Rams vs. Cardinals Betting: Will the champs make it eight straight in the desert?

After being humbled by the top two AFC title contenders in Week 1, the Los Angeles Rams and Arizona Cardinals both bounced back with wins in Week 2.

Sunday, the NFC West rivals will face off at State Farm Stadium in one of the top matchups on the Week 3 slate.

When they last met, the Rams throttled the Cardinals in the wild-card round of last season’s playoffs, kickstarting their run to an eventual Super Bowl title.

The defending champs have looked a bit shaky to start this season, losing 31-10 to the Buffalo Bills in their opener and very nearly throwing away a lead of that scoreline last week against the Atlanta Falcons.

At the same time last week, the Cardinals looked headed for a second straight ugly loss to an AFC West opponent after being routed by the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 1.

But after trailing the Las Vegas Raiders 20-0 at halftime, Kyler Murray led Arizona all the way back to force overtime, where the Cards walked it off with Byron Murphy Jr.’s scoop and score.

With how tight the NFC West could be, head-to-head matchups could prove to be very important. So, Sunday’s matchup in Glendale is an important one, even if it’s only Week 3.

Los Angeles Rams vs. Arizona Cardinals Matchup Information and Betting Odds

Matchup Information

• Matchup: Los Angeles Rams (1-1, 2nd in the NFC West) vs. Arizona Cardinals (1-1, 4th in the NFC West)
• Venue & Location: State Farm Stadium (Glendale, Arizona)
• Date: Sunday, September 25, 2022
• Game Time: 4:25 p.m. Eastern Time (1:25 p.m. local time)
• How to Watch Rams vs. Cardinals: FOX

Rans vs. Cardinals Odds

Game odds are via BetOnline. This article may also include odds from our other recommended legal sports betting sites.

Spread

• Los Angeles Rams -3.5 (-110)
• Arizona Cardinals +3.5 (-110)

Over/Under

• Over 48.5 (-110)
• Under 48.5 (-110)

Moneyline

• Los Angeles Rams -194
• Arizona Cardinals +162

Los Angeles Rams vs. Arizona Cardinals Prediction and Picks

Rams vs. Cardinals Prediction: Los Angeles to win

Rams vs. Cardinals Picks: Los Angeles -3.5 (Best Value: -109 at BetUS), Los Angeles/Arizona over 48.5 (Best Value: -110 at all of our recommended sportsbooks) & Los Angeles team total over 26.5 (Best Value: -112 at BetOnline)

Sure, a win is a win, and the Rams were in need of a win after their dud against Buffalo in Week 1.

But there are some serious questions to be asked about the Rams after they nearly blew a 28-3 lead at home against the Falcons. If they can get an advantage against Arizona, they can’t take their foot off of the pedal against a team that has already shown it can come back from a big deficit.

But history is on the Rams’ side in this one.

The Cardinals have not won at home against their NFC West rivals since 2014. And since the 2017 season, Sean McVay’s first as head coach, the Rams have scored 30+ points in each trip to the desert.

• 2017: Los Angeles 32, Arizona 16
• 2018: Los Angeles 31, Arizona 9
• 2019: Los Angeles 34, Arizona 7
• 2020: Los Angeles 38, Arizona 28
• 2021: Los Angeles 30, Arizona 23

Last season, the Rams went 7-2 and averaged 27.4 points per game on the road in the regular season. Of the seven wins, five were by four or more points, including each of their four road wins over fellow NFC teams.

It’s a new season, of course, and the defending champs clearly have some kinks that they need to iron out in the coming weeks. But they are still a better team than the Cardinals and will extend their impressive head-to-head road run on Sunday.

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