Tag: rams cardinals

Studs and duds from Rams’ win vs. Cardinals in Week 17

The defense was dominant against the Cardinals in Week 17.

The Rams defense was nearly at its best in the biggest game of the season Sunday, stepping up to help carry the team to the playoffs. The Cardinals were limited to seven points and only 214 total yards of offense, only scoring once thanks to a short field after John Wolford’s interception.

The Rams offense didn’t play as well as many had hoped, but Wolford showed poise and confidence in his NFL debut, leading the Rams in rushing and also throwing for 231 yards.

Here are our studs and duds from Week 17, recognizing the best and worst individual performances of the game.

5 key takeaways from Rams’ big win vs. Cardinals

Everything we learned from the Rams’ Week 17 win over the Cardinals.

Desperately needing a win, the Rams got exactly that on Sunday and in beating the Cardinals, they also clinched a playoff berth. They defeated Arizona at home, 18-7, capping off a strong 10-6 season with a mix of standout performances and stumbles along the way.

We learned a lot about the Rams, especially with John Wolford in for Jared Goff at quarterback, which makes the postseason picture even more interesting for L.A.

Here are five key takeaways from Sunday’s victory by the Rams as they prepare to face the Seahawks in the wild-card round.

Cooper Kupp, Rams players celebrate Week 17 win on Twitter

Cooper Kupp says the Rams’ “second season starts now” after clinching a playoff berth.

After two weeks of struggles and disappointing results, the Rams finally righted the ship in Week 17. They snapped their two-game losing streak by beating the Cardinals, 18-7, at home in the season finale.

In doing so, they punched their ticket to the playoffs, setting up a third date with the Seahawks in the wild-card round next weekend. Hopefully L.A. will be healthier for that game after missing Jared Goff, Cooper Kupp and Michael Brockers against Arizona.

Kupp was watching from home and after his teammates secured the win, he shared a post on Twitter celebrating the clinched playoff berth. While it’s not yet clear if he’ll play next week, he says the Rams’ “second season starts now.”

Here’s how other Rams players reacted to the win over their division rivals, sweeping the Cardinals for the fourth year in a row.

Aaron Donald didn’t tweet himself, which is no surprise, but he did retweet the Rams’ post.

 

Rams crush Cardinals, 18-7: Everything we know from Week 17 win

The Rams punched their ticket to the playoffs with a win over the Cardinals on Sunday.

It took three attempts, but the Rams finally punched their ticket to the playoffs on Sunday afternoon. They beat the Cardinals 18-7 at SoFi Stadium, clinching their third postseason berth in the last four years.

Despite being without Jared Goff, Cooper Kupp, Darrell Henderson and Michael Brockers, the Rams managed to get the job done thanks to steady play from John Wolford, a dominant defensive performance and even contributions from the special teams unit.

The defense alone actually outscored the Cardinals, 8-7, helping carry the team to the finish line with a victory.

Here’s everything we know from the win, including what’s next for L.A. in the first round of the playoffs.

Rams’ 4 biggest causes for concern vs. Cardinals in Week 17

There’s plenty for the Rams to be worried about in this one.

In this difficult 2020 season that has featured more adversity and challenges than a typical year, the Rams will face their toughest test to close out the regular season.

Needing a win over the Cardinals or a loss by the Bears in order to make the playoffs, the Rams’ fate rests in the hands of John Wolford. With four of their most important players missing due to injury or COVID-19, there’s plenty of concern for L.A. this weekend.

Here are their four biggest causes for concern against the Cardinals, who are also seeking a win in order to make the playoffs.

Sean McVay has no plans to scoreboard-watch Bears vs. Packers

Sean McVay knows the Rams have to handle their business instead of hoping the Bears lose to Green Bay.

There are two very clear ways for the Rams to get into the playoffs in Week 17. They can either beat (or tie) the Cardinals, or the Packers can beat the Bears. They’re in complete control of their own fate, needing no help to get into the postseason.

And because of that, Sean McVay won’t be scoreboard watching Bears-Packers, which will also be played at 4:25 p.m. ET. He said Friday that he doesn’t want updates on the score of that game because it has no impact on how he’s going to coach against the Cardinals.

“I will not worry about it because what I’d be doing during that time has zero to do – I have no control over that, even though it potentially affects us, but it only affects us if we don’t handle our business and we have to worry about it,” he told reporters.

That doesn’t mean he’s unaware of the circumstances. He knows how much the Packers can help the Rams out, especially considering how decimated this L.A. team is. The Rams are capable of beating Arizona, but it will be much more difficult without Jared Goff, Cooper Kupp, Darrell Henderson and Michael Brockers.

For obvious reasons, McVay hopes his friend Matt LaFleur takes care of business in Chicago, potentially helping the Rams clinch a playoff berth.

