Ahkello Witherspoon makes last-minute interception to preserve Rams' 13-9 win over Arizona

INGLEWOOD, Calif. (AP) — The Los Angeles Rams spent the entire second half struggling on offense while bending just enough on defense to preserve a tiny lead.

Arizona even backed Los Angeles into its own end zone in the final minute, needing just one big play to steal a win.

Ahkello Witherspoon and the Rams hung on by their fingertips, and now they're on the brink of another NFC West title.

Witherspoon made a diving interception on a deflected pass in the end zone with 37 seconds to play, and the Rams barely maintained command of the division race with a 13-9 victory over the Cardinals on Saturday night.

Puka Nacua had 129 yards receiving and Kyren Williams scored the only touchdown for the Rams (10-6), who grinded through a difficult offensive night and survived a hair-raising fourth quarter for their fifth consecutive victory.

“We didn’t do a whole lot great, to be honest with you,” said Matthew Stafford, who passed for 189 yards in the Rams’ ninth win in 11 games. “Didn’t run it great. Didn’t throw it great. But found a way to get a win and get enough points.”

The Rams host Seattle (9-7) in their regular-season finale next weekend, but they could already have coach Sean McVay’s fourth division title clinched before then.

If the Bills, Browns, Vikings, Commanders and 49ers combine for three wins — or two wins and a tie — over the next two days, Los Angeles will be NFC West champions based on its strength of schedule, no matter what happens against Seattle.

If the Rams don’t get that strength-of-schedule help this week, they’re still in command of the division race: The Seahawks will have to beat the Rams and get help from multiple teams to claim the West while denying the Rams’ sixth playoff berth in eight seasons under McVay.

The Rams narrowly avoided a winner-take-all finale against Seattle by holding off the Cardinals, who played a tremendous defensive game one week after getting eliminated from playoff contention.

Kyler Murray passed for 321 yards and threw two late interceptions for Arizona (7-9), which managed just three points out of three drives into Rams territory in the fourth quarter.

Arizona drove to the Los Angeles 5 in the final minute, but the Rams called an all-out blitz on first down. Murray’s quick pass deflected off tight end Trey McBride's helmet, and Witherspoon made a 10-fingertip interception in the end zone that was upheld by video review even though the ball touched the ground while between his hands.

“Just the way the NFL works, you never really know, honestly,” Witherspoon said. “I thought I stuck it. You saw by my celebration. But once I saw that replay, any time that ball hits the ground, you never know.”

McBride made both his 100th reception and his first touchdown catch of the season for Arizona, which has lost five of six. McBride had 12 catches for 123 yards, and Marvin Harrison Jr. had 96 yards receiving.

“The ball didn’t bounce our way,” Arizona coach Jonathan Gannon said. “Got the ball at the end, thought we were going to win, and they made a good play. It stings because we’re there, but we’re not there. When we play our brand of ball, we can compete and beat everyone, but it doesn’t mean a lot.”

Williams' 14th rushing TD of the season 3:23 before halftime opened the scoring and capped the Rams' first good drive.

Arizona finally scored midway through the third quarter on a 1-yard catch by McBride, who got his first touchdown on the 98th reception of his franchise-record season for a tight end.

The Cardinals got to 10-9 early in the fourth quarter with Chad Ryland's short field goal after their second straight impressive drive. Rams rookie Joshua Karty made his second field goal with 6:41 left.

Arizona drove to the Rams 40, but stalled before rookie Kam Kinchens intercepted Murray's fourth-down heave to the goal line with 3:02 left. But Kinchens cost the Rams a few dozen yards of field position by returning it to the 11 instead of batting it down, and the Rams' offense punted the ball back to the Cards just 1:01 later.

“I felt like for sure we were going to win that game,” Murray said. “We drove down the field, and (there's) nothing the defense can do to stop us, and at the end a (lousy) turn of events. We got unlucky.”

Michael Hoecht blocked Arizona's extra-point attempt in the third quarter. The 6-foot-4 linebacker leads the NFL this season with three blocked kicks, the second-most in Rams history.

Cardinals: CB Garrett Williams was evaluated for a concussion in the second half. ... RB James Conner suited up despite a knee injury, but had just four ineffective carries before getting shut down.

Rams: RT Rob Havenstein sat out with a shoulder injury incurred during practice this week. The veteran missed his fifth game of the season, and backup Joe Noteboom committed three holding penalties.

The Rams have won three straight and 11 of their last 15 over Seattle. The Cardinals finish at home against the 49ers.

AP NFL: https://apnews.com/NFL

Arizona Cardinals cornerback Max Melton, right, breaks up a pass intended for Los Angeles Rams wide receiver Puka Nacua during the second half of an NFL football game Saturday, Dec. 28, 2024, in Inglewood, Calif. (AP Photo/Ryan Sun)

Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray (1) throws under pressure from Los Angeles Rams defensive tackle Braden Fiske (55) during the second half of an NFL football game Saturday, Dec. 28, 2024, in Inglewood, Calif. (AP Photo/Alex Gallardo)

Los Angeles Rams safety Kamren Kinchens, left, celebrates after intercepting a pass during the second half of an NFL football game against the Arizona Cardinals, Saturday, Dec. 28, 2024, in Inglewood, Calif. (AP Photo/Alex Gallardo)

Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray (1) hugs Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford after an NFL football game Saturday, Dec. 28, 2024, in Inglewood, Calif. (AP Photo/Alex Gallardo)

Los Angeles Rams defensive tackle Braden Fiske (55) reacts after sacking Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray during the first half of an NFL football game Saturday, Dec. 28, 2024, in Inglewood, Calif. (AP Photo/Alex Gallardo)

Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray (1) throw a pass during the first half of an NFL football game against the Los Angeles Rams, Saturday, Dec. 28, 2024, in Inglewood, Calif. (AP Photo/Alex Gallardo)

Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray (1) runs past Los Angeles Rams safety Kamren Curl (3) during the first half of an NFL football game Saturday, Dec. 28, 2024, in Inglewood, Calif. (AP Photo/Alex Gallardo)

Arizona Cardinals wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr., left, makes a catch past Los Angeles Rams safety Quentin Lake, right, during the second half of an NFL football game Saturday, Dec. 28, 2024, in Inglewood, Calif. (AP Photo/Ryan Sun)

Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford (9) throws under pressure from Arizona Cardinals linebacker Zaven Collins (25) during the first half of an NFL football game Saturday, Dec. 28, 2024, in Inglewood, Calif. (AP Photo/Alex Gallardo)

Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray, left, is sacked by Los Angeles Rams defensive tackle Braden Fiske (55) during the first half of an NFL football game Saturday, Dec. 28, 2024, in Inglewood, Calif. (AP Photo/Ryan Sun)

The ball deflects off Arizona Cardinals tight end Trey McBride's helmet in the closing seconds of an NFL football game against the Los Angeles Rams, Saturday, Dec. 28, 2024, in Inglewood, Calif. (AP Photo/Alex Gallardo)

NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. stocks are opening lower as a strong year for the market looks set to end on a sour note. The S&P 500 was down 1.3% early Monday. With just two days left in 2024, the benchmark index still on track for its second straight yearly gain of more than 20%. The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 534 points, or 1.2%. The Nasdaq composite fell 1.5%. Declines in Big Tech companies like Apple and Microsoft weighed on the market. Boeing fell after one of its jets skidded off a runway in South Korea, killing 179 of the 181 people aboard.

THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. AP’s earlier story follows below.

Wall Street retreated in light premarket trading Monday as the year draws to a close lacking the euphoria that pushed markets to record highs in 2024.

Futures for the S&P 500 slipped 0.4% before the bell, while futures for the Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 0.3%.

South Korea’s Kospi dropped 0.2% to 2,399.49 and shares of Jeju Air Co., a low-cost South Korean airline, lost 8.7% after one of the company’s Boeing 737-800s skidded off a runway, slammed into a concrete wall and burst into flames Sunday, killing 179 of the 181 people aboard. Authorities were investigating why the aircraft’s landing gear failed to deploy.

