The Rams are headed toward their first NFC West season clash when they face off against the Cardinals at State Farm Stadium in Phoenix this Sunday. The two teams are each coming off inverse performances, with the Rams nearly blowing a 28-3 lead to the Falcons and the Cardinals staging a miracle comeback to beat the Raiders in Las Vegas. Additionally, both squads have started their seasons 1-1.
Most online sportsbooks in the USA have Los Angeles as favorites to win on the road, with FanDuel Sportsbook giving the Cardinals +3.5 points at home.
Rams vs. Cardinals Betting Preview
| Spread | Moneyline | Total | |
| Rams | -3.5 (-112) | -194 | O 49.5 (-110) |
| Cardinals | +3.5 (-108) | +162 | U 49.5 (-110) |
There’s still plenty of reason to be skeptical about Arizona. After getting routed by the Chiefs in week 1, they sleepwalked through the first half and had to come back from a 20-0 halftime deficit. It looked like they’d regret the significant contract extensions they gave Head Coach Kliff Kingsbury and GM Steve Keim over the offseason for a game and a half.
In the season’s early stages, the Cardinals are 1-1 against the spread.
The Rams haven’t exactly set the world on fire and are 0-2 against the spread this season. A tough match-up against the red-hot Bills resulted in an ugly week #1 loss, while nearly blowing a 25-point lead against the Falcons last week certainly inspired little confidence.
How the season has started has led to a Super Bowl hangover narrative beginning to form around the defending champs.
Accordingly, the Rams should probably be favored even more. As Buffalo continues to look dominant, the Rams’ week #1 loss doesn’t look so bad in hindsight. And although they took their foot off the gas pedal at the end of the game versus Atlanta, there’s no denying they controlled much of the match-up.
Since the Kyler Murray-Kliff Kingsbury era in Arizona began, the Rams are 5-1-1 against the spread in their match-ups. The two teams most recently met in the Wild Card round of last year’s playoffs, where the Rams routed the Cardinals 34-11 in Los Angeles.
Some fluky early-season results shouldn’t shade the line as much as it’s seemed with McVay being so successful against Kingsbury the past few seasons. With all the talent on their team, the defending champions will undoubtedly be looking to correct some things and open up their NFC West schedule on the right foot.
We’ll see if the Rams can start to shake the Super Bowl hangover against the Cardinals this Sunday at 1:25 PST.
