Cardinals vs Rams Free Pick, NFL Free Picks, NFL Predictions 12/28/24
- J.A. Cavalier
- Dec 27, 2024
- 3 min read
Arizona vs Los Angeles (LAR -6.5, 47.5)
NFL ODDS, NFL PREDICTIONS, NFL PREVIEWS
Arizona Cardinals vs Los Angeles Rams
The Arizona Cardinals were eliminated from the playoffs in Week 16 in heartbreaking fashion, falling short in overtime against Bryce Young and the Carolina Panthers. It’s a bitterly disappointing end to a season that, at times, showed promise, and another year that Kyler Murray won’t feature in the postseason.
On the opposite side of this NFC West matchup in Week 17, the L.A. Rams currently sit top of the division and can clinch the title this weekend if things fall their way. If they beat Arizona and the Seattle Seahawks lose to Chicago on Thursday Night Football, the division will belong to Sean McVay and his team. If Seattle wins, the Rams might not have officially wrapped it up, but they will be a win ahead with one game left to play… against Seattle in Week 18.
I don’t doubt that McVay would love to have it all signed, sealed and delivered before it comes down to that matchup with the Seahawks at SoFi Stadium, but as it stands the two appear to be on a collision course to play an early playoff game in Week 18.
Still, before that scenario comes into play, the Rams need to beat Arizona, something they did not do earlier in the season. It may have been Week 2 in the middle of September, but let me remind you that the Cardinals actually handed the worst loss of the Rams season to them, 41-10 at State Farm Stadium.
In that game, Kyler Murray, James Conner and rookie Marvin Harrison Jr were near flawless. The Cardinals QB went 17-21 for 266 yards and three touchdowns, finding Harrison for four catches, 130 yards and two touchdowns, as the Cardinals pulled away early.
Then going to the ground game, Conner had 122 yards of his own and a touchdown to boot, sending the Rams on a flight home with very little to show for their visit to the desert.
If the Cardinals can pull off a similar feat here at SoFi, the Rams will find themselves in a desperate situation that could mean missing the playoffs entirely with a loss to Seattle.
Matt Stafford and company will be wanting to avoid that at all costs, but they’ve struggled to put points on the board now in back-to-back games.
Against the Jets this past weekend, the Rams squeaked a win, but Stafford only threw for 110 yards in the game. The week prior he threw for 160, but the Rams failed to score a touchdown in what became a 12-6 kicking contest.
They need to figure that out in a hurry, and could find themselves with some much needed offensive momentum with a strong performance against Arizona.
That said, Kyren Williams popped up against the Jets with a thriller of a performance. He’s now had 100+ rushing yards in three of his last four games, including the two in which the pass game struggled.
So what will it be this weekend from the Rams, and can the Cardinals spoil the party?
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J.A Cavalier Free PICK
RAMS Team Total OVER 27.5
