NFL
By: George Lopez
The Los Angeles Rams enter their week 3 matchup against the Arizona Cardinals looking to build on their 31-27 week 2 victory over the Atlanta Falcons. The Rams have been hit by the injury bug on both sides of the ball. Starting defensive back Troy Hill and starting offensive guard Tremayne Anchrum were both placed on the injured reserved list this week and will be out for a minimum of 4 weeks. Anchrum may be out much longer than that as he suffered a broken fibula in the game against Atlanta and underwent surgery this week. Starting center Brian Allen is listed as questionable for this week’s game against the Cardinals. The Rams have activated offensive lineman Oday Aboushi from their practice squad. The Rams will also be without TE Bryce Hopkins as he was suspended 3 games for violating the NFL substance abuse policy.
Arizona is coming off what seemed like an improbable 29-23 overtime victory against the Las Vegas Raiders. The Cardinals overcame scores of 20-0 and 23-7 to force overtime and earn their first victory of the season. Kyler Murray was able to use his athleticism late in the game to extend plays that allowed the Cardinals to not only score 2 touchdowns but to also convert 2 necessary 2 point conversions.
Rams Offense vs Cardinals Defense
The Rams offense had a more balanced attack against the Falcons with 36 passing attempts and 26 rushes. Matthew Stafford threw for 272 yards and 3 touchdowns. He also threw 2 interceptions, giving him a total of 5 interceptions through the first 2 games. Stafford will need to do a better job at limiting the turnovers. Cooper Kupp led the Rams receivers with 11 receptions for 108 yards and 2 touchdowns. These numbers were put up in 3 quarters as he was not targeted once in the first quarter. Allen Robinson was targeted 5 times and had 4 receptions for 53 yards and caught his first touchdown for the Rams. Stafford did a better job at getting Robinson more involved in the Rams offense. Look for Robinson to have more opportunities in the passing game this week. Tyler Higbee had 7 receptions for 71 yards. With the suspension to Hopkins, Higbee is the only TE on the Rams active roster.
Darrell Henderson led the Rams running attack with 47 yards on 10 carries and 1 touchdown. Cam Akers improved on his lackluster week one performance by gaining 44 yards on 15 carries. Sean McVay’s offense does not need one dominant running back to be successful. Henderson and Akers compliment each other and allows both to remain fresh throughout the game. In their game against the Raiders, the Cardinals defense allowed 80 yards rushing. Look for the Rams offense to continue with their balanced attack.
Rams Defense vs Cardinals Offense
The Rams defense has had some success in containing Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray. Their most recent matchup was the Rams 34-11 victory in the wild card round of last year’s playoffs. The Rams held Murray to under 140 passing and only 6 yards rushing. At times, Murray looked lost and not sure of what to do. Against the Raiders in week, 2 Murray threw for 277 yards and 1 touchdown and ran for 28 yards on 5 carries with 1 touchdown. Late in the game vs the Raiders, the Cardinals were attempting a 2-point conversion. Murray, unable to locate an open receiver, was able to run around for 28 seconds before he saw an opening and ran in for the conversion. The Rams edge rushers will need to maintain their rush discipline and not crash the pocket and give Murray an opportunity to escape to the outside. Leonard Floyd and company will need to contain the outside edge and force Murray to remain in the pocket. Aaron Donald and the Rams interior defensive lineman will look to push the Cardinals offensive lineman into Kyler Murray and attempt to prevent him from stepping into his passes.
Against the Raiders, the Cardinals ran for 143. They used a balanced running attack with Darrel Williams running for 59 yards on 8 carries and 1 touchdown. Eno Benjamin had 31 yards on 8 carries. James Conner had 25 yards on 7 carries. Like the Rams, the Cardinals use multiple backs in their running attack. Each brings a different element to the table to help with the Cardinals running game. The Rams defensive front 7 will need to get off their blocks as quickly as they can take the proper pursuit angles to slow down the Cardinals running attack. Middle linebackers Bobby Wagner and Ernest Jones will need to plug up inside running lanes to help slow down the Cardinals running backs. The Rams defense will need to do a better job of tackling. In the first 2 games, the Rams have given up additional yards due to poor tackling.
Prediction
The Rams will employ a game plan designed at keeping Kyler Murray in the pocket and not letting him get outside where he can do damage. Coach Sean McVay will continue to have a balanced offensive attack. Look for the Rams to build on their week two victory and win their second game in a row.
Rams 27
Cardinals 17
