The Los Angeles Rams and the Arizona Cardinals are playing catch up to the Seattle Seahawks in the NFC West, so this will be a crucial battle between two teams looking to diminish the other’s chances of contending for the division title. Check out our preview of this game below.
Inconsistency once again bit the Rams, who wasted a brilliant effort by their defense in a 23-20 home loss to the San Francisco 49ers in Week 12. Jared Goff had 198 passing yards and two interceptions with no touchdowns on 19-of-31 completions. Goff and Malcolm Brown also lost a fumble each. The Rams’ offense will have to straighten their issues out, especially when the team’s defense is clicking. The Rams coaxed three turnovers from the 49ers and even scored a touchdown, which all should have been enough to get a win. In any case, the kind of defense will be crucial against the high-flying Cardinals’ offense. The Rams are fourth in the league with 1.4 takeaways per game. They are also allowing just 19.5 points and 197.0 total yards per game, fourth and second overall, respectively.
The Cardinals picked up another loss last Sunday, falling prey to the New England Patriots in Foxboro to the tune of a 20-17 score. Kyle Murray had 170 passing yards and zero touchdowns along with an interception on 23-of-34 completions. The Cardinals’ offense has become so dependent on Murray, so Arizona must be able to find alternatives to move the chains and score when the gual-threat signal-caller couldn’t. That burden is mostly on the shoulders of the team’s rushing attack that is fourth in the NFL with 155.9 rushing yards per game. Although Murray is also a big part of that, the pair of Kenyan Drake and Chase Edmonds has the ability to change the complexion of a contest. Because the Rams are a turnover-prone team, the Cardinals’ defense could be the star in this game for the Cardinals, who are averaging 1.3 takeaways per contest.
The over is 3-0 in the Cardinals’ last three home games.
