The Arizona Cardinals built an undefeated record against teams that are a combined 1-8 this season. But they sure looked good doing it. The Cards have comfortably covered the spread in all three games and are laying a touchdown to a team that’s scored just one in the last two weeks.
The Rams need to slow down the NFL’s highest scoring offense while finding a way to generate points to end a three-game slide against their NFC West rival.
ODDS
Arizona opened as a 6.5-point favorite with the total at 44. The Cards are 3-0 ATS and have covered by margins of 10, 23 and 33 points during their opening run. The line was wagered to -7 and the total fell to 42.5. Arizona has won the last three games in the series with the team reaching the 30-point mark with Carson Palmer under center in the first two. The over has some value in this one.
KEY INJURIES
Kenny Britt – Was sidelined in practice due to an ailing shoulder. Tied for the team lead in catches, Britt banged his shoulder in last week’s loss and is listed as questionable for Sunday.
Andre Ellington – Was limited this week but practicing for the first time since injuring his knee. He’s fine when running in a straight line, but the change of direction is still an issue. Chris Johnson will start at running back for Arizona with rookie David Johnson likely getting a few carries.
Mike Iupati – Was close to playing last week but was scratched on game day as he continues his recovery from knee surgery. He’s listed as questionable. Ted Larsen would get the assignment again if Iupati is out another week.
KEY MISMATCH
The Rams are tied for the league lead in quarterback sacks with New England at 13. The goal will be to limit the passing yards from Palmer and the explosive Cards offense by disrupting his rhythm in the backfield. The Rams have been able to do that so far, despite an 81.6 completion percentage rate against them. St. Louis ranks seventh in the NFL allowing 202 pass yards per game. Palmer’s completions have averaged 14.3 yards, while the average against the Rams is a mere 8.6. Mostly that’s because the feared Rams’ pass rush results in opposing quarterbacks getting rid of the ball quickly for short passes and gains.
KEY STAT
91.7 – The Cardinals NFL-best red zone touchdown percentage. The Rams are allowing opponent’s to reach the end zone on half their trips inside the 20-yard line.
BETTING ANGLE
The Cardinals lead the NFL with 17 touchdowns, the third-most in league history through the first three games of a season, and they’re the first to do it since 1968. Four of those scores have come on returns – three on interceptions and one on a kickoff. St. Louis will have to make Arizona work for their points. The Cardinals have scored 126 points through three games, outscoring their opponents by a combined total of 77 points. In their last two games the count is 95-30. The Rams have yet to score a point in the first quarter this season and Arizona’s Larry Fitzgerald has as many touchdowns – five – as the entire Rams team. Arizona’s plus-77 point differential is the highest through three games since 2007 when the Patriots were plus-79 en route to an undefeated season.
ANALYSIS AND PREDICTION
The Rams are having a difficult time putting points on the board, scoring just 16 with one touchdown over their last two games. And no matter how good their defense is, they won’t win games if they can’t score. Scoring isn’t a problem for the NFL leaders in points. And while they likely won’t hit their average, they will put up enough to knock off the Rams. Palmer has a little extra motivation also. It was against the Rams last season when he went down with a season-ending knee injury, effectively sealing the Cards fate after a 9-1 start. Arizona’s three wins have come against teams with a combined 1-8 record, so that has to be taken into account. But the Cards have looked good doing it, and this team is legit.
Arizona 27, St. Louis 18
The NFL lines for this Sunday game were first available at BookMaker Sportsbook. The Cardinals were pegged as 6.5-point chalk while the total opened at 44. Minute-by-minute spreads, totals and props are available for this game using the live betting platform at BookMaker.
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