The Arizona Cardinals head to Edward Jones Dome to battle the St. Louis Rams this week. St. Louis has had a subpar season, but has shown signs of life as of late, winning three of their last five. The game will air Thursday at 8:25 p.m. ET on NFL Network.
The last meeting between the Rams and Cardinals came in Week 10 when St. Louis suffered a loss to Arizona 31-14. Alec Ogletree led the Rams defense in that game, recording seven tackles and one interception. Jared Cook had a big game as well, totaling 84 yards and a TD on two catches. Patrick Peterson led the way for the Arizona defense, totaling two tackles and two interceptions.
St. Louis is a three-point favorite against the Cardinals. The matchup currently has a 41-point Over/Under (O/U). The Rams enter the game with records of 6-7 Straight Up (SU) and 7-6 Against The Spread (ATS) this season. Over their last five games, the Rams have records of 3-2 SU and 4-1 ATS. St. Louis has done something right over the last five games. Its 27 PPG average during that span is higher than their season average of 21.9. The Cardinals are matching up with St. Louis’s defense at an inopportune time as well. St. Louis usually allows 21.9 points per game, but over the last five that number has fallen to 13. St. Louis’s defense will look to pad its stats against the run when the Cardinals come to town. Arizona’s 79.8 rushing yards per game makes them 30th in the NFL. St. Louis usually gets off to a quick start in games, averaging 6.6 points in the first quarter. St. Louis’s special teams are one of its strengths. They earn 114.9 return yards per game, putting them second in the NFL.
Over on the other sideline, the Cardinals have a record of 9-4 ATS and 10-3 SU. The Cardinals went 3-2 both SU and ATS over the last five games. Arizona’s defense is one of the best, allowing just 18.3 points per game. St. Louis’s quarterback needs to be careful against the Cardinals. Their defense ranks second in the league in interceptions with 1.3. The Cardinals should be aware that the floodgates tend to open on the Rams during the fourth quarter of home games, when they allow eight PPG. Don’t be surprised to hear lots of calls against the Rams when they take the field. St. Louis is among the most penalized teams in the league, receiving an average of 7.8 penalties per game.
Predictions: SU Winner – STL, ATS Winner – ARI, O/U – Under
Notes
Arizona is 7-2 SU in its last 9 games.
St. Louis is 4-2 SU in its last 6 games.
Arizona is 7-14 SU in its last 21 games on the road.
The total has gone OVER in 4 of St. Louis’s last 5 games at home.
Arizona is 12-4 SU in its last 16 games when playing St. Louis.
St. Louis is 6-3 SU in its last 9 games at home.
The total has gone UNDER in 9 of Arizona’s last 13 games when playing St. Louis.
The total has gone UNDER in 9 of St. Louis’s last 13 games when playing Arizona.
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Arizona’s last 6 games when playing St. Louis.
The total has gone OVER in 4 of St. Louis’s last 6 games when playing Arizona.
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Arizona’s last 6 games when playing on the road against St. Louis.
St. Louis is 4-12 SU in its last 16 games when playing Arizona.
Arizona is 7-2 SU in its last 9 games when playing on the road against St. Louis.
St. Louis is 2-5 ATS in its last 7 games when playing Arizona.
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of St. Louis’s last 6 games when playing at home against Arizona.
St. Louis is 2-7 SU in its last 9 games when playing at home against Arizona.
St. Louis is 3-7 ATS in its last 10 games when playing at home against Arizona.
Arizona is 6-0 SU when leading at the half this season. St. Louis is 5-4 SU when taking a lead into halftime.
Arizona is 6-0 SU when leading at the start of the fourth quarter this season. St. Louis is 4-2 SU when carrying a lead into the fourth quarter.
This season, Arizona is 6-1 SU in games where it wins the turnover battle, and 4-2 SU in games where it loses the turnover battle.
St. Louis is winless this season (0-3 SU) in games where it loses the turnover battle.
Dating back to last year, St. Louis is only 3-7 SU against NFC West opponents, while Arizona is 4-5 SU against divisional foes.
The St. Louis passing attack is ranked 26th in the league, while the Arizona pass defense is only ranked 27th. The Cardinals’ passing game is ranked 14th, compared to the 15th-ranked pass defense of the Rams.
The St. Louis rushing attack is ranked only 18th in the league, while the Arizona run defense is ranked sixth. The Cardinals’ rushing game is ranked just 30th, compared to the 11th-ranked run defense of the Rams.
Arizona has allowed 22.2 points per game on the road, which is ranked 11th in the league. St. Louis has scored 26.0 points per game at home (ranked 10th overall).
