Rams Open as 6-Point Favorites vs Cardinals in Week 4 Matchup
- The Los Angeles Rams opened as a six-point favorite at home against the Arizona Cardinals
- Los Angeles and Arizona are both 2-1 ATS and 3-0 straight up
- The Rams are coming off a huge 34-24 win at home over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The Los Angeles Rams are listed as a six-point favorite against the Arizona Cardinals as the two teams prepare to meet in a clash that has big NFC West title implications.
Los Angeles has opened with an excellent three-game burst aside from a small struggle against Indianapolis in Week 2. Things have been more of an adventure for Arizona. The Cardinals needed a missed chip-shot field goal from Minnesota to stay undefeated in Week 2. Even this week, they were trailing against the Jacksonville Jaguars before rallying in the second half to win by 12 points.
Arizona vs Los Angeles Opening Spread/Odds/Line
| Team | Moneyline | Spread | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Arizona Cardinals | +220 | +6 (-105) | O 53.5 (-110) |
| Los Angeles Rams | -275 | -6 (-105) | U 53.5 (-110) |
Odds as of September 26th at DraftKings.
Los Angeles Rams Coming off a Huge Victory
The Los Angeles Rams improved to 3-0 after a 34-24 win over the defending Super Bowl Champions in the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Los Angeles sprinted out to a 14-7 halftime lead. Then they expanded on that lead with a 17-point third quarter. The final stanza saw the defenses take over a bit as the Rams stiffened en route to the ten-point margin of victory.
Quarterback Matthew Stafford was excellent against Tampa Bay completing 27 of 38 passes for 343 yards with four touchdowns. Los Angeles is just a completely different team with Stafford at the helm. So is Connor Kupp. Kupp caught nine passes for 96 yards and two more touchdowns.
Imagine thinking that Matthew Stafford wasn’t that big of an upgrade over Jared Goff. pic.twitter.com/Bzd4GLxYq0
— 366 Sports (@366Sports) September 27, 2021
Sean McVay has to be happy with how his quarterback is faring so far. Stafford has nine touchdowns compared to just one interception. His ability to stretch the field and generate points has helped Los Angeles avoid peril despite their not-so-good running game.
The Rams defense has bent but not broken more often than not in this three-game stretch. After holding firm late against Indianapolis last week, they yielded over 400 passing yards to Tom Brady. Tampa Bay only managed 24 points and 35 yards rushing, however.
Then There Are the Arizona Cardinals
Head coach Kliff Kingsbury was sitting on a bit of a the hot seat going into the season after an 8-8 campaign in 2020. In his defense, Kyler Murray was not healthy during most of the second half of the season. That has made all the difference at the start of this campaign.
The Cardinals have held opponents to 21.7 points per game while piling up 34.3 points per contest (top-ten in both categories). Their strength of schedule has been relatively easy aside from the road opener in Tennessee. That changes against the also undefeated Los Angeles Rams.
Arizona has a bevy of offensive weapons in its arsenal. Quarterback Kyler Murray has gotten off to an all-world start once again. Murray has completed 78 of 102 passes for 1,005 yards. That includes seven touchdowns through the air and four interceptions. Murray has added 70 more yards on the ground and three rushing touchdowns.
Leading his @AZCardinals to a 31-19 win vs the Jags today, Kyler Murray passed Kordell Stewart and tied Dak Prescott (2016-18) for the 4th most rushing TD by a QB within their first 3 career NFL seasons (18). Only 3 with more: Cam Newton (28), Josh Allen (25), Lamar Jackson (19) pic.twitter.com/Y2fhNzLzRs
— StatsCentre (@StatsCentre) September 27, 2021
Arizona comes off another road win at Jacksonville where they did not look the greatest. That included the decision to kick a 68-yard field goal which backfired as Jacksonville returned the attempt for a touchdown to close out the half. Down 13-7 at halftime, the Cardinals rallied back and held the Jaguars to just six points during the second half. This sets up the battle between two undefeated teams.
The line expects to not drop much. These Los Angeles Rams are proficient scoring at home. Can Arizona keep up?
A journalist veteran for over two decades, Chris has taught the gamut of fantasy hockey sports online from injuries to news to prospects, and more. He has bet on several sports and written sports betting articles about the NBA, MLB, NCAA football, the NFL, and NHL for USA Today.
