Will LA bounce back from a home loss?
The Monday Night Game is often contested by teams from the NFC West this season. This is also the case on NFL Match Day 14, when the Arizona Cardinals host the Los Angeles Rams in an enormously important duel.
This could almost decide the division victory, namely in the event of a Cards victory. Then they would have a three-win advantage over the Rams + the won direct comparison, which they should not let themselves take away in the normal case.
For the Rams, this game therefore means the last chance to make the NFC West. If they lose, their starting position in the NFC in general would become much worse, as the 49ers, Vikings and Washington could then all move closer.
LA will certainly want to avenge their demoralising defeat at the beginning of October, so they will be highly motivated going into the game. For Cardinals vs. Rams, our prediction is also an away win for the Californians, which would bring them to within one win of the Cards.
Kickoff of the exciting Monday Night Game is at 02:15 on Tuesday night in Phoenix, Arizona. The game will be broadcast live on DAZN and with German commentary.
Arizona Cardinals – Statistics & current form
The division is within Arizona’s grasp. One more win on Monday night and the NFC West would be 99% locked up, and with it a top 4 seed in the playoffs. But for the Cards, there’s even more at stake – the No. 1 seed in the entire NFC.
They currently still hold it and have a one-win lead over the Bucs and Packers. So they are still in pole position. However, they should not underestimate the Rams on Monday.
Two of the best squads in the league meet
Stafford vs. Murray, Kupp + Beckham Jr. vs. Hopkins + Kirk, Jones vs. Donald. There are so many high-calibre players on both sides of the rosters of these two teams that each matchup offers incredible excitement in its own right.
The Buccaneers might just be able to keep up with that overall. But in that respect, anything is possible. An outstanding day from Aaron Donald and the Cards will have problems, a DeAndre Hopkins in top form and the Rams’ secondary is not to be envied.
Only the absence of Robert Woods (Rams) and J.J. Watt (Cardinals) clouds the picture of the superstars a little. Nevertheless, two line-ups meet here that can unquestionably be counted among the best that the NFL has to offer.
Cardinals more vulnerable at home than away
The Cards have lost their last two home games, though. Especially the 10:34 against the Panthers showed that they are vulnerable. They also allowed 166 rushing yards in the process – Sean McVay will have been paying close attention when it comes to his team’s attitude and tactics.
We also expect the Rams to be well prepared for Monday and to cause the Cardinals big problems. For Arizona vs. Los Angeles, a bet on the Rams is therefore not the worst choice – also or especially because of the higher odds.
Key Players:
QB: Kyler Murray
RB: James Connor
WR: DeAndre Hopkins
WR: Christian Kirk
K: Matt Prater
Los Angeles Rams – stats & current form
The Rams finally need a win against a top team. Although they are currently at a good 8:4 wins, most of them came against teams like the Lions, Texans, Giants or Jaguars. Their only win against a top team came on game day 3 against the Bucs.
After that, however, they lost to teams with a positive record. For example, against the Cardinals, Titans or Packers – and not exactly by a narrow margin, but always with at least an eight-point difference.
McVay was often outcoached
A not insignificant factor in this was also Head Coach Sean McVay, who tends to play too complicated and want too much, especially against strong teams. Less would often be more and a simple game more promising.
If he wants to start a deep playoff run with his Rams, he has to learn to perform better against the top teams. The same goes for quarterback Matthew Stafford, by the way, whose record against teams with a positive record is 9-70.
A disastrous record, even if one has to take into account that he was in the service of the Detroit Lions for a long time. But if the Rams can’t get these problems under control, then we can’t call them top favourites for the Super Bowl either.
Is it coming down to a high scoring game?
October’s game against the Cards was a 20-37 loss, and Rams games otherwise are often marked by lots of total points. For example, the 48-point mark has been surpassed seven times this season and we expect that to happen again on Monday.
So for Cards vs Rams, the odds are worth considering both on LA and on over points. Since both are likely in our eyes, we can also go all out with a combination bet and pick up odds of up to 4.00 (Bet365).
Key Players:
QB: Matthew Stafford
RB: Sony Michel
WR: Odell Beckham Jr.
WR: Cooper Kupp
K: Matt Gay
Arizona Cardinals – Los Angeles Rams Head-to-head comparison / H2H record
Because these two teams play in the same division (NFC West), they meet at least twice a year. The last meeting in October went 37:20 to the Rams, but before that they had the Cardinals clearly under control.
All eight games before October went to Los Angeles – always with at least a seven-point difference. In seven of the eight games, the Rams’ margin of victory was even in double figures.
We dare to doubt that the Card will be able to win both duels with LA this season. Especially since they lost their last two home games. So a tip on Los Angeles is to be favoured in Cardinals vs. Rams.
Arizona Cardinals – Los Angeles Rams Tip
The facts in a nutshell: Both teams stand for offensive football. Thus, both score over 28 points on average. Thus, the 51.5 points of the bookmakers should be exceeded here again. So the question is who will win in the end.
Here we see the Rams slightly ahead. On the one hand, they are under more pressure, on the other hand, a Sean McVay very rarely loses twice in a row against the same team. With that, our betting recommendation for Cards vs Rams is to bet LA + Over 51.5.
Alternatively, we also recommend betting on a touchdown by Odell Beckham Jr. He has finally arrived in LA after some teething troubles and found the end zone in each of the past two games.
