Los Angeles Rams at Arizona Cardinals Betting Preview

When the defending NFC champions are the last place team, you know it’s a good division. And the NFC West is perhaps the best division in all of football. Three teams can still win the division title, and two of them meet in Arizona on Sunday when the Cardinals host the Los Angeles Rams.

The Line: Rams (-2.5) at Arizona

As things sit entering Week 13, both the Rams and Cardinals are in the playoffs. But both are Wild Card teams, meaning both would go on the road. Although in the case of Los Angeles as the current top Wild Card team, it would match up against the NFC East champion - not the hardest game on the schedule.

Seattle is just a game ahead of Los Angeles and two games north of Arizona. So if either of these teams has designs on winning the NFC West and getting a home playoff game, a win on Sunday is a must.

Los Angeles Rams

The Rams are ninth overall in the Dunkel Index at 138.057 on the strength of a top 10 offense and a defense that ranks second overall. Last week’s stumble against the 49ers notwithstanding, in the two weeks prior to that, Los Angeles posted big wins over the Buccaneers and Seahawks.

A win over Arizona on Sunday would put the Rams in control of their own divisional destiny since they still have a game on the schedule against Seattle, allowing them to complete the season sweep. But they also have a season-ending game at home against the Cardinals, so this division may change a few hands before the season comes to a close.

Arizona Cardinals

The Cardinals seemed like a playoff shoo-in a couple of weeks ago, and Kyler Murray was a legitimate MVP candidate. But a loss to Seattle, followed by a bad loss at New England, dropped them to 6-5 and down to 13th on the Dunkel Index (125.956).

The Vikings and Bears are lurking just a game back for that final Wild Card spot, as is their old nemesis, the 49ers. So without a win on Sunday, we could see the Cardinals out of the playoffs altogether.

Murray has an injured shoulder, but he insists that it hasn’t changed his approach. Though it’s worth noting that in the loss at New England, Murray had a season low of five carries.

The Pick

The bookmakers in Las Vegas predict a close game that is decided by less than a field goal. But the Dunkel Index sees a big 12-point Rams win and a dominating defensive performance.

Murray is electric, but he clearly isn’t himself with the injured shoulder. And that makes all of the Arizona weapons slightly less effective against a good Rams defense.

Look for Sean McVay to create a good plan for Jared Goff against an average Cardinals defense, and first-year Rams defensive coordinator Brandon Staley to make more tough sledding for an injured Cardinals offense.

With the line at 2.5 points, a Dunkel Index difference of 12 points, the smart money is all on Los Angeles.

For more Dunkel Index picks, take a look at our NFL picks page.