Prediction: Rams over Cardinals, 25-21

L.A. should lean on the running game against Arizona defense

The Los Angeles Rams head down the backstretch of the 2020 season looking to reach the postseason.

The Rams have three of the final five games at home, but travel to the desert to face the Arizona Cardinals this weekend, looking to redeem themselves after a disappointing loss to the San Francisco 49ers last week.

At 6-5, the Cardinals also are scuffling, having lost two straight and three of their last four games. Rams (7-4) head coach Sean McVay is 6-0 against the Cardinals, but L.A. faces a tougher challenge from an Arizona team lead by electric quarterback Kyler Murray.

One thing working in the Rams’ favor is they remain one of the healthier teams in the league. Other than left tackle Andrew Whitworth (knee) and safety Taylor Rapp (knee) in injured reserve, the Rams should have most of their frontline players on the field against the Cardinals.

“They play hard, they’re an aggressive defense and it’s going to be a really good challenge for us,” McVay said about the Cardinals. “Everybody's looking forward to bouncing back and it’s not going to be easy, but that's what you love about the opportunity to respond and that's exactly what I believe our guys will do.”

Matchup microscope
Jared Goff needs to play better after a three-turnover performance against San Francisco. He’ll likely face an Arizona defense led by defensive coordinator Vance Joseph that likes to blitz. Per Next Gen Stats, the Cardinals blitz 39.2 percent of the time, fifth-most in the NFL. Similar to Jamal Adams of the Seattle Seahawks a few weeks ago, Arizona safety Budda Baker is an effective pass rusher coming on blitzes. Goff will need to locate where Baker is pre-snap and make sure he gets picked up. Along with that, Goff has to do a better job of making decisions and taking care of the football. There should be opportunities for the Rams to make some plays down the field. “I think Budda Baker has ascended into one of the best players in this league,” McVay said. “If you watch and you say, ‘What does it look like to compete with a relentless passion every single snap?’ you watch #32 (Baker) for their defense.”

One to watch
Murray is dangerous because of the plays he can make with his feet. Defenses have done a good job of taking his playmaking ability away by making him give the ball to the running back on read option plays, blitzing to keep him in the pocket and getting their hands up at the line of scrimmage when he’s ready to pass. The Rams should do the same thing, and they already were successful against a quarterback who plays with a similar style earlier this season in Russell Wilson. “You can just see he’s playing more confident, feeling a little bit more comfortable being in his second year,” Rams defensive tackle Aaron Donald said about Murray. “He’s playing better football than he was last year, and he’s got some good guys around him that's helping him as well. We’ve got our hands full, but we’ll prepare for the challenge and be ready.”

Fun to watch
Jalen Ramsey and DeAndre Hopkins know each other well from facing each other twice a year in the AFC South when Ramsey played for the Jacksonville Jaguars and Hopkins for the Houston Texans. They will rekindle that matchup this weekend. Hopkins is once again having a great year, leading Arizona with 77 receptions for 967 yards and four touchdowns. And while he has only one interception on the year, Ramsey has shut down most top-notch receivers he’s faced this season, including DK Metcalf and Mike Evans. But Hopkins is better than those two, and this should be a highly competitive matchup. 

Key to the game
The Cardinals allow 123.4 rushing yards a contest, No. 22 in the NFL. The Rams should lean on running backs Darrell Henderson Jr., Cam Akers and Malcolm Brown to create balance on offense and take some pressure off Goff. L.A. needs to take care of the football. The Rams are 2-3 when they lose the turnover battle this season. I could see Arizona winning this game, but I believe the Rams will handle their business on defense and score enough on offense to take the victory.

Prediction
Rams 25, Cardinals 21