The disaster was yet another blow for Boeing following a machinists strike, further safety problems with its troubled top-selling aircraft and a plunging stock price. Its shares fell 3% in premarket trading and have declined more than 30% this year.

Despite some post-Christmas sluggishness, U.S. financial markets are moving closer to another standout annual finish. The S&P 500 is on track for a gain of around 25% in 2024. That would mark a second consecutive yearly gain of more than 20%, the first time that has happened since 1997-1998.

The gains have been driven partly by upbeat economic data showing that consumers continued spending and the labor market remained strong. Inflation, while still high, has also been steadily easing.

The stream of upbeat economic data and easing inflation helped prompt a reversal in the Federal Reserve’s interest rate policy this year. Expectations for interest rate cuts also helped drive market gains. The central bank recently delivered its third cut to interest rates in 2024.

In Asia, Tokyo’s benchmark Nikkei 225 index ended 1% lower, at 39,894.54. The last trading session of the year ended on a somber note with the Japan Exchange Group's CEO Hiromi Yamaji apologizing during the traditional yearend ceremony over a recent insider trading case.

“I acknowledge trust towards the market is essential for investors to trade with confidence," Yamaji said. The exchange is working to improve training and verify findings of an independent investigation, he said, adding that “we are doing are our utmost best to rebuild trust and prevent this from happening again.”

In early European trading, Germany’s DAX inched back 0.1%, the CAC 40 in Paris was up 0.2% Britain’s FTSE 100 was unchanged.

The Hang Seng in Hong Kong lost 0.2% at 20,041.42 while the Shanghai Composite index gained 0.2% to 3,407.33. Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 dipped 0.3% to 8,235.00.

U.S. benchmark crude oil gained 28 cents to $70.88 per barrel. Brent crude, the international standard, picked up 20 cents to $73.99 per barrel.

The dollar was trading at 157.55 yen, while the euro rose to $1.0445.

FIL:E - The New York Stock Exchange is shown in New York's Financial District on Dec. 23, 2024. (AP Photo/Peter Morgan, File)

Participants perform a traditional hand clap at the end of a ceremony to conclude the year's trading at the Tokyo Stock Exchange Monday, Dec. 30, 2024, in Tokyo. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)

Nikkei 225 index is seen on screen at the site of a ceremony to mark the last trading day of the year at the Tokyo Stock Exchange Monday, Dec. 30, 2024, in Tokyo. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)

Visitors look at the end of a ceremony to conclude the year's trading at the Tokyo Stock Exchange Monday, Dec. 30, 2024, in Tokyo. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)

Participants perform a traditional hand clap at the end of a ceremony to conclude the year's trading at the Tokyo Stock Exchange Monday, Dec. 30, 2024, in Tokyo. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)

A staff works on the last trading day of the year at the Tokyo Stock Exchange Monday, Dec. 30, 2024, in Tokyo. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)

Nikkei 225 index is seen on screen as a TV camera crew films the site of a ceremony to mark the last trading day of the year at the Tokyo Stock Exchange Monday, Dec. 30, 2024, in Tokyo. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)

Participants attend the end of a ceremony to conclude the year's trading at the Tokyo Stock Exchange Monday, Dec. 30, 2024, in Tokyo. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)

Media wait for the ceremony to mark the last trading day of the year at the Tokyo Stock Exchange Monday, Dec. 30, 2024, in Tokyo. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)

Hiromi Yamaji, CEO of Japan Exchange Group (JPX) delivers a speech at the end of a ceremony to conclude the year's trading at the Tokyo Stock Exchange Monday, Dec. 30, 2024, in Tokyo. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)

A person walks in front of an electronic stock board showing Japan's Nikkei index at a securities firm Friday, Dec. 27, 2024, in Tokyo. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)

FIL:E - People photograph the New York Stock Exchange in New York's Financial District on Dec. 23, 2024. (AP Photo/Peter Morgan, File)

People walk in front of an electronic stock board showing Japan's Nikkei index at a securities firm Friday, Dec. 27, 2024, in Tokyo. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)

FILE - The New York Stock Exchange is shown behind the statue titled "Fearless Girl", Thursday, Dec. 12, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson, File)