Los Angeles Rams at Arizona Cardinals Betting Preview

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— Monday, December 13th Los Angeles Rams @ Arizona Cardinals

Who's ready for an NFC West showdown between the Rams and the Cardinals?

The 8-4 Los Angeles Rams head out to Arizona to face the 10-2 Cardinals. Although the Rams have a great record, they can't slip up, especially as we near the end of the season. There are plenty of teams waiting for a shot to gain entry into the playoffs.

So, can the Rams beat the Cardinals?

The Arizona Cardinals could be considered the league's best team, certainly the best in the NFC. Their offense has been incredible this season, and they're well on their way to clinching the NFC West.

A win over the Rams here would all but guarantee a bye week for the start of the playoffs. However, the Rams won't go down without a fight, so Arizona better be prepared.

Los Angeles Rams: Keys to victory over the Cardinals

As the Rams head into this game, we think one thing should remain on their mind. This is the fact that they need to keep it simple. Too often, we see the Rams try too hard to move downfield by forcing deep throws.

What they need to do is start off light and attack the center of the field, methodically moving the ball. This way, they can get the most out of the No.5 scoring offense.

On the defensive side of the ball, the Rams have to stop Kyler Murray. As always, this is a task much easier said than done. However, teams have found ways before to slow him down, usually by collapsing the pocket.

If they don't allow any lanes for him to escape, they should be able to collapse the pocket around him. The Rams defense is in trouble if he has running room.

Arizona Cardinals: Keys to victory over the Rams

At the beginning of the season, the Cardinals took down the Rams 37-20. This was one of the times we saw just how good the Cardinals were. They'll likely go with the same format to beat the Rams tonight.

Overwhelm them on offense with Kyler Murray and DeAndre Hopkins and play tough defense. