LOS ANGELES RAMS (4-6) at ARIZONA (2-9)
Sunday, 4:05 p.m. EST, Fox
OPENING LINE: Cardinals by 1 1/2, according to FanDuel Sportsbook.
AGAINST THE SPREAD: Rams 4-5-1; Cardinals 6-5.
SERIES RECORD: Rams lead 49-40-2.
LAST MEETING: Rams beat Cardinals 26-9 on Oct. 15, 2023, in Los Angeles.
LAST WEEK: Rams beat Seahawks 17-16; Cardinals lost to Texans 21-16.
RAMS OFFENSE: OVERALL (17), RUSH (20), PASS (15), SCORING (22).
RAMS DEFENSE: OVERALL (18), RUSH (22), PASS (13), SCORING (20).
CARDINALS OFFENSE: OVERALL (25), RUSH (9), PASS (29), SCORING (25).
CARDINALS DEFENSE: OVERALL (24), RUSH (26), PASS (12), SCORING (27).
TURNOVER DIFFERENTIAL: Rams minus-2; Cardinals minus-2.
RAMS PLAYER TO WATCH: RB Kyren Williams. Los Angeles’ leading rusher is expected to return from a four-game absence with a sprained ankle. Williams flashed star potential against Arizona last month in the game in which he got injured, running for a career-high 158 yards and a touchdown. He should give a boost to the Rams’ inconsistent offense, which mostly gave the ball to veteran Royce Freeman and Darrell Henderson in Williams’ absence.
CARDINALS PLAYER TO WATCH: QB Kyler Murray. He has a 1-1 record as the starter since his return from a torn ACL in his right knee that caused him to miss roughly 11 months. Through two games, he has largely looked like the Murray of old. He completed 20 of 30 passes for 214 yards, one touchdown and one interception and also ran for 51 yards in last week's loss to the Texans. As he gets more comfortable with first-year offensive coordinator Drew Petzing, Murray's confidence should grow.
KEY MATCHUP: Rams QB Matthew Stafford vs. the Cardinals defense. Arizona's leading tackler, linebacker Kyzir White, is out for the foreseeable future after a biceps injury. The Cardinals will need their talented safety tandem of Budda Baker and Jalen Thompson to play well. Baker and Thompson were both injured for the Rams-Cardinals game earlier this season, which the Rams won 26-9.
KEY INJURIES: The Cardinals' White and DL Leki Fotu (hand) went on injured reserve Tuesday, meaning both will miss at least the next four games. ... Rookie WR Michael Wilson (shoulder) was inactive for last week's game. ... WR Cooper Kupp (ankle) missed practice Wednesday and WR Puka Nacua (shoulder) was limited. ... S Quentin Lake, a key slot defender in recent weeks, also missed Wednesday’s practice with a hamstring injury.
SERIES NOTES: The Rams have won 12 of the past 14 games in the series. The Rams have won eight straight in Arizona vs. the Cardinals since 2014.
STATS AND STUFF: The Rams are 3-1 against NFC West foes this season, sweeping Seattle and losing only to San Francisco. … Sean McVay is 11-1 against the Cards and has never lost on the road. … Williams had the best game of his career against Arizona last month, rushing for 158 yards and a touchdown before spraining his ankle late. … Stafford’s next TD pass will be his 342nd, tying him with Fran Tarkenton for 11th place in NFL history. … Nacua needs just 28 yards receiving to break the franchise record rookies, set by Eddie Kennison in 1996 (924 yards). … John Johnson largely took over as the first-string safety last week, supplanting Russ Yeast after nine weeks as a backup in his return to the Rams. The hard-hitting Johnson was a four-year starter for LA from 2017-20 before going to Cleveland for two seasons. … New K Lucas Havrisik is 4 for 5 on field goal attempts in his first three games, hitting the eventual game-winner in the final minutes last week vs. Seattle. ... Cardinals K Matt Prater has booted 11 field goals of 50-plus yards over his past 15 games, including two kicks from 56 yards, two from 57 and one from 62. ... The Cardinals defense intercepted Texans QB C.J. Stroud three times last weekend after the rookie had only been intercepted twice all season before Sunday's game. ... RB James Conner has scored 14 touchdowns in 11 games against NFC West opponents over the past three seasons. ... Baker will play his 100th career game with the franchise on Sunday.
FANTASY TIP: Kupp had a huge game against the Cardinals earlier this season, catching seven passes for 148 yards and a touchdown.
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