Arizona Cardinals vs Los Angeles Rams Prediction, Preview and Odds - 10/02/2021

Game Time: 4:05 pm ET, Sunday, October 3, 2021

Venue:  SoFi Stadium, Inglewood, CA 

Where to Watch:  Fox

DraftKings:  Point Spread:  Cardinals +5.5, Rams -5.5; Over/Under:  54.5 points

Bet365:  Point Spread:  Cardinals +6, Rams -6; Over/Under:  54.5 points

BetMGM:  Point Spread:  Cardinals +6, Rams -6; Over/Under:  54.5 points

 

Arizona Cardinals:  3-0 (2nd place, NFC West)

Los Angeles Rams:  3-0 (1st place, NFC West)

 

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Arizona Cardinals:  won on the road on Sep. 26 against the Jacksonville Jaguars 31-19.

Los Angeles Rams:  won at home on Sep.26 against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 34-24.

 

 

 

The Cardinals are coming into this game with an undefeated 3-0 record and they are 2-0 in their road games this season where they will be in this game. They have collected their 3 wins this season against the Tennessee Titans, the Minnesota Vikings, and the Jags in their last game. They had to comeback from behind in that game but their defense did a great job in the 2nd half not letting them score at all in the 4th quarter. Kyler Murray played great as he completed 28/34 passes for 316 yards but threw 1 interception. Their run game was not that strong as James Conner led the team in rushing with 43 yards and 2 touchdowns on 11 carries. The receiving corps had a big day as A.J. Green led the team in receiving with 112 yards on 5 receptions while Christian Kirk was right behind him with 104 yards on 7 receptions. Jordan Hicks led the defense with 7 solo tackles, 5 assisted ones, and also had 1 sack in that game while Marco Wilson also gave a good performance with 6 solo tackles. Markus Golden was the only other player on the defense to record 1 sack along with Hicks but it was Byron Murphy who came up big with not 1, but 2 interceptions for them in that game. They have scored 103 points in their first 3 games and they have allowed their opponents to score 65 points against them. Their offense has accumulated 1,297 yards this season while their defense has allowed 1,028 yards against them. 

 

 

The Rams are coming into this game with an undefeated 3-0 record overall as well and they are 1-0 in their home games this season where they will be in this game. They have opened up their season with wins over the Chicago Bears, the Indianapolis Colts, and the Bucs in their last game. Matthew Stafford played a great game in their last one as he completed 27/38 passes for 343 yards and 4 touchdowns. Sony Michel had an alright day as he led the team in rushing with 67 yards on 20 carries, but no one else really did much on the ground for them. The receiving corps had a big day as DeSean Jackson led the team in receiving with 120 yards and 1 touchdown on 3 receptions while Cooper Kupp was right behind him with 96 receiving yards and 2 touchdowns on 9 receptions. Kenny Young had a big day on defense as he led them with 8 solo tackles, 2 assisted ones and 1 sack while Jalen Ramsey also played well with 7 solo tackles and 1 assisted one. Leonard Floyd and Aaron Donald each recorded 1 sack as well but no one on the defense was able to come away with an interception in that one. They have scored 95 points in their first 3 games and they have allowed their opponents to score 62 points against them. Their offense has accumulated 1,164 yards this season while their defense has allowed 1,122 yards against them.

Both of these teams are 3-0 so someone is getting their first loss of the season in this game, unless it decides to go to OT and tie.... This is a huge game because it will not only decide who will stay undefeated in the NFC West, but it is also the first division game for either side. The Rams are about a 5.5 point favorite with the current betting odds but they are going to cover that spread here. They will have a lot of confidence as they just defeated Tom Brady and the defending Super Bowl Champions at home and will now get to play another game here at home. The Cardinals struggled in their last game to beat the Jags and if they struggle in the 1st half here, they might not be able to catch up. The Cardinals have had weaker opponents to start the season than the Rams and this will be their first true test. The Rams were already tested last week with their new quarterback and they came out with a 10 point upset win. The Rams are the better team here on both offense and defense and will come away with the win and cover. The best bet to make in this game is on the Rams to cover the spread.

 

Cardinals Rams Prediction:  Our NFL Pick for Sunday, October 3, 2021 (4:05 pm ET start time) is Rams 27 Cardinals 17.

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Arizona Cardinals: 230-240 ATS in all games. 113-120 ATS in road games. 

Los Angeles Rams: 23-14 ATS in all games. 16-10 ATS as a favorite. 11-6 ATS in home games. 20-8 ATS against conference opponents.

 

 

Arizona Cardinals:  K. Beachum (OL) Ques Sun - Ribs injury. J. Pugh (OL) Ques Sun - Back injury. J. Murray (OL) Ques Sun - Back injury.

Los Angeles Rams:  J. Hollins (LB) Out indefinitely - Pectoral injury. D. Henderson Jr. (RB) day-to-day - Ribs injury. T. Anchrum Jr. (OL) Out indefinitely - Knee injury.

 

 

Arizona Cardinals: Kyler Murray is one player to watch here. He has had a great start to the season so far and he is really making things happen on the field with both his arm and his legs. He is just full of tricks up his sleeve so look for him to make some crazy plays here, especially in this tight divisional matchup.

 

Los Angeles Rams: Cooper Kupp is one player to watch here. He is coming off of a great game and has been playing well all season. He can catch balls deep or in the slot and is a real threat in the end zone on this offense. Look for him to make some big catches in key moments and find the end zone in yet another game.

 

"There was no panic. That's about as big a moment of adversity as you can face in an NFL football game to have something like that happen right before the half. Guys didn't blink. Even when we went down two scores, guys didn't blink. I was really proud of that effort." - Kliff Kingsbury on his team’s reaction to the kick-6 right before the half.

 

 

"Everybody's always having fun together. And last time we had a team like that we went to the Super Bowl." - Aaron Donald after a win against the Bucs last week.

 

 

 

WR GREEN, AJ 

WR Hopkins, DeAndre 

WR Kirk, Christian 

TE Williams, Maxx 

QB Murray, Kyler 

RB Edmonds, Chase 

 

WR Kupp, Cooper 

WR Jefferson, Van 

WR Woods, Robert 

TE Higbee, Tyler 

QB STAFFORD, MATTHEW 

RB Michel, Sony 

 

Passing: K. Murray (1005)

Rushing: C. Edmonds (135)

Receiving: C. Kirk (239)

Touchdowns: D. Hopkins (3)

Sacks: C. Jones (5)

Tackles: B. Baker (16)

 

Passing: M. Stafford (942)

Rushing: D. Henderson Jr. (123)

Receiving: C. Kupp (367)

Touchdowns: C. Kupp (5)

Sacks: J. Hollins (2)

Tackles: D. Williams (17)

 

Coaches:

Arizona Cardinals: Kliff Kingsbury (3rd season)

Los Angeles Rams: Sean McVay (5th season)

 

77 degrees F partly cloudy, 41% humidity, 0% chance of rain, up to 10 mph wind speeds W.