Tag: rams cardinals

Rams open as 4.5-point road favorites vs. Cardinals in Week 3

The Rams are on the road against a division rival, but they’re still comfortably favored over the Cardinals

The Los Angeles Rams and Arizona Cardinals both got much-needed wins on Sunday afternoon, avoiding the dreaded 0-2 start to the year. The Rams held on to beat the Falcons after nearly blowing a lead, while the Cardinals won in very different fashion: They erased a 23-7 deficit to beat the Raiders in overtime.

Now, the Rams and Cardinals will meet for the first time in Week 3, a pivotal NFC West showdown in Arizona. Neither team has played up to its potential yet, but the oddsmakers seem to be favoring the Rams in this one.

According to Tipico Sportsbook, the Rams are 4.5-point favorites over the Cardinals despite being on the road. The over/under has been set at 50.5 points, which is tied for the second-highest total of Week 3.

After two games, the Rams and Cardinals have both been outscored by 17 points and neither team has played a divisional game, unlike the Seahawks and 49ers. Everyone in the division is tied at 1-1, so this is an important early-season matchup.

Since 2017, the Rams are 10-1 against the Cardinals, with their only loss coming last October. They covered the spread in all but one of those games, too.

Rams injury report: Tutu Atwell, Darrell Henderson Jr. questionable vs. Cardinals

There aren’t any big injury concerns for the Rams heading into Sunday’s matchup with the Cardinals.

The Rams’ injury report this week didn’t raise any major concerns as three of the six players listed were simply due to rest. Darrell Henderson Jr. returned in a limited capacity and is expected to play against the Cardinals, while Leonard Floyd was a full participant on Thursday and Friday as he continues to recover from a nagging ankle injury.

Tutu Atwell and Robert Rochell came down with illnesses, which Sean McVay says are similar to what he had last week, and it has left Atwell’s status in doubt for Sunday. He’s listed as questionable to play, as is Henderson. McVay said Henderson will play against the Cardinals and was a full participant Friday, so he’ll be on the field after missing Week 3.

McVay said he’s not sure if Atwell will play against Arizona and if he’s out, DeSean Jackson or Cooper Kupp would replace him on punt returns.

For the Cardinals, running back Eno Benjamin has already been ruled out. Linemen Kelvin Beachum, Justin Murray and Justin Pugh are all questionable to play.

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Cardinals bring J.J. Watt to NFC West with $31 million deal

The Rams will be facing J.J. Watt twice a year now that he’s joining the Cardinals.

When the Houston Texans released J.J. Watt last month, Rams fans began exploring ways Les Snead could bring him to Los Angeles. With limited cap space, it was always unlikely the Rams would land the three-time Defensive Player of the Year.

Watt announced on Monday that he’ll be coming to the NFC West, just not with the Rams. Instead, he’s signing with the Arizona Cardinals, earning a two-year deal worth $31 million from the Rams’ rival.

The contract comes with $23 million guaranteed, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network, and pairs Watt with former NFL sacks leader Chandler Jones.

So yeah, Andrew Whitworth and Rob Havenstein will have their hands full in their two meetings with the Cardinals next season.

Watt is still a very capable pass rusher, hitting the quarterback 17 times last season to go along with five sacks and 14 tackles for loss. He was an All-Pro in 2018, forcing a league-high seven fumbles and recording 16 sacks in 16 games.

The Cardinals are already on the rise with Kyler Murray, but now their defense just got a big boost with the arrival of Watt.

Now Aaron Donald has company as another three-time Defensive Player of the Year has joined the NFC West.

Van Jefferson’s dad looks forward to ‘kicking his butt’ as new Cardinals WRs coach

Van Jefferson’s dad, Shawn, is now coaching the Cardinals’ wide receivers and he’s excited to face his son twice a year.

Van Jefferson will have a new rival in Arizona for the 2021 season, and it’s not a player. His dad, Shawn Jefferson, was hired as the Cardinals’ wide receivers coach this offseason after spending two years in the same role with the Jets.

