NFL
By George Lopez
The Los Angeles Rams look to continue their momentum. They travel to Arizona to face the Cardinals in a pivotal NFC West matchup. Coming off their 20-13 victory over the Washington Commanders, their third win in a row, the Rams saw their record climb over .500 for the first time. It has been a tougher-than-expected start to the season. The Rams find themselves limping into this game as injuries have begun to mount.
The Rams offense, already without WR Davante Adams, suffered another blow. Puka Nacua, Matthew Stafford’s top receiving target, will be out for several weeks after suffering a sprained MCL and PCL against Washington. The team has also placed WR Jordan Whittington on IR. The Rams offense will now look to Tutu Atwell, Konata Mumpfield, and rookie CJ Daniels to lead the receiving group. To add depth at receiver, the team re-signed Xavier Smith, whom it released a few weeks ago. With limited productivity from his healthy receivers, look for head coach Sean McVay to use his 13 personnel, 3-tight-end formations, more often.
All season, the Rams have used a two-back running scheme with Kyren Williams and Blake Corum. With injuries to his top two receivers, look for Coach McVay to lean on a run-heavy attack. In their first game against the Cardinals, McVay called 20 running plays as the Cardinals held the Rams to 92 rushing yards. The Rams’ running game has been more effective between the tackles. They will look to attack the Cardinals’ defense with this scheme. The Rams did suffer an injury on their offensive line. Starting left guard Steve Avila will miss the game. Beaux Limmer will be tasked with replacing Avila.
At the beginning of the season, fans were excited about seeing Aaron Donald and Myles Garrett on the field at the same time. A knee injury to Garrett curtailed that moment until week 9. Garrett, in his first game since week one, recorded 3 sacks and forced a fumble. He and Donald led a pass rush that pressured the Commanders’ quarterback. The Cardinals lost quarterback Gardner Minshew to an elbow injury and will turn to rookie Carson Beck to lead the offense.
Beck will be without one of the Cardinals’ key offensive weapons. WR Michael Wilson was placed on IR after suffering a broken leg against Seattle. The rookie quarterback is making his first start. Look for Rams defensive coordinator Chris Shula to devise different schemes with his secondary to confuse Beck, using different blitz packages to bring pressure. On the injury front, CB Trent McDuffie has returned to practice. It is promising that he will play against the Cardinals.
The Los Angeles Rams have not gotten off to the start of the season that most expected. As injuries continue to mount, the Rams have adopted the next-man-up mantra as they circle the wagons. After winning three straight, the Rams are back in the playoff mix and will look to stay relevant as they wait for key players to return. Look for the Rams to run the ball and rely on their defense during this stretch. In the end, look for the Rams to make it four straight wins as they head into their bye week with a 6-4 record.
Rams 24
Cardinals 13
