Cardinals vs. Rams: Who Is Going to Win NFC West?
By Reed Wallach
The Arizona Cardinals loss on Sunday at the Detroit Lions on Sunday may have created the opening the Los Angeles Rams needed to get back into the NFC West conversation.
Of course, Matthew Stafford and the Rams must take care of business against another division rival in Seattle on Tuesday, but the shocking upset may have a ton of consequences on the NFC playoff picture.
With a win at home against the Seahawks, the Rams are currently 7-point favorites at WynnBET Sportsbook, the Rams will pull into a tie with the Cardinals for the NFC West lead with three games to go.
Who has the edge to win the division? Let's check out each team's schedule to finish the regular season.
Arizona Cardinals' Remaining Schedule
- Week 16: Colts
- Week 17: at Cowboys
- Week 18: Seahawks
It's a tricky path for the Cardinals, who play two playoff teams before a potentially desperate in-division foe in Seattle with Russell Wilson at quarterback.
Arizona will be without DeAndre Hopkins for the regular season most likely, and the early returns were concerning against a beaten down Lions secondary. Can Kyler Murray and company get back on track? The one thing going for Arizona is that they are in control of their own destiny in the division.
The Cardinals and Rams split their regular season series, but the Cardinals have the next tiebreaker if necessary, currently 4-1 against NFC West opponents while the Rams are 2-2, but that is far from over. Arizona plays Seattle at home in Week 18 and the Rams still have the 49ers in Week 18.
Los Angeles Rams' Remaining Schedule
- Week 15: Seahawks
- Week 16: at Vikings
- Week 17: at Ravens
- Week 18: 49ers
It's not a cakewalk for the Rams to runaway with the division, but they do have an easier schedule considering the Vikings propensity to play close games and the Ravens injury woes in the secondary.
LA must take care of business on Tuesday night against the Seahawks, but from there it's a mad dash to the finish line, and Sean McVay's team may need to go just 2-1 to hold off the Cardinals, who are quickly fading out of division contention.
Keep an eye on the NFC West race as we get down the stretch with a lot of jockeying for position in the loaded conference. Home field may be integral to making a postseason run in 2021.