We have a must-win clash in the tightest (proper) division in the NFL. No Cowboys fans, the NFC East doesn’t count!
The Los Angeles Rams take their 7-4 record on the road to Glendale, Arizona to take on the Cardinals. Just 3 games separate all 4 teams in this division and every win is vital. Kliff Kingsbury needs to rejuvenate his usually high-powered offense which has stuttered as of late, resulting in the Cards dropping 3 of their last 4 games. That would have been all 4 had it not been for that last gasp Hail Mary against Buffalo. The Rams form has also been patchy and they’re coming off a heartbreaking loss to NFC West rivals San Francisco. So it’s all to play for and this one might just come down to who has the mental toughness to keep themselves alive in the Playoffs race.
Betpat Betting:
Money line: Rams 4/6 Cardinals 6/5
Points Spread: Rams -3
Over/Under: 48.5
Robert Woods is 5/1 for 100 Yds receiving and 1+ TD. Not too shabby. If you want something more adventurous, you can get 22/1 on Darrell Henderson to score a TD in each half!
Fantasy Football Outlook:
Los Angeles Rams:
The Rams strength is usually their defense. They’re 2nd in the league in yards allowed per game and 4th in Points allowed per game. Aaron Donald is a one-man wrecking crew and Jalen Ramsey will tell you he’s the best corner in football. And it’s hard to argue with him.
Offensively, it’s a mixed bag and very hard to predict. I feel this team is littered with “could do’s” and no real “will do’s”. The committee style RB approach leaves no front runner.
On the outside, Cooper Kupp, Robert Woods and Tyler Higbee can all make plays but you don’t want to be hanging your hat on any of them on any given week. Woods, to his credit, may be the best WR in the league that nobody ever mentions.
Jared Goff sums this offense up in a nutshell. Ranked 17th. Bang slap in the middle of the road. Some days really good, some really bad. You never know what you will get out of them.
Arizona Cardinals:
The Cardinals offense has talent to burn. At this stage, there shouldn’t be anyone who isn’t familiar with Kyler Murray and De’Andre Hopkins. Kenyan Drake looks like he has now fully recovered from the injury problems he was having so this is still a very potent offense. Andy Isabella continues in the absence of Larry Fitzgerald, but he will have to start adding to his 2 TD’s on the season before he could be considered a reliable option. I think Christian Kirk could be the guy to pick up for this game, if you’re lucky enough to be in one of the 17% of leagues he’s still available. With Hopkins going to be shadowed by Ramsey all day, Kirk may get his time to really shine.
My Prediction:
Where do you start in predicting this game. You have the (usually) explosive offense of the Cardinals vs the (usually) miserly LA defense. You have D-Hop vs Ramsey renewing their old rivalry from their AFC South days which, as far as games within a game go, is a mouth-watering prospect. You have the dominant Aaron Donald looking to make life Hell for the lightning rod that is Kyler Murray. Put all that in a bowl, sprinkle in some Kenyan Drake, Cooper Kupp, Christian Kirk, Robert Woods, and we got ourselves a humdinger. This is a toss up for me, and my coin came up Arizona.
Arizona by 3
