Cardinals vs Rams Odds: LA Looking to Turn Things Around
Arizona Comes Back to Earth After Upsetting Dallas
The teams at the bottom of the standings in the NFC West meet in Los Angeles on Sunday. The 1-4 Arizona Cardinals visit the 2-3 Rams in one of the late afternoon games. Both teams are coming off losses, with Arizona falling to Cincinnati and the Rams suffering a defeat at the hands of Philadelphia.
The Cardinals vs Rams odds have Los Angeles favored by 7 points, and the total on the game is up slightly to 48.5.
Arizona Cardinals vs Los Angeles Rams 
Date & Time: Location: SoFi Stadium, Inglewood, California
Streaming: FOX
Line: Los Angeles -7
Total: 48.5
Cardinals on 2-Game Losing Streak
The Cardinals played tough their first two games of the season and then upset Dallas in Week 3. But Arizona is 0-2 straight-up and against the spread in its last two games, losing both by at least 14 points. That’s what was expected out of the Cardinals this season. The Cardinals are 1-4 straight-up and 3-2 ATS while going 3-1-1 in totals.
The Cardinals are running the ball well. Arizona is running for 143.2 yards per game and 5.5 yards per carry. The problem is the Cardinals aren’t sticking with the run, rushing 26 times and throwing 31 times per game. Arizona is throwing for 185.8 yards per game, about 20 fewer than its opponents allow on average.
Defensively, Arizona is allowing 27.2 points per game. The Cardinals are pretty average against the run. But the pass defense hasn’t been that good, and Arizona allows 251.4 yards per game. The Cardinals have allowed 270 or more passing yards in three of its five games this season.
Rams Battling Against NFL’s Toughest Schedule
Los Angeles is 2-3 on the season but has played the toughest NFL 2023 schedule in the league, according to the Sagarin NFL rankings. The Rams have faced Philadelphia, Cincinnati, and San Francisco. Los Angeles scores 22.4 points per game against teams, allowing 20.6 points. The Rams aren’t doing anything special on the ground, but the passing game has worked. Los Angeles is throwing for 270 yards per game.
The defense has been pretty solid, allowing 21.6 points per game against teams that score 26 points a game on average. The run defense has been pretty average, while the passing defense has been better than average, allowing 206.8 yards and 56.3% completions.
The Rams are 0-2 at home this season, losing to the 49ers and Eagles, so this is the first time they’ve been favored at home. Los Angeles won at Indianapolis as a 1-point road favorite and knocked off Seattle on the road as 4.5-point underdogs. Los Angeles is 2-1-2 against the point spread and 2-3 in totals this season.
What to Expect
The Cardinals need to come out and run the football. The NFL game results show Los Angeles is tough against the pass but pretty average defending the run. It’s what Arizona does best and what Los Angeles defends worst. Arizona is averaging 27:30 minutes of possession and needs to increase that a little bit here. The Cardinals can’t leave the defense on the field too long, or Matthew Stafford will pick the secondary apart.
The Rams aren’t particularly great at running the ball, but they don’t need to be in this one. The Cardinals are giving up too many yards through the air, and Los Angeles should be able to exploit that. Los Angeles completes a lower percentage of its passes than teams allow but has a higher yards per pass attempt rating, so the Rams are making some big plays. They should be able to manage a few in this one.
Who to Bet On?
The Cardinals vs Rams odds might be a shade low, as Arizona is starting to struggle. If the game was a few weeks ago, Los Angeles would have been closer to a 5-point favorite. But the Cardinals don’t have the depth other teams do and are a team expected to weaken a bit as the season goes on.
The Arizona running game has been a pleasant surprise, especially with teams not having to worry too much about the passing game. But as long as the Cardinals throw more than they run, they will be in trouble.
The Cardinals vs Rams odds on the total of 48.5 seem a little high, but there are plenty of trends to support an over in this one. This is the highest total Arizona has played to this season. The Rams had a total of 50 last week against the Eagles and finished well under the number. But Los Angeles is 6-1 in totals in its last seven divisional home games.
With the latest NFL lines showing the total moving from 46 to 48.5, will go ahead and take the over for the play in this game.
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