Cardinals vs Rams Week 2 Picks

Staff predictions for who will win between the Arizona Cardinals and Los Angeles Rams are split.

Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray (1) against the Los Angeles Rams in the second half at State Farm Stadium in Glendale on Nov. 26, 2023. / Rob Schumacher/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK

The Arizona Cardinals are set to welcome fans back into State Farm Stadium for their regular season home opener with a divisional matchup against the Los Angeles Rams in Week 2.

Who emerges victorious?

Our staff picks below:

Cardinals vs Rams Week 2 Predictions

Donnie Druin - The Cardinals face an interesting task with the Rams, who find their offensive line depleted ahead of Sunday. Will it matter against an Arizona pass rush that failed to make an impact last weekend? We know the Cardinals’ offense can hold up their end of the bargain, though the defense still worries me. Until further notice, it’s wait-and-see mode. Reluctantly, I take the Rams. LA 26, AZ 21

Kyler Burd - Last week, I was optimistic that the Cardinals offense would be able to get enough done against a rebuilt Bills defense to squeak out a win on the road. In the first half it looked like that prediction would come true, but a combination of stalled offense and bad defense allowed Josh Allen and the Bills to storm back and hand the Cardinals a season-opening loss. The Rams are coming to Arizona and several elements of the upcoming match go in the favor of the home team. Los Angeles could be down up to three key offensive linemen. If the Cardinals’ pass rush can’t improve on an abysmal 12% pass-rush win rate it is a bad sign not only for Sunday’s game, but the entire season. Still, I think Kyler Murray and Drew Petzing took some lessons from the media hits they took after barely involving rookie Marvin Harrison, Jr in Week One. I expect to see him as an integral component of the gameplan. I will give more week of optimism that could potentially be plain old homerism, but I think the Cardinals will find a way to win at home. AZ 27, LA 21

Richard Bradshaw - The Cards played admirably on the road against the Bills, but it ultimately wasn’t enough to top one of the AFC’s best teams. The team returns to the desert and hosts the NFC West rival Rams for their home opener. This has a classic “trap game” energy around it for LA with the Cardinals looking to play up to their competition. Unfortunately, the Rams offense, even without Puka Nacua, is still too explosive for Arizona to keep up with, although I do believe Kyler Murray can expose this Rams defense.  LA 34, AZ 27

Kevin Hicks - The near-upset victory from the Cardinals on Sunday shouldn’t be a moral victory, but the perception that this squad will be competitive in virtually every game this season was further validated by the Bills’ drubbing of the Miami Dolphins on Thursday night. The Rams are already compromised, with OL Steve Avila/Joe Noteboom and star WR Puka Nacua on IR just one week in - but they still cannot be counted out. Rams HC Sean McVay has had his way with the Cardinals practically from day one on the job - and Matt Stafford remains among the elite quarterbacks in the game. Expect yet another high-scoring game, but Kyler Murray will come out on top in this instance and remedy the “mistake” that has been put on blast all week. Cards by a field goal. AZ 30, LA 27

Jack London - I am going to go slightly against the trend above - and going out on a limb and predicting a Cardinals blowout. By all accounts the Cardinals played better than most would expect against the Bills, and the analytics support that. They almost won despite a poor pass rush from edge defenders, no separation from the receivers and, apparently, covering well on the backend. This week they face a non mobile quarterback prone to mistakes, an offensive line in flux, with one main weapon at wide receiver. The alignment of these, along with the motivation to get over the recent history with LA and last weeks disappointing loss leads to perhaps the most satisfying win in years for Cardinals fans. I'm pulling the same score the Cardinals beat the Rams by over 30 years ago as inspiration. AZ 38, LA 10

Alex D'Agostino - It feels like Sean McVay could coach my high school powderpuff team to a win over the 2015 Arizona Cardinals. Seriously, they’re 2-13 against McVay’s Rams all-time. Yes, LA will be missing Puka Nacua and half their offensive line, but that simply doesn’t matter. With Arizona’s stoppable force (pass rush) meeting the Rams’ movable object (o-line), expect a monstrous game from Cooper Kupp and Kyren Williams, and expect Kyler Murray to be under a heavy dose of pressure from the right side. There’s a chance the Rams could be more susceptible to downfield passes, and Drew Petzing will likely want to get vertical and work some targets in for Marvin Harrison Jr., but there’s just too much football IQ on the LA sideline, with a veteran QB in Stafford who seems to be aging in reverse. Such is the life of an NFC West team, but I can’t see the Cardinals even putting a dent in McVay’s ownership of them. LA 34, AZ 19