Los Angeles Rams vs. Arizona Cardinals Odds, Picks, and Prediction
Rams vs. Cardinals Odds
| Rams Odds | -3.5 |
| Cardinals Odds | +3.5 |
| Over/Under | 49 |
| Date | Sunday, Sept. 25 |
| Time | 4:25 p.m. |
| TV | FOX |
On Sunday, the Los Angeles Rams and Arizona Cardinals will meet at State Farm Stadium, with both teams looking to rise above the .500 mark on the season. The Rams and Cardinals both suffered defeat in Week 1, but bounced-back with narrow victories in Week 2. Oddsmakers are expecting a tightly-contested affair between these two NFC West rivals, pricing Los Angeles as 3.5-point road favorites on the spread.
Let’s take a deeper look at the matchup to see where NFL bettors can find value at sportsbooks in this contest.
Los Angeles Rams
On opening night of the 2022 NFL season, the Rams were embarrassed by a final score of 31-10 against the Buffalo Bills. However, bettors should give them a pass for that performance, considering the emotional uniqueness of celebrating a championship prior to kickoff, in addition to the fact that Los Angeles was integrating multiple new faces on the offensive line – none of which played together during the preseason. Darrell Henderson and Cam Akers also saw their first real reps in months, due to the fact that both players were limited in the preseason with soft tissue injuries. In Week 2, the offense looked much better – scoring 21 points in the first half, and taking a 28-3 lead early in the third quarter. Cooper Kupp, Tyler Higbee, and Allen Robinson were each major contributors in the passing game, with Henderson and Akers adding 91 yards on the ground. Joe Noteboom, David Edwards, and Coleman Shelton still present concerns on the offensive line, but this is a favorable matchup against an Arizona defense that ranks 31st in sacks per pass attempt through two weeks. Expect a strong showing from this offense on Sunday.
Defensively, the Rams played extremely well last week against the Atlanta Falcons, holding them to 261 yards of total offense, forcing three turnovers, and recording three sacks. Though the final scoreboard shows that Los Angeles allowed 27 points, they had allowed only three points prior to a late score in the third quarter, followed by some overly-relaxed coverage in the final frame that made the game closer than it should have been. Arizona was held scoreless in the first half last week against a downtrodden Las Vegas Raiders defense. The Rams should have little trouble slowing down Kyler Murray and company in this one if they can manage to get pressure on him at the line of scrimmage.
Arizona Cardinals
In Week 2 against the Raiders, Kyler Murray had an average depth-of-target of less than seven yards for the afternoon. Despite his offensive line playing well in the contest, there was still an unwillingness to push the ball down-the-field, further evident by the fact that only one pass play resulted in a completion of more than 24 yards. This was a continuation of what we saw to open the year in Week 1 against the Kansas City Chiefs as well. The lack of reliable deep threat with DeAndre Hopkins suspended figures to continue limiting Murray’s ability to make aggressive throws with the football. It is worth noting that Murray’s best metrics have consistently been 20-plus yards from the line of scrimmage throughout the early portion of his career. Expect a lot of underneath work again on Sunday against the Rams.
On the defensive side of the ball, Arizona has struggled mightily through two weeks – ranking dead-last in EPA/play. In their season opener, they were pummeled 44-17 by the Kansas City Chiefs, and they allowed 20 points in the first half against the Raiders in Week 2 before Las Vegas’ play calling became extremely conservative, trying to protect a three-score lead. Other than J.J. Watt, there is nobody capable of generating consistent pressure on the opposing quarterback. This group also has one of the least formidable linebacker corps in the league. It would be surprising to see Arizona make life difficult for Los Angeles in this matchup.
*Rams vs. Cardinals Picks & Predictions
The Los Angeles Rams are the better football team on both sides of the ball in this matchup. They have the better offense, the better defense, and the better coaching staff – all of which should lead to them picking up a victory in this spot. Division games breed familiarity and competitiveness, so it makes sense to buy a half-point here, but it would be surprising to see the Rams on the losing end of the scoreboard this afternoon.
PICK: Rams -3 (-130) via DraftKings
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