GLENDALE, Ariz. — The Rams’ game against the Arizona Cardinals on Monday night was always going to be a test of their place in the playoff pecking order. But in the hours before kickoff, it became something more. A test of their resources, resourcefulness and resolve.

Taking the field at State Farm Stadium without five important players lost to the COVID-19 reserve list, the Rams got big games from Matthew Stafford and Cooper Kupp on offense and Aaron Donald and Leonard Floyd on defense — and a cast of understudies all over the field.

The Rams beat the Cardinals, 30-23, to silence a red-clad crowd that wanted to cheer the home team closer to an NFC West division title.

“This was the sign of a mentally tough team,” said Rams coach Sean McVay, who had to juggled lineups and game plans between Friday and Monday. “I’m really proud of these guys.”

The win by the Rams (9-4) – their most notable victory since a September home win against Tampa Bay – cut Arizona’s (10-3) lead to one game and gave them a chance at the division title with four games left in the regular season, while also solidifying their position at the top of the conference wild-card race.

Stafford passed for 287 yards and three touchdowns, without an interception. Kupp caught a career-high 13 of Stafford’s 23 completions for 123 yards and a touchdown. Arizona’s Kyler Murray was intercepted twice, sacked a season-worst four times and held without a scoring pass.

Stafford said it was tough hearing Monday morning that the Rams would be without two more of their best players as All-Pro cornerback Jalen Ramsey and starting tight end Tyler Higbee went on the COVID-19 reserve list.

“Sometimes when your back’s against the wall, you’ve got less guys than you thought you were going to have going into a game, it brings us together a little bit,” Stafford said.

Tied at halftime, in danger of wearing down as the undermanned team, the Rams instead came out and got touchdown passes from Stafford on their first two series of the third quarter, helped by the defense’s second takeaway of the night.

A 52-yard strike to Van Jefferson at the goal line came one play after the Rams benefited from an unnecessary-roughness penalty following a catch by Kupp.

After Floyd continued an inspired performance by intercepting a Murray pass, the Rams took over at the Cardinals’ 19-yard line and went up, 27-13, when Kupp went down and caught a 4-yard pass inside the right end-zone pylon.

The Cardinals got one back on James Conner’s second touchdown run.

But Matt Gay’s third field goal of the night, and 18th consecutive successful field-goal attempt, made it a two-score game again with 7:20 left.

As the season has progressed, the Rams have been confronted more and more by injuries, none bigger than wide receiver Robert Woods’ season-ending knee injury.

But they had been unscathed by COVID-19 going into this week. Then, Friday, Rams leading rusher Darrell Henderson went on the list for players who test positive or have close contact with someone who did. And Saturday, right tackle Rob Havenstein and cornerback Dont’e Deayon were placed on the list.

The body blow came Monday afternoon when the Rams announced that Ramsey and Higbee were going on the COVID-19 list too.

Asked what his reaction to the Ramsey and Higbee news was, McVay said: “My initial reaction was, ‘You gotta be s——g me.’ “

That left the Rams without four starters because of coronavirus protocols, in addition to injured starting center Brian Allen.

Tight end Kendall Blanton, tackle Bobby Evans, and defensive backs David Long and Kareem Orr were among the Rams stepping into bigger roles.

If the team’s confidence was frayed, they began to stitch it together as the first half proceeded.

The Cardinals, seeking to repeat their 37-20 victory at SoFi Stadium in October, had scored first on a nine-play drive to a field goal. The Rams went three and out on their first series, and they were about to fall behind 10-0 when Arizona made another sustained drive inside their 10. Murray targeted tight end Zach Ertz in the end zone.

But Donald got a hand on the pass, and linebacker Ernest Jones intercepted it near the goal line.

From the sideline, it felt like a moment of magic to Stafford, who had been talking with Rams offensive coordinator Kevin O’Connell about what the offense would do if the Cardinals scored.

“Not three seconds before that play happened,” Stafford said, “I’m (talking) about, ‘All right, let’s answer back after this,’ and he goes, ‘Well, you don’t know. (Murray) could throw one in there, it could be tipped and picked,’ and as he’s finishing the sentence, the damn thing happened.”

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After Jones’ 31-yard return, the Rams went 68 yards to go in front for the first time on a 2-yard pass from Stafford to Odell Beckham Jr., giving the wide receiver touchdowns in three consecutive games.

The kickers were trading long field goals, Gay producing a season-best 55-yarder and later 35-yarder.

The Rams’ defense was doing better against Murray this time around. Donald recorded two of his sacks in the first half, giving him three in the past three quarters after he got to Trevor Lawrence in the fourth quarter of the Rams’ victory over the Jacksonville Jaguars. The makeshift secondary was holding the league’s completion-percentage leader below his norm.

Murray did pull out a signature play by running for 16 yards and stepping out of bounds at the Rams’ 36 with one second left before halftime, allowing Matt Prater to kick a 53-yard field goal and make it 13-13.

The Rams got a scare at the end of the second half too when Prater kicked his third field goal with 37 seconds left, and the Cardinals recovered an on-side kick.

But Donald, who had started the game with a sack, ended it with his season-high third sack of the game with Arizona at its own 42-yard line.

“He stepped up,” Floyd said, “like a lot of (Rams) players.”