Each club in this rematch from the Wild Card Round last season is hoping to capitalize on a strong Week 2 performance. The NFC West has been all over the place this year, but the Los Angeles Rams and Arizona Cardinals’ season has been turned upside down as they go into a pivotal week one game on Sunday.
Our Predictions: Rams vs Cardinals
After suffering some disheartening defeats to start the season, these two teams gained some measure of atonement on the previous Sunday by bouncing back with wins that set things back on the right track.
After suffering their first defeat of the season against the Bills by a score of 31-10, the Rams entered their next game with a record of 0-1 and a losing streak for the first time in the Sean McVay era.
However, they were able to level the score by claiming a victory against Atlanta by a score of 31–27. The Cardinals had a rough start to the season, losing to the Chiefs 44-21 in Week 1, but they bounced back with a thrilling 29-23 overtime victory against the Raiders in Week 2.
To compare and contrast these two victories, the Rams squandered a massive lead of 31-10 with less than 10 minutes to play and had to cling on for dear life until Jalen Ramsey intercepted the ball at the goal line with less than a minute to go.
This gave them victory. At the same time, the Cardinals were down by a score of 20-0 at halftime, but they came back to turn the game around in the second half, leading up to a mind-boggling conclusion in regulation (if you haven’t seen it yet, you can watch it on YouTube).
It was well worth it when we eventually won the game in overtime on a fumble return. When these two western opponents faced up against each other the previous time, the Rams were laying the wood to the Cardinals in a 34-11 thrashing commemorating Matthew Stafford’s first-ever NFL postseason victory. This game took place in January of last year.
Rams (1-1) vs Cardinals (1-1)
Rams vs Cardinals Picks And Odds
Both of these clubs come into the game with a record of 1-1 after their first two games. In Week 1, the Rams were taken by surprise by the Bills, but they were able to pull off a victory over the Atlanta Falcons.
Arizona had a similar experience, losing their first game by a large margin and then coming back to win their second game by a single point in overtime. Because Los Angeles has a stronger defense, I am giving them the edge in this matchup to cover the spread, even if Kyler Murray is a sneaky quarterback.
- In the Pointspread, the Rams are favored to (-3.5)
- The spread favors the Rams by -190 points, while the Cardinals are +160.
- Under/Over: 48.5%
Our Final Analysis
It is impossible to overlook the strange dynamic that is now taking place here. During the first half of this season, the Cardinals have been defeated by a score differential of 43-7.
Meanwhile, in the second halves of their two games, the Rams have been outscored by a combined score of 45-10.
A significant factor in the outcome of the game will be the Cardinals’ ability to get out to a fast start and make the first half of the game competitive, as well as the Rams’ ability to demonstrate some endurance and improve their second-half adjustments.
Oh, and before I forget, allow me to lob one more peculiar fact in your direction. After defeating the Houston Texans by a score of 31-5 at State Farm Stadium on October 24, 2021, the Cardinals have now lost their previous six home games.
Their last victory at State Farm Stadium came on that day. In one of those defeats, the Cardinals were defeated by the Rams in Glendale in December of last year, losing by a score of 30-23. Try to find anything comparable to that here.
