Which NFC West team will pick up their second win of the season?

It’s going to Arizona on Sunday, and it’s going to the stadium that will host the Super Bowl in 2023. That either the Arizona Cardinals will be playing at home or the Los Angeles Rams then, however, is rather unlikely after their performances so far.

Both teams are rather happy at 1:1 victories. The Cardinals needed a crazy comeback against the Raiders last Sunday and the Rams needed an interception by Jalen Ramsey shortly before the end against the Falcons.

The fact that the Rams were on the brink of defeat at home against the Falcons says a lot about their current form. It’s high time they got a clear and unchallenged win. But will it come in a divisional duel against the Cards?

If Arizona plays like they did in their first home game against Kansas City, then definitely. We don’t think it will be that clear-cut, but we still see the away team ahead in the end for the Cardinals against the Rams. The Rams are simply (still) in a better position in terms of personnel.

Kickoff in one of the late Sunday games is Sunday night at 10:25pm in Phoenix, Arizona. The game can be watched live on DAZN’s ENDZN.

Arizona Cardinals – Statistics & current form

The Cardinals were on the brink of the abyss, but then pulled themselves back out on their own merits and at the same time pushed the Raiders down. After all, an 0-2 start would have been almost tantamount to missing the playoffs (chance after 0-2 start: 11%).

To be more precise, it was quarterback Kyler Murray who took his team on his shoulders and turned the 0:20 interval deficit into a victory with some terrific actions. Even if the Cards then needed overtime to do so.

Murray shows his critics

There were more than a few pundits who didn’t think Murray could pull off such a performance. After the first game of the season against Kansas City there was a hail of criticism and after the first half against Las Vegas all the critics seemed to be right.

But in the second half Murray showed what he was made of. An outstanding touchdown, two 2-point conversions, one of which was a record, and a total of 277 passing yards were numbers to be proud of.

Nevertheless, there is still a lot wrong with the Cardinals, and this victory could not hide that fact. Especially DeAndre Hopkins is sorely missed as a receiver. Neither Marquise Brown nor A. J. Green can even begin to fill that role.

Ertz, Defense and Murray must fix it

That’s why there’s tremendous pressure on tight end Zach Ertz to perform again, especially offensively.Ertz was the No. 1 receiver on Sunday with eight receptions and 75 yards. The rest was done by Murray and their defence, which was stronger in the second half.

However, we dare to doubt that this will be enough against the Rams. They won’t be as careless as they were against Atlanta and so our favourite betting option for Arizona vs. LA is on the Rams.

Key Players:
QB: Kyler Murray
RB: James Connor
WR: Marquise Brown
TE: Zach Ertz
K: Matt Prater

Los Angeles Rams – stats & current form

The Rams came within a whisker of losing at home to the Atlanta Falcons. Atlanta Falcons! Not to sound disrespectful, but there are few teams you’d rather play this year than the rebuilding men from Atlanta.

But why did LA have to shake so badly after a strong first half? We think a bit of hubris was the main reason, as they led 28:3 at one point, but then they took their foot off the gas a bit – too early, as is often the case in the NFL.

Matthew Stafford still rusty

Matthew Stafford, in particular, seems far from back to top form after the Super Bowl festivities from the spring. With five interceptions already, he even leads this inglorious statistic after two days of play.

It doesn’t help that he ranks fourth among all quarterbacks in completion rate at 72.7 %. As long as almost every incompletion is an interception, this is a cause for concern. However, we expect that he will also be able to slowly improve and reduce his risk a bit.

With Cooper Kupp, Tyler Higbee and Allen Robinson, he will have a much better receiving corps on the field on Sunday than Murray. With the Rams also fielding a strong 1-2 punch at the running back position in Henderson and Akers, we see them with a clear advantage offensively.

Which defence wakes up early?

Which leaves the question for Sunday as to which defence will get their horsepower back on the ground first. After all, the Cardinals are in last place (33.5 counter points per game), the Rams in fourth last (29.0). Yet both defenses were considered top 15 last year.

However, since the Rams are much better in yards conceded (only 337 compared to 406), we see their defence as slightly stronger. The points conceded were mainly due to Stafford’s many interceptions, which he should minimise in the future.

Therefore, the odds for Arizona against Los Angeles are also a little better to bet on the Rams. With a -3.5 handicap, we still get good value and they should be able to cap that number.

Key Players:
QB: Matthew Stafford
RB: Cam Akers
WR: Cooper Kupp
TE: Tyler Higbee
K: Matt Gay

Arizona Cardinals – Los Angeles Rams Head-to-head comparison / H2H record

Another point why we see the Rams as clear favourites in this duel is the direct comparison of the last few years. Nine of the past ten duels went to LA, including the last one in the playoffs in January.

Back then, Stafford and Co. clearly showed the Cardinals the limits with 34:11. But the game in the regular season in Arizona also went to Los Angeles with 30:23 – a result that could well happen again on Sunday.

Because with these two weak defensive lines, more than 50 points are to be expected again. So a bet on both LA and over-points is possible for Cards vs. Rams. Especially since the bookies are not even betting that high at 48.5.

Arizona Cardinals – Los Angeles Rams Tip

It’s the top matchup in the NFC West on Sunday and not an unimportant one. With both teams sitting at 1-1, the winner is already a big step closer to the playoffs. And there’s a lot to be said for that being the Rams.

They have the better individual players and in the end also the better defence. Thus, a tip on the away team with a handicap of up to -3.5 points is definitely to be favoured for Cardinals vs. Rams.

We have already discussed betting on over-points as a good possibility. The 48.5 total points set have been exceeded four times in the last six games – in some cases quite significantly.