Shawn Jefferson hasn’t gotten the chance to see Van play much because he’s been an NFL coach since 2006, so getting to his son’s games has been a challenge. Fortunately, he’ll see Van up close and personal twice a year now, with both Jeffersons being in the NFC West.

Shawn Jefferson was introduced to the media on Tuesday and he’s already talking some trash to his son.

“I’m looking forward to kicking his butt twice a year, that’s what I’m looking forward to more than anything,” Jefferson said, via Jess Root of Cards Wire. “It’ll be good to see him play but when you get on that field, I want to kick his butt in every way possible.”

Shawn Jefferson is already 1-0 against his son in the NFL. The Jets stunned the Rams late last season at SoFi Stadium, which was one of the most shocking games of the entire NFL season. Van will have a chance to avenge that loss twice next season, though the Rams-Cardinals matchups don’t yet have a date because the schedule hasn’t been released.

But rest assured, these two will be looking forward to those showdowns whenever they end up happening – because after all, bragging rights are on the line.

“I’m a competitor and he is too, but I’d love nothing more than to have those bragging rights every season, kicking his butt twice a year,” Shawn Jefferson said.

Watch: Jalen Ramsey and DeAndre Hopkins trade trash talk in hilarious hour-long chat

Jalen Ramsey and DeAndre Hopkins battled it out on NFL’s Pro Bowl Verzuz, trading trash talk for an hour.

Jalen Ramsey and DeAndre Hopkins are two of the best players in the NFL, regardless of position. Each was named an All-Pro and Pro Bowler this season, putting together outstanding campaigns for the Rams and Cardinals.

With the Pro Bowl not being played due to the coronavirus pandemic, the NFL took a different approach when it comes to featuring its stars. On Thursday night, Ramsey and Hopkins squared off for a third time, only it wasn’t on the field.

They traded trash talk for an hour on the NFL’s “Pro Bowl Verzuz,” which was a video chat between Ramsey, Hopkins and moderated by NFL Network’s Deion Sanders and M.J. Acosta-Ruiz.

Highlights of each player were thrown up on the screen throughout the chat, with Ramsey and Hopkins not only describing the plays, but also chirping at the other with some hilarious trash talk.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WGSAmtgMKeM

At one point, a highlight of Hopkins’ one-handed grab against the Giants was shown. Ramsey downplayed the catch because it came against Prince Amukamara.

“Who’s that? Prince Amukamara? Prince Amukamara. That’s my teammate in Jacksonville. I rock with Prince, but…” Ramsey said with a smirk on his face.

Hopkins took a similar approach when Ramsey picked off a pass in front of Mike Wallace, causing Hopkins to ask who the wide receiver was.

Of course, with the history that these two stars have playing against each other, there were clips of their battles shown. They traded barbs on this play, with Ramsey saying Hopkins pushed off to make the grab.

“The teacher in class said, ‘Raise your hand when you want to talk.’ You raise your hand with one hand. Let me know when you want to talk, Jalen. Raise your hand with one hand,” Hopkins replied.

The whole video is well worth watching, giving fans a peek behind the curtain of the relationship between Ramsey and Hopkins, with a fun look back at some of their best plays not only in the NFL, but also in college.

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Rams Week 17 report card: Grading every position vs. Cardinals

The offense struggled, but L.A.’s defense picked up the slack and provided points of its own.

The box score doesn’t tell the whole story of how the Rams played on Sunday against the Cardinals, but it does give an indication of which side of the ball played better. Very clearly, the defense shined by allowing only seven points and scoring nine points of its own, while the offense had its struggles, particularly in the red zone.

Breaking it down further, we graded each position group on the Rams from Week 17, beginning with the quarterback spot and John Wolford. Here’s our Week 17 report card.

NFL power rankings: Where do Rams rank among playoff teams?

The Rams didn’t finish the regular season in the top 10, but they did move up after beating the Cardinals.

After starting with 32, we’re down to the final 14 teams in the NFL playoffs. The Rams made it as the No. 6 seed in the NFC and will face the Seattle Seahawks in the wild-card round this Saturday.

