Arizona Cardinals at Los Angeles Rams Betting Preview
NFC West rivals will battle it out Sunday as the Arizona Cardinals (3-6) take on the Los Angeles Rams (3-5). The Rams will host this one at SoFi Stadium, with kickoff scheduled for 4:25 pm ET.
The Cardinals have lost back-to-back games against the Vikings (34-26) and Seahawks (31-21). In last week’s loss to Seattle, Kyler Murray threw for 175 yards and two scores. He also rushed for 60 yards, but it wasn’t enough for the Cardinals to pick up the win.
The defending champion Rams have also struggled this season, and they have also lost two in a row coming into Sunday’s contest. Last week, they lost 16-13 to the Buccaneers. Matthew Stafford threw for just 165 yards and a touchdown in the defeat.
These two teams battled it out in Week 3, with the Rams winning 20-12 on the road. In that win, both Cam Akers and Cooper Kupp scored rushing touchdowns, while Stafford threw for 249 yards but no touchdowns.
The Rams are slight favorites playing at home. They are -126 to win, while the Cardinals’ moneyline sits at +108. The spread features Arizona +1.5 (-110), and the over/under for total points is 40.5 (-110).
Arizona Trying To Get Out Of The Divisional Cellar
At 3-6, the Cardinals sit in the cellar of the NFC West. They have actually played better on the road (2-2) than at home (1-4), and they will be looking for some road magic to beat their divisional rivals.
Kyler Murray leads the team offensively under center. In nine games, he has thrown for 2,168 yards, 12 touchdowns, and six interceptions. He also leads the team in rushing, as he has 359 yards and two touchdowns in 59 attempts.
With Marquise Brown out with a foot injury, Zach Ertz has been Murray’s favorite target. The tight end has 46 receptions for 394 yards and four touchdowns.
Defensively, the Cardinals rank 31st, allowing opponents an average of 26.8 points per game (23 on the road).
Defending Champs Trying To Regain Form
If you only watched the first half of this NFL season, you would never be able to guess that the Rams won the Super Bowl last season. Still, with a lot of season left, the Rams are looking to make a push in the division starting Sunday.
The Rams’ offense has been especially concerning this year. They rank 29th in the league, averaging just 16.4 points per game (17.8 at home). Still facing one of the league’s worst defenses on Sunday, Matthew Stafford will hope to get things right offensively.
Stafford has thrown for 1,928 yards, eight touchdowns, and eight interceptions in eight games played this year. Despite his struggles, Cooper Kupp continues to be one of the league’s best receivers. He has 72 receptions for 813 yards and six touchdowns.
On the defensive side, the Rams rank 17th, allowing 21.6 points per game (24.2 at home).
Take The Rams To Win And Cover
While both teams have struggled lately, things really seem to be imploding for Arizona. Not only have they not been able to pick up wins, but tensions are boiling over, as demonstrated by a blowup between Kyler Murray and DeAndre Hopkins on the sidelines last week.
Looking at the trends, the Rams have dominated Arizona recently. They are 4-1 in their last five home games against the Cardinals, and they are 11-1 straight up against them in their last 12.
Expect that dominance to continue Sunday. Take Los Angeles to win and to cover the modest -1.5 spread (-110).
