Arizona Cardinals vs. Los Angeles Rams Pick ATS

Arizona Cardinals (1-4 SU, 3-2 ATS) vs. Los Angeles Rams (2-3 SU, 3-1-1 ATS)

Week 6 NFL

Date/Time: Sunday, October 15, 2023 at 4:25PM EDT

Where: SoFi Stadium, Inglewood, California

TV: Fox

Point Spread: ARI +6.5/LAR -6.5 (Bovada – 75% crypto bonus + best live betting on the planet!)

Money Line: ARI +180, LAR -230

Over/Under Total: 49

The Arizona Cardinals come to SoFi Stadium on Sunday for an NFC West showdown with the Los Angeles Rams. On Sunday, the Rams fell to the Eagles, 23-14, but have generally been a little tougher than advertised and they get a winnable spot here to get to .500 with the Cardinals coming into town. Arizona also was surprising some with their scrappiness early on, but two straight tough losses have sent them a bit sideways, including their 34-20 loss to the Bengals on Sunday. Who will have the edge in this divisional matchup on Sunday?

Tough Road Ahead for Arizona?

If they’re going to make it work, it’s with a roster that hardly inspires confidence. Now take away one of their only real weapons in James Conner and their offense could be in trouble moving ahead. Joshua Dobbs has been good, playing a little above his head, breaking off some runs, and keeping it together pretty well overall. He has some decent targets with Hollywood Brown and Zach Ertz being reliable ball-catchers. We’ll see if Emari Demercado can fill in at running back after doing OK against the Bengals last Sunday. And it’s not like they are getting the toughest defensive matchup this week. It’s just that with Dobbs at QB, Demercado as the lead-back, and Brown the number-one receiver, they hit week six with an offense that might struggle to get the job done.

What Can the Rams Do About It?

I think in this game the Rams’ edges in offensive firepower needs to resonate. Neither team will really be able to rely on defensive stoutness or splash plays. Nothing really stands out on that side of the ball either way, forcing a more-offensive breakdown. And in that vein, it’s not going to paint Arizona in a favorable light. The Rams get Cooper Kupp back and last week was a good warm-up. With Puka Nacua distinguishing himself in Kupp’s absence, they now have a one-two punch at wide receiver that is the envy of many teams. While aging, Matthew Stafford can still deliver the ball and put up numbers. Watching the Cardinals “D” last week give up a ton of production aerially, this could set up for a big day for Kupp and this Rams’ aerial offense.

The defense could be another issue for the Rams, but so far it hasn’t been that bad. They caught a few breaks playing offenses that were not in a groove. But allowing 23 to the Eagles last week wasn’t so bad, the same amount they allowed to Indy the previous week. Their worst showing of the year was giving up 30 to the Niners, which is actually San Fran’s low-point total of the season. Still, if the Cardinals were to find some life on the offensive side of the ball, there’s nothing that special about this Rams’ defense. It’s definitely better than preseason prognostications where this defense was described as basically being “Aaron Donald and a bunch of guys.” But the Cardinals could still do damage in this spot.

Dangers with Either Team

We see both teams surpassing expectations to some degree, as each was a candidate for worst team in the league. With Joshua Dobbs’ pluckiness for Arizona and the Rams’ aerial attack still having some vitality, along with the decent play of running back Kyren Williams, both are a little feistier than expected. At the same time, there’s this sense that the wheels could come off at any time. After two close losses, and a stunning win over Dallas, Arizona got hammered by San Francisco and while hanging in there for a while against Cincy, they faded badly after a quick start. With the Rams, you have a proven head coach in Sean McVay, a future Hall of Famer in Stafford, and stars like Cooper Kupp, Aaron Donald, and the steal of the draft in Puka Nacua. It just seems like if a team is more likely to fade after some early-season adrenaline, it would be the Cardinals.

The prospects of the Rams taking over with their passing game looms large in this spot. And not that Stafford can regularly replicate what Joe Burrow can do with his offense when they’re clicking, but it’s really their bread-and-butter. If Kupp is blanketed, there’s Nacua. There’s Tutu Atwell, who has been thriving with more targets coming his way. Tyler Higbee could come out of mothballs. Williams has been productive with 6 TDs. Now you pit that against the Cardinals, with far less-compelling figures—a possibly downward-trending Hollywood Brown, an anonymous UDFA rookie at lead back, along with marginal contributors like Rondale Moore, Michael Wilson, etc. In a game like this where certain other elements seem to almost be a wash, maybe opting for the superior offensive artillery holds some merit. This is the type of matchup where a small handful of big plays could be the separator and it’s hard to argue the Rams aren’t more likely to bring that about on Sunday.

Lay the Number

While at home, this is a tough number for the Rams, despite being on the right side of the key number, as of press time. The Rams as favorites of this magnitude leaves a lot to be desired. Still, I almost favor the Cardinals more in other spots against teams that might be better-rounded without the one real standout trait. I think the Cardinals can continue to be feisty, put up a fight, and hang in there. But in the second half, I see some big pass plays helping the Rams get over the hump for the win and cover at home.

Loot’s Prediction to Cover the Point Spread: I’m betting on the Los Angeles rams minus 6.5 points.