It was a rocky season for L.A. that ended on a high note with a win over the Cardinals in Week 17, but the Rams are almost limping into the postseason. Jared Goff is hurt, as is Darrell Henderson. Micah Kiser and Andrew Whitworth have yet to return, while Michael Brockers and Cooper Kupp remain on the reserve/COVID-19 list.

But all that matters is the Rams are in the playoffs, which gives them a shot at a Super Bowl. While they don’t rank among the best teams still alive, they do boast the No. 1 defense in football, which could carry them deep.

After beating the Cardinals, the Rams moved up three spots in this week’s power rankings at Touchdown Wire, which puts them 12th – ahead of only the Bears and Washington among playoff teams.

Brandon Staley’s unit provided 12 critical points in the second quarter, with a safety due to an offensive holding penalty in the end zone and a Pick-Six from cornerback Troy Hill. That gave the Rams a 12-7 lead in the second quarter and that would be enough on this day.

Of course, the offense remains a question mark whether Jared Goff returns or the team is forced to call upon Wolford on Wild Card Weekend. But with a defense like this, the Rams could still be dangerous.

The Rams already beat three of the six other teams in the NFC playoffs this season, including the team they’ll face on Saturday, the Seahawks. They’re not nearly as explosive offensively as they were in 2018 when they made the Super Bowl, but this defense is as good as it gets and makes L.A. a legitimate threat.

They just have to get past the Seahawks first, which won’t be easy after seeing the way the Rams play against Seattle in Week 16 – a 20-9 loss on the road. The Seahawks are fifth in this week’s power rankings, so they’re viewed as the better team.

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Notable PFF grades from Rams’ Week 17 win vs. Arizona

The Rams got an outstanding performance by the defense on Sunday, but the offense lagged behind.

The Los Angeles Rams closed out the regular season on a high note against the Arizona Cardinals, winning 18-7 at home to lock up a playoff berth. The offense still continues to struggle, failing to score a touchdown for the second straight week, but the defense turned in one of its best performances of the season.

That’s reflected in Pro Football Focus’ game grades from Week 17. The defense saw several players turn in great performances, with five earning grades above 80.0. On offense, there were a lot of unimpressive grades, with Johnny Mundt standing out thanks to a career-high 84.6 mark.

Here’s a look at some notable grades for the Rams from Week 17, led by Aaron Donald and his 93.2 grade.

There was a lot to like from the Rams’ victory, most notably John Wolford’s performance. Although his grade was only 70.8, he played better than expected and totaled nearly 300 yards in the game.

There were mistakes made by several young players, including Wolford, Cam Akers and Van Jefferson, but at least L.A. is heading into the postseason on a high note.

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Rams Week 17 snap counts: L.A. adapts with starters out

The Rams were forced to make changes to their personnel on Sunday with several key players out.

The Rams made major changes to their starting lineup on Sunday against the Cardinals, but not because they wanted to. Either due to injury or COVID-19, they were without Jared Goff, Cooper Kupp, Michael Brockers and Darrell Henderson, all of whom contributed in big ways this season.

John Wolford got the start at quarterback, Morgan Fox took over at defensive end and Van Jefferson earned a lot of playing time in Kupp’s absence, causing a shakeup in the snap counts. Despite missing so many players, the Rams still pulled off a win, beating the Cardinals 18-7 at home.

Here’s a look at the snap counts for every position group in Week 17.

7 crazy stats from Rams’ playoff-clinching win vs. Cardinals

The Rams finished the season off on a high note, knocking off the Cardinals in Week 17.

The Rams closed out the 2020 regular season on a high note Sunday, beating the Cardinals 18-7. They finished 10-6 and earned the sixth seed in the NFC, setting up a date with the Seahawks in the wild-card round.

There were a bunch of feats accomplished by the Rams both on Sunday and in the season as a whole, which we’re here to recognize. John Wolford put together a strong performance in his debut, the Rams harrassed the Cardinals’ quarterbacks again and the defense saved maybe its best for last.

Here are seven crazy stats from the Week 17 win.