Call it the disappointment bowl as the Arizona Cardinals and Los Angeles Rams squared off in a game minus a good Hollywood ending.
One year after coming within one game of the franchise’s second Super Bowl appearance, the Arizona Cardinals have seemingly not received from last season’s 49-15 loss in the NFC title game at Carolina. Off a season in which they won a franchise-record 13 regular-season games, Bruce Arians’ team will finish below .500 even with a victory over the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday.
As for their NFC West rivals, a 3-1 start has turned into six straight losses and 10 setbacks in their last 11 contests. But thanks to a 17-13 win at Arizona in Week 4, the Rams can sweep this divisional series for the first time since 2012.
Three Stars
1. David Johnson
The NFL leader in total yards from scrimmage (2,074), Johnson also has a league-best 20 total touchdowns. Only four players have rushed for more yards this season (1,233) while the second-year pro leads all running backs with 77 receptions. The Los Angeles defense is formidable but ranks only 18th in the NFL against the run.
2. Kenny Britt
You could make a string case that the one-time Tennessee Titans’ first-round pick was the Rams’ offensive MVP in 2016. We are talking about a club that has gained the fewest total yards in the league and is also in the bottom three in rushing (31st) and passing (30th). Britt leads the team with 68 catches for an impressive 1,002 yards (14.7 average) and five touchdowns. Expect a nice duel on Sunday between Britt and Cardinals’ cornerback Patrick Peterson.
3. Carson Palmer
It has been a very rough year for a veteran performer that was in the league MVP discussion at this time one year ago. Last season, Palmer connected for a franchise-record 35 touchdown passes and was picked off only 10 times. In 14 games this season, the longtime signal-caller has thrown for 23 scores and 13 interceptions. He’s also been sacked 39 times and lost four of his 14 fumbles. Palmer takes aim at a Rams’ team that has given up an average of 32.6 points per game in their last five contests.
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Odds
The Cardinals lost the first meeting of the season between the teams in Arizona. But Arians’ team is a 6.5-point favorite to exact a little revenge here. The OVER/UNDER remains at a modest 40.5.
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