The Los Angeles Rams and Arizona Cardinals will renew their rivalry on Sunday afternoon at SoFi Stadium their first of two meetings this season. The Rams have owned this matchup in recent years, winning 11 of their 13 meetings since 2017.
Arizona will still be without Kyler Murray, as well as James Conner, so it’s not as if the Cardinals are close to full strength. The Rams, meanwhile, will have Cooper Kupp for the second straight game; he’s coming off a 118-yard performance in his 2023 debut.
Here are seven stats and facts to know heading into Sunday’s matchup between these two NFC West foes.
1
Rams are 11-2 vs. Cardinals under Sean McVay
The Rams have owned the Cardinals since McVay became the head coach in 2017. They’re an impressive 11-2 against their division rival, with the only two losses coming in Week 10 last season when Matthew Stafford was out and Week 4 in 2021.
Other than that, the Rams beat the Cardinals 11 times, all by at least seven points. In fact, seven points is the smallest margin of victory by either team since 2017.
2
Rams have scored at least 30 points 9 times vs. Cardinals since 2017
Piggybacking on the Rams’ dominance of the Cardinals, their offense has been excellent against Arizona. In nine of their last 13 meetings since 2017, the Rams have scored at least 30 points. Their highest output was 38 points, which was in a 38-28 win in 2020, and the fewest points they’ve scored against the Cardinals in the last six years was 17.
Los Angeles has held Arizona under 10 points in five of their last 13 meetings, as well.
3
Matthew Stafford has 7 TDs, 1 INT in 4 games vs. Cardinals since 2021
As a member of the Rams, Stafford has been very good against the Cardinals. He’s 3-1 against Arizona since 2021, throwing seven touchdown passes and only one interception. In a 20-12 win last season, Stafford completed 18 of 25 passes for 249 yards, but he didn’t have a touchdown or interception.
In his career, including his time with the Lions, Stafford is 5-5-1 against Arizona with 17 touchdowns and nine interceptions.
4
Cardinals rank 2nd in yards per carry this season
Arizona’s running game has helped carry the offense this season, though it will look a bit different with James Conner injured. Up to this point, the Cardinals have averaged 5.5 yards per carry, which ranks second in the NFL. They have the sixth-most rushing yards (716) despite only attempting the 18th-most rushes of any team.
The Rams have struggled against the run, allowing 4.3 yards per carry this season (11th-worst), but again, it’s a different offense in Arizona without Conner healthy.
5
Arizona allows 2nd-most plays and yards per drive
The Cardinals defense has not been very good this season, allowing the sixth-most yards and seventh-most yards. When looking at their play on a per-drive basis, it’s even worse. The Cardinals allow opponents to run 6.8 plays per drive and gain 36.8 yards per possession, both of which are the second-worst in the NFL. They’re also allowing opponents drives to last 3:11 on average, also second-worst.
The Rams offense is one of the best on a per-drive basis, ranking fourth in time of possession per drive, second in plays and seventh in yards.
6
Only 2 defenses are worse on third down than Cardinals
The Rams have converted on 43.7% of their third-down attempts this season, which is the ninth-best rate in the league. The Cardinals have been very bad on third down defensively, which is somewhere Los Angeles must capitalize on opportunities. The Cardinals have the third-worst third-down defense, allowing opponents to convert 47.5% of the time. Only the Bears and Seahawks have been worse this season.
7
Jonathan Gannon used to be a Rams scout
Gannon didn’t get his start in the NFL with the Rams – his first job was as a Falcons defensive quality control coach in 2007 – but St. Louis did give him his first scouting gig in the pros. In 2009, he was hired by the Rams as a college scout, and in 2010, he moved up to pro scout, a job he held for two years.
Gannon then went into coaching, with his most recent job before Arizona being in Philadelphia as the Eagles’ defensive coordinator.
