next Sunday at Seattle.Arizona’s first season under Steve Wilks was a huge disappointment, possibly sending the Cardinals (3-12) toward a coaching search for the second straight season by New Year’s Eve.Amid one of the worst seasons in franchise history, Fitzgerald showed he’s still got it, even at 35.Entering Sunday’s game, Fitzgerald was Arizona’s leading receiver with 59 catches for 645 yards and five touchdowns. He caught six passes for 62 yards against the NFC West champion Rams (12-3) Jamon Brown Jersey , extending his streak of games with a catch to 226 straight — second all-time to Jerry Rice’s 274.Fitzgerald holds the NFL record for catches with one team and is third all-time overall with 1,299. He’s second all-time with 16,252 yards.Fitzgerald also is one of the most respected players in the NFL and in Phoenix sports history, both on the field and off.“I can’t really speak enough about Larry, not only what he brings to this organization, but to the shield itself, the National Football League,” Wilks said. “Just a true pillar of this league.”Arizona’s home finale felt like the end of the line for Fitzgerald, even if he hasn’t made a decision yet.Fitzgerald stood alone in the Cardinals’ inflatable helmet at the end of pregame introductions and ran onto the field to the first of many chants of “Larry!” from the home crowd.Throughout the game, the video boards showed highlights of Fitzgerald’s career to the Christmas-inspired song “Twelve Days of Fitzmas.”The Cardinals kept his receptions streak alive by targeting him early and often. Fitzgerald then did something he had never done before, lofting his first career TD pass into the hands of Johnson, setting off another “Larry!” chant.“It was a great throw. He threw it up there,” Johnson said. “I didn’t have to slow my stride or anything.”The Cardinals had the Fitz pass in the playbook most of the season, insisting it wasn’t put in just because this might have been his final home game.Even so, when Fitzgerald came to the sideline after his first TD pass, offensive coordinator Byron Leftwich got a massive chest bump from the veteran receiver.“I guess it’s like a layup in basketball; you can’t miss Rob Havenstein Jersey ,” said Fitzgerald, 2 for 4 for 53 yards career passing. “I just wanted to put a little air under it. It came out a little wobbly, like (former teammate) Kurt Warner’s ball. But, like Kurt Warner’s ball, it was effective.”As the clock wound down on another Cardinals’ defeat, the few remaining fans started a chant “Larry!” — maybe for the final time.When it was over, Fitzgerald found himself surrounded by photographers, following his every move as Rams players and coaches lined up to congratulate him on the field.Even after 60 minutes of pounding each other, the respect was there for one of the greatest receivers — and people — in NFL history.“I play a team sport. I’m not Michael Phelps or Tiger Woods. Those guys do individual things,” Fitzgerald said. “Everything I’ve done has been in the context of a team setting. It’s a little uncomfortable to be singled out. There’s 11 guys with me and I wouldn’t be able to do my job without every single guy doing it. It’s cool, but still, you never get used to that.”