Since its opening in 2020, the Rams and Cardinals have faced off five times at SoFi Stadium. The Rams hold a slight advantage over their division rivals, having won three times at home during that stretch.
However, when you look at those games beyond just the scoreboard, there’s a clear narrative that gives the Rams a small advantage entering their matchup on Saturday night.
This matchup is not necessarily a must-win game for the Rams but it’s pretty close. A loss sets up a win and in-game next week against Seattle for the NFC West but if the Rams beat Arizona on Saturday, they set up a potential division-clinching scenario that could allow them to rest their starters during the last game of the season.
LA needs a win plus four total wins from the Bengals, Browns, Bills, Commanders, 49ers and Vikings. If four or more of those teams win (and LA also wins), the Rams take the NFC West based on their strength of victory.
So how does this impact Saturday’s game? The Rams and Cardinals have played at SoFi in two “must-win” scenarios. Both have resulted in double-digit wins for the Rams.
In 2020, the Rams defeated the Cardinals 18-7 to clinch the final playoff spot in the NFC in their season finale. The Rams went on to upset the Seahawks in Seattle in the wild-card round before falling to the Packers in Green Bay.
In 2021, the Rams blew out Arizona 34-11 in the wild-card round, eventually ending their year as Super Bowl champions.
The Cardinals have yet to defeat the Rams in Los Angeles after November this decade and there’s a significant increase in production by the Rams towards the end of the year – another positive sign for a team desperate to make the postseason.
The Cardinals are looking for their first season sweep of the series since 2014.
