Having already faced the Seattle Seahawks and San Francisco 49ers, the Los Angeles Rams will take on their third divisional opponent of the season Sunday when they host the Arizona Cardinals for the first of two meetings this year. Neither team is above .500 and while it’s too early to call this a must-win for either side, it’s a huge contest in terms of keeping their seasons alive and remaining somewhat in contention – especially for the Rams.
To preview this NFC West showdown, we chatted with Cards Wire editor Jess Root and got his take on the state of the team in the desert, as well as his prediction for the game. He expects the Rams to win, but not necessarily in blowout fashion.
Here are our five questions for Root ahead of Sunday’s game.
1
How different is this offense going to be without James Conner?
Cards Wire: What the Cardinals try to do will not be much different, I do not believe. They will still try to use the run game enough to set up play action. However, it will just likely mean that the run game will be less dynamic. Conner is not an elite back but is a very good runner, gets extra yards and has had many explosive runs this season. Conner’s bad runs are usually two yards, while we probably will see more one-yard and no-gain plays.
Keaontay Ingram started the season with four consecutive negative run plays.
A wrinkle we have seen the last two weeks that could be expanded is using receiver Rondale Moore as a running back with his terrifying speed.
2
What’s a weakness on defense the Rams can exploit?
Cards Wire: The truth is right now almost everything is a weakness defensively. They allowed Dallas’ Tony Pollard to rush for 122 yards. San Francisco’s Christian McCaffrey scored four touchdowns and had 179 total yards. They have given up big numbers to opposing receivers, with the Niners’ Brandon Aiyuk going 148 and Cincinnati’s Ja’Marr Chase catching 15 passes for 192 yards and three scores.
So it feels like either Cooper Kupp or Puka Nacua (or both) will have huge games.
3
Who’s an underrated player on either side of the ball that Rams fans should know?
Cards Wire: On offense, it is rookie receiver Michael Wilson, who has averaged 17 yards per catch on 15 receptions so far this season.
On defense, linebacker Kyzir White is now their best player. He is smart and very physical.
4
Despite their 1-4 record, are the Cardinals better than expected?
Cards Wire: I’d have to say they are much better than national expectations were for them. While they have been competitive in every game and had leads in four of the five, the second half of the game against the Bengals depleted them to probably be more what people thought.
Overall, yes. They are not the worst team in the league like most expected them to be. They should be 2-3 or 3-2. But they are still a bad team. They are mostly a good bad team, though.
5
Who wins on Sunday and why?
Cards Wire: I think the Rams’ passing attack and the lack of James Conner’s dynamic play will be the Cardinals’ undoing. The Rams are remarkably average, so it won’t be a blowout but it won’t be close. Rams 27, Cardinals 17.
