It was ugly, but the Arizona Cardinals found a way to win 19-13 on the road against San Francisco. The NFC West leaders have to gear up for another road game against another divisional rival, the St. Louis Rams. The Cards will have revenge on their minds for this game after losing the first matchup at home24-22 on the strength of the Rams’ rookie running back Todd Gurley.
Line: Arizona Cardinals (-6) at St. Louis Rams (+6); total: 43.0 – view all NFL lines
TV Broadcast: FOX
Betting on the Arizona Cardinals (9-2)
Quarterback Carson Palmer scored his first rushing touchdown since 2012, scrambling left for an eight-yard score late in the fourth quarter. He lost some style points for his celebration, though, tumbling forward after spiking the ball. Chandler Catanzaro missed the extra-point attempt to give Blaine Gabbert and the 49ers a chance to win with 2:21 left in the game. The Cards stopped San Francisco on fourth down to seal the 19-13 victory.
[sc:NFL240banner ]Palmer struggled to get going in the game. He made 24 of 40 passes for 271 yards with no touchdowns and interceptions. But he salvaged the team with his go-ahead run. John Brown and Larry Fitzgerald gave Palmer solid targets, finishing with 99 and 66 yards receiving respectively. Palmer and his receivers should look for a big game against St. Louis, who allowed Andy Dalton to throw for 233 yards and three touchdowns in Week 12.
The Cards may need to air the ball out a lot more in this matchup especially after Chris Johnson (knee) and Andre Ellington (foot) both bowed out to injury against the 49ers. Possibly missing Johnson will be crucial, considering that he had 83 yards rushing. The Cards may need to pin their hopes on rookie David Johnson though. He only has 118 yards and three touchdowns on 27 carries this season; he had a one-yard score against the 49ers.
Arizona could be in for a big game if they can limit St. Louis’ rushing offense on the other side of the ball. The Cards were torched at home by St. Louis’ Todd Gurley for 146 yards on 19 carries in October. That game aside, the Cards have put on quite a formidable front seven, allowing opponents to rush just 91.1 yards per game.
The Cards are 3-1 SU and 2-2 ATS against NFC West this season. The total has gone over in three of the four games.
Betting on the St. Louis Rams (4-7)
The St. Louis Rams dropped yet another game, 31-7 on the road against the Cincinnati Bengals. It’s the Rams’ fourth straight loss and seventh of their last 10. But a return home to Edward Jones Dome should give them a spark, especially facing division rivals the Arizona Cardinals.
With quarterback Case Keenum recovering from a head injury, Nick Foles was back starting for the Rams. He threw three interceptions, one returned for a 19-yard pick-six. Foles didn’t exactly have the biggest of games against the Cardinals in Week 4, throwing for just 171 yards. But he did haul in three touchdowns in a tight 24-22 victory.
If Foles is back starting under center, don’t expect him to put up big numbers. But he should be able to find the end zone at least once with the talent surrounding him. Kenny Britt had a solid outing against the Bengals, catching six passes for 63 yards; Jared Cook caught four for 58 yards. But if the Rams are to win this rematch, then they’ll need their ground game to go into overdrive.
Rookie running back Todd Gurley will need to go back to his stellar outings earlier in the season when he ran for four-straight 120-plus yard games. He’s been especially quiet recently with just 130 yards combined in his last three outings. In a crucial home game against a division rival, expect Gurley to pick up some slack in a spirited effort.
On the other side of the ball, the Rams are tied for fifth in the league with 30 sacks this season. Getting the pass rush going against Arizona will be crucial, as the Cards may be forced to air the ball out more with two running backs ailing with injuries.
It will be up to defensive linemen Aaron Donald and Robert Quinn to get past Arizona’s solid offensive line, which is tied for fifth with just 17 sacks allowed this season. Donald and Quinn are the top two pass rushers in St. Louis with seven and five sacks respectively.
The total has gone under in three of the Rams’ last four games at home.
Writer’s Prediction
While the Rams may not get the win, they’ll keep this game extremely close with all the Cards injuries. Take St. Louis to cover the spread. Create a betting account now and win big on action-packed NFL games.
