Total Is The Way To Go In Cardinals Vs Rams

Cardinals vs. Rams, 8:00 ET

I don't know about you, but I kind of enjoy having some games on Saturday. I kind of laughed when I heard Geoff Feinberg mention on the Outkick Bets podcast that he would have to make up an illness to get out of family obligations to watch Saturday NFL games when the Sunday has taken over all of our lives. Last Saturday there were just two games and this one we are up to three, all of which have some intrigue and playoff implications. Now we have the Cardinals taking on the Rams in the final game of the Saturday slate. 

The Cardinals had a great chance to win the division and make the playoffs this season, but they wasted it. At the bye week, the Cardinals were 6-4 having just won four straight games. After their bye week, Arizona has gone just 1-4. Their only win was against the Patriots, and it wasn't the most impressive victory, but they did at least win by 13. The only thing that the Cardinals have left to play for this season is to be a spoiler. They can keep the Rams from winning the division. I suppose they are still trying to figure out their roles for next season, but that part might actually make the team easier to beat at the moment as they figure things out for next year. The Rams defense hasn't been unstoppable, so the Cardinals should have a chance to put some points on the board. The Rams are around the middle-bottom of the league against the pass and have been very bad against the run. They are the eighth-worst team against the rush. With Kyler Murray scrambling around and the involvement of James Connor, the Cardinals should have the opportunity to rack up points. 

For many people, they say that the NBA season doesn't start until Christmas Day. For some teams, like the Rams, it appears that their season doesn't start until after their bye week. Before their bye week, the Rams were just 1-4. SInce that point, they are 8-2 and have won four straight games. This isn't the most ideal situation for the Rams as they had to travel to San Francisco, then to New York, and now back home to Los Angeles, but the team has played very good football lately. They've won games with nothing but field goals, and they've won games there was nothing but scoring repeatedly. This team has done a bit of everything over the past 10 games. Matthew Stafford threw for 320 yards in the game against Buffalo and has only thrown for 270 total in his past two games combined. It really is remarkable that they can win games in this variety of ways. The Rams haven't officially clinched their playoff spot yet, but they can solidify their position with a win here. The Cardinals defense should provide opportunities in both the pass and run game for the Rams. Against the run, the Cardinals are in the bottom quarter of the league. They are better against the pass, but Sean McVay will find ways to balance the offense, or rely on the run to get the Rams in the position needed to score. 

I don't know that I feel overly confident in the Rams covering this big spread, but I also am not ready to back the Cardinals with the way they've played lately. Instead, I think both teams are going to have offensive field days here. I am a bit concerned that both teams are more likely to make moves on the ground than through the air which means a running clock, but I think we get over 47.5 in this one.

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