Los Angeles Rams vs Arizona Cardinals 12/13/2021 NFL Odds and Prediction

The Los Angeles Rams look to keep within striking distance of the Arizona Cardinals when these two NFC West rivals meet in Glendale in Week 14’s edition of Monday Night Football.

Los Angeles snapped a three-game losing streak last week, defeating the Jacksonville Jaguars. However, at 8-4 SU, they need to prevent the Cardinals from pulling away in the division standings. A win by Arizona on Monday night will give them a three-game lead in the divisional race.

These two teams met in Week 4 as unbeaten teams and it was Arizona that handed Los Angeles its first defeat of the season 37-20. The Rams also lost their two regular season meetings against the Cardinals in 2020 but the QB back then was still Jared Goff.

Los Angeles Rams

The Rams took a 10-0 lead against the Cardinals in the first five minutes of the game and never let the Jaguars get back in the game. Los Angeles outgained Jacksonville 418-197 in total offense while picking up a total of 24 first downs and allowing just 14. The Rams also won the battle of possession time 33:45 to 26:15 while forcing the Jaguars to commit two turnovers in the 37-20 win last weekend

Matthew Stafford has completed 292 of 438 passes for a total of 3,611 passing yards with 30 touchdowns and 9 interceptions. Darrell Henderson Jr. leads Los Angeles’ ground attack with a total of 648 yards with 5 TD runs on a total of 142 carries. Cooper Kupp has caught 100 passes for 1,366 receiving yards with 11 touchdown grabs. Robert Woods has 45 catches for 556 yards and four TD grabs.

Los Angeles is third in the league in passing offense at 289 yards per game. They are 23rd in rushing offense at 97.9 yards per game. The Rams are the 5th best scoring team in the NFL at 28.0 points per game while their defense is ranked 16th with an average of 22.5 points per game allowed this season.

Arizona Cardinals

The Arizona Cardinals got back QB Kyler Muray and WR1 DeAndre Hopkins last week after the two spent some time due to injury. The Cardinals also broke the game wide open early and never let the Bears come within seven points of them. Arizona was outgained 329-257 by the Bears in total offense while amassing just 14 first downs and conceding 26. Chicago also won the possession battle 34:45 to 25:15.

Kyler Murray has completed 197 of 271 passes for 2,399 passing yards with 19 touchdowns and seven interceptions. He ranks third on the team in rushing with 206 rushing yards and five rushing touchdowns. James Conner leads the team in rushing with 630 yards with 12 rushing touchdowns on 166 carries. Chase Edmonds also has 430 rushing yards on 76 carries with one touchdown. Hopkins has caught 37 catches for 518 yards with 8 TDs while Christian Kirk has 50 catches for 632 yards.

Arizona ranks 11th in passing at 244.6 yards per game this season. The Cardinals are 10th in rushing offense at 124.2 yards per contest. Meanwhile, Arizona is 3rd in the NFL in scoring at 28.6 points per game. They are 4th in scoring defense at just 18.7 points per game allowed.

Who Wins?

The Rams are 10-5 SU in their last 15 games played. Los Angeles is 4-2 SU in six road games played this season and 13-7 SU in their last 20 games against the NFC. Arizona is 10-2 SU in their last 12 games played. The Cardinals are 3-2 in five home games played this year and 6-2 SU in their last eight games against the NFC.

Arizona was glad to see Murray and Hopkins back last week although they really didn’t need them to do much against the Bears. According to head coach Kliff Kingsbury, running back Chase Edmonds could be returning in this game. Edmonds rushed for 120 yards on 12 carries in their first encounter but has spent time on the injury list.

If Edmonds is back, he will be paired with Conner and the Rams defense is going to have a hard time stopping the run, like it was in the first game. With Murray and Hopkins back for the second straight game, expect the Arizona offense to be a lot better than the previous weeks. I think that the Cardinals’ offense is better than the Rams’ defense.

Prediction: Arizona Cardinals

Other Bets to Make

Los Angeles is 1-5 ATS in their last six games played. The Rams are 2-5 ATS in their last seven games played on the road, 2-5 ATS in their last seven games played on grass, 1-4 ATS in their last five games after a straight-up win, 1-4 ATS in their last five games against an opponent with a winning record, 1-5 ATS in their last six games after allowing less than 15 points in their previous game, and 0-7 ATS in their last seven games after a straight-up win of more than 14 points.

Arizona is 8-2 ATS in their last 10 games played. The Cardinals are 4-0 ATS in their last four games against the AFC West, 6-2 ATS in their last eight games after a straight-up win, 6-2 ATS in their last eight games played on grass, 5-2 ATS in their last seven games after an ATS win, 5-2-1 ATS in their last eight December games, and 5-2 ATS in their last seven games against the NFC.

Head to head, the favorite is 8-1-1 ATS in the last 10 games between these two teams.

The Rams bounced back big last week after a three-game losing streak. However, there’s a huge difference between playing the Jaguars and the Cardinals. This is also the same Arizona team that defeated them 37-20 in week 4 so the Cardinals may have their number.

In their last game, Los Angeles was forced to turn over the ball twice with the Cardinals scoring 14 points off those turnovers. The Rams also had a hard time containing the Arizona offense which produced 268 yards through the air and 213 yards on the ground.

Murray and Hopkins are back and we saw what they mean to the Cardinals last week. Arizona is also expecting Edmonds to return here so the Rams may be playing against too many offensive threats for them to handle. I’m giving the edge to the Cardinals who are playing at home.

Prediction: Arizona Cardinals -2

The total has geon over in nine out of the last nine games of the Rams as underdogs. The over is 7-1 in the Rams’ last eight games as road underdogs, 7-1 in their last eight games against an opponent with a winning home record, 5-1-1 in their last seven games after an ATS win, 5-1 in their last six games after an ATS win, 4-1 in their last five games played on grass, 6-2-1 in their last nine games after a straight-up win, and 5-2-1 in their last eight road games.

The under is 5-2-1 in the last eight games played by the Rams. However, don’t forget that Los Angeles opened the season with four straight overs so this is a team that can put up the points on a good night. Meanwhile, the over is 3-1 in the Cardinals’ last four games heading to this one.

Los Angeles has scored over 28 points in five out of their last seven games, including thrice where they scored over 30. Arizona has scored at least 30 points in four out of their last seven games played and is coming off a 33-point outing against the Bears.

The over is also 2-1 in the last three head-to-head meetings between these two teams including a total of 57 in Week 4 when these two teams last met. Give me the over.

Prediction: Over 51

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