Cardinals send reeling Rams to 2-4 and in danger of missing the playoffs with late rally aided by controversial penalty

The Los Angeles Rams entered the season as favorites to win the Super Bowl.

Through six weeks of the NFL season, they look like anything but and are in danger of missing the playoffs.

The Rams dropped to 2-4 Sunday with a stunning 18-16 loss to the Arizona Cardinals that drops them well out of the race in the NFC West and leaves them with an uphill battle to get into wild-card contention.

Like the Rams’ Week 3 loss to the Denver Broncos, this one was not without officiating controversy.

The Cardinals got the ball back with 41 seconds remaining after a Rams touchdown to take a 16-15 lead. A 21-yard pass from Jacoby Brissett to Jalen Brooks moved the ball across midfield, and a questionable unnecessary roughness penalty on the hit added 15 yards to the gain.

That play put the Cardinals in field-goal territory and set Chad Ryland up for a 43-yard game winner as time expired.

It added up to another tough-luck loss for the Rams, but they didn’t look good throughout Sunday’s game.

An offense that entered Sunday leading the NFL in yards per game was ineffective against a Cardinals defense that entered the game ranked 26th in the league. With left tackle Alaric Jackson suspended for a postgame punch of Bradley Chubb last week, quarterback Matthew Stafford was under pressure early and often, and the Rams struggled to gain any traction in the passing game until their late drive to take the 16-15 lead.

In the end, the Rams didn’t score enough points to beat and Arizona team that picked up its second win of the season. Now both teams are tied at the bottom of the NFC West at 2-4, well behind the 5-0 San Francisco 49ers. And the Cardinals have the edge in the standings thanks to the head-to-head win.

This story will be updated.