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Like last week, the Rams had a chance at the end of the game, but couldn't convert a fourth-down play deep in Arizona territory.
"It's disappointing to lose, especially another close game where we're knocking on the door," said Rams Head Coach Steve Spagnuolo. "I am proud of one thing - the way we came out in the second half."
Spagnuolo drew some criticism for going for it on fourth down instead of kicking a field goal and making it a five-point game.
"At that point, we were thinking about tying the football game," Spagnuolo said. "Being down that close, we had a chance to score. It still played out where we had a chance at the end of the game."
Thanks largely to Arizona quarterback Kurt Warner, who pretty much did what he wanted, the Cardinals held a 21-3 halftime advantage.
In the first half, Warner was 15-19 passing for 203 yards and two touchdowns.
But he was hit by Rams safety Oshiomogho Atogwe late in the first half, which was resulted in what appeared to be a minor concussion.
Warner did not return to the game. He was replaced by Matt Leinart in the second half.
Truth be told, had Warner remained in the game, it could have easily been a blowout.
"I felt like I could have played," Warner said after the game. "I wanted to go out there and help the team, but you also didn't want to go out there and do anything dumb that's going to jeopardize you for the rest of the season."
The Cardinals (7-3) accumulated 327 yards in the first half, but did not score in the second half with Leinart on the field and Warner on the sideline.
"Let's face it, any team that loses their starting quarterback, it's tough," Spagnuolo said. "I would credit our defense. They rose up and played. The guys just decided they were going to get us back in the football game and they did."
But the damage was done.
Arizona's first-half offensive production was too much for the Rams to overcome.
"We have to make plays. We didn't make plays in the first half. They came out and got some big runs on us," said Rams linebacker James Laurinaitis. "You can't give up 21 points in the first half. You can't put yourself behind like that."
Arizona's running attack, ranked 31st in the NFL coming into the game, rushed for 126 yards in the first half.
"They ran the ball good. That was the biggest thing. They had some big plays running the ball," said Rams defensive end Leonard Little. "They caught us a little off balance in the first half, so we had to come back and make adjustments."
Ultimately, the Rams' offense simply didn't have the firepower to complete a comeback.
"We knew we didn't play a good second quarter. That's where it got away from us. We just didn't have enough in the second half to get it done," Spagnuolo said. "Some of the things we did were pretty good. There are some issues with the long plays on defense. Until we solve that, we're always going to be playing uphill."
The Rams hope to build on its second half performance.
"We got guys in this locker room who are going to battle, scratch and claw to try to win games," Little said.
"We fought hard to come back again. That shows the character and the resilience of this team," Laurinaitis said. "There are certain things we need to do better. We can't give up 21 points off the bat. As long as we keep working and iron out the little things, we can turn this around."
The bright spot once again for the Rams was running back Steven Jackson, who rushed for 116 yards and one touchdown on 24 attempts. It was the fourth straight game he has rushed for 100 yards.
Jackson became the first player in Rams history to register five consecutive 1,000-yard rushing seasons.
"That's something special. Not a lot of guys are able to do that," Spagnuolo said. "Down deep, that's not the most important thing to him. I think we should tip our hat to him. And credit the offensive line as well."
Rams quarterback Marc Bulger suffered a fractured shin bone and will miss the next three to six weeks.
The Rams host Seattle (3-7) Sunday at noon.