“I won’t,” McVay said of whether he’ll pay attention to the Bears-Packers game. “I mean, we’re not naive to what the circumstances are surrounding that, but the reality is you don’t have to watch them if you handle your own business and that’s where our focus is. We know what a great challenge it’s going to be. Our sole focus and concentration is going to be playing to the best of our ability in all three phases against a really good Arizona Cardinals football team. If we do that and come out with the result that we want, that other game has nothing to do with it. Then we’ll see what happens on that afterwards. I’ll be rooting for my buddy Matt LaFleur, but we have to handle our own business.”

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NFL Week 17 picks: Most experts taking Cardinals over Rams

Experts aren’t all that confident in the Rams as they take on the Cardinals in Week 17.

With so many players out due to injuries and COVID-19 protocol, it’s no surprise that the Rams have become the underdogs in Sunday’s finale against the Cardinals. After opening the week as one-point favorites, the line has since shifted to Rams +3 – a four-point swing after the news of Jared Goff, Darrell Henderson, Cooper Kupp and Michael Brockers being forced to miss the game.

The oddsmakers aren’t the only ones favoring Arizona, either. According to NFL Pick Watch, 63% of experts are taking the Cardinals to win on Sunday despite being on the road. Among those taking the Rams are Nate Davis and Mike Jones of USA TODAY, Sam Farmer of the LA Times and Jamey Eisenberg of CBS Sports.

Factoring in the spread, 63% of experts are taking the Cardinals to cover, ranging from Arizona -3.5 to +1, depending on when the picks were submitted. Had Goff not gotten hurt and Kupp not tested positive for COVID-19, the gap likely would’ve been much smaller in the experts’ picks.

If the Rams win on Sunday, they’ll lock up a playoff berth. The same goes for the Cardinals if they beat L.A. But unlike Arizona, the Rams can get into the playoffs even with a loss, so long as Chicago also loses.

The final postseason spots in the NFC will come down to Rams-Cardinals and Bears-Packers at 4:25 p.m. ET on Sunday.

Watch: Rams drop hype video for critical Week 17 tilt vs. Cardinals

It all comes down to this for the Rams and Cardinals. Win and you’re in.

The Rams botched two opportunities to lock up a playoff berth against the Jets and Seahawks in the last two weeks. They’ll get a third chance on Sunday when they host the Cardinals, once again a win-and-you’re-in situation for L.A.

The Cardinals can also secure a postseason berth with a victory over the Rams, so there are huge playoff implications in this NFC West showdown. This is a game that’s easy to get excited about, especially after watching the hype video that the Rams shared on Twitter.

Narrated by Rams play-by-play announcer J.B. Long, the video sets the stage for this huge season finale at SoFi Stadium.

Rams-Cardinals will kick off at the same time as Bears-Packers, at 4:25 p.m. ET, which will also be a determining game for the NFC playoff picture. They’ll be on different networks, too, so watching them simultaneously will be thrilling as the season comes down to the wire.

Sean McVay’s New Year’s Eve consisted of red-zone planning for Week 17

The Rams coach remains focused on the task at hand: beating the Cardinals.

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Sean McVay has said countless times how little of a life he has outside of football during the season. He focuses on one thing and one thing only: winning games.

He’s improved his work-life balance in the last couple of years after gaining some coaching experience, but he’s still completely dedicated to doing whatever he can to help the Rams win. And so it’s no surprise that McVay’s plans on New Year’s Eve were nothing exciting.

With the final day of the year falling on a Thursday, McVay’s night consisted of red-zone planning for Week 17 as the Rams try to get into the playoffs.

“Yeah. Getting the red-zone plan ready to go so we can score some more points,” McVay said when asked about his plans Thursday.

His New Year’s resolution was equally football-centric. “Start the year off with a win.”

McVay is so buried in game-planning for the Cardinals that he didn’t even realize it was New Year’s Eve on Thursday until he took the time to make the connection.

“You know, I just look at it as I have no life during the season, so, I’m getting ready for Week 17,” he said. “Until you said it, I had no clue that it was the 31st and I’m looking down and it’s New Year’s Eve. You know what? It is. It’s a Thursday in our game-week preparation, trying to go get our 10th win. Let’s go.”

Sunday against the Cardinals isn’t a must-win game for the Rams. They can still get into the playoffs with a loss as long as the Bears also lose to the Packers. But going into the postseason on a three-game losing streak isn’t how they’d like to ring in the new year.

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Rams vs. Cardinals preview: 5 questions for Week 17 matchup

Previewing this weekend’s Rams game with Jess Root of Cards Wire.

The Rams have beaten the Cardinals in eight straight meetings, but none were as big as the upcoming game on Sunday afternoon as both teams fight to make the playoffs. The Cardinals are favored to win this one, largely because the Rams will be without at least four key players – including Jared Goff and Cooper Kupp.

Arizona is a dangerous team when Kyler Murray is playing well, but they’ve been in a rut lately, much like the Rams. To find out what’s happened to the Cardinals and preview this matchup, we talked to Cards Wire editor Jess Root.

He shared intel on the Cardinals offense, Haason Reddick’s emergence and DeAndre Hopkins’ involvement.