NFL

Cardinals, Rams finish NFL Wild Card Weekend with all-NFC-West clash

Cardinals Rams Cooper Kupp
Cooper Kupp and the Rams’ high-powered passing game meet the Cardinals for the third time this year.
Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports

Cardinals vs. Rams NFC Wild Card Round

  • When: Monday, Jan. 17, 8:15 p.m.
  • Where: SoFi Stadium, Inglewood, CA
  • TV: ESPN

An all-NFC-West clash will close out the NFL’s Super Wild Card Weekend on Monday night as the Los Angeles Rams host the Arizona Cardinals — and what a good one it’s poised to be.

These two teams split their regular-season meetings — Arizona coming away with an impressive 17-point win in Week 4 before the Rams exacted some revenge in Week 14 with a 30-23 win. The latter was the second win of a five-game Rams streak that helped them secure the NFC West by one game over the second-place Cardinals.

It’s been a concerning limp to the finish for those Cardinals, who started the 2021 season with 10 wins in their first 12 games before dropping four of their final five.

But these two teams are as evenly-matched as they come, especially with a pair of high-flying offenses that provide the promise of a high-scoring affair.

While the Rams will rely on veteran Matthew Stafford to distribute the ball to one of the more devastating passing attacks in football, headlined by Cooper Kupp and Odell Beckham Jr., the Cardinals possess top-tier units in the air and on the ground.

Quite the challenge awaits both defenses, who sat near the NFL’s top-10 in points allowed this season.

Cardinals vs. Rams NFC Wild Card Tale of the Tape

No. 5 Cardinals Stat No. 4 Rams
11-6 (2nd, NFC West) Record 12-5 (1st NFC West)
26.4 (11th in NFL) Points/game 27.1 (8th in NFL)
251.5 (10th in NFL) Passing yards/game 273.1 (5th in NFL)
122.1 (10th in NFL) Rushing yards/game 99.0 (25th in NFL)
21.5 (T-9th in NFL) Points allowed/game 21.9 (15th in NFL)
214.4 (7th in NFL) Passing yards allowed/game 241.7 (22nd in NFL)
114.8 (20th in NFL) Rushing yards allowed/game 103.2 (6th in NFL)

Cardinals vs. Rams NFC Wild Card Players to Watch

  • Kyler Murray, QB, ARI: 69.2% completion rating, 3,787 yards, 24 TD, 10 INT, 423 rushing yards, 5 TD
  • James Conner, RB, ARI: 752 rushing yards, 375 receiving yards, 18 total TD
  • Christian Kirk, WR, ARI: 77 receptions, 982 yards, 5 TD
  • Chandler Jones, OLB, ARI: 41 tackles, 10.5 sacks, 6 forced fumbles, 12 tackles for loss, 26 QB hits
  • Matthew Stafford, QB, LAR: 67.2% completion rating, 4,886 yards, 41 TD, 17 INT
  • Cooper Kupp, WR, LAR: 145 receptions, 1,947 yards, 16 TD
  • Odell Beckham Jr., WR, LAR: 8 games, 27 receptions, 305 yards, 5 TD
  • Aaron Donald, DT, LAR: 84 tackles, 12.5 sacks, 4 forced fumbles, 19 tackles for loss, 25 QB hits

Cardinals vs. Rams NFC Wild Card odds

  • Spread: Rams -3.5
  • Over/under: 49.5
  • Cardinals Moneyline: +155
  • Rams Moneyline: -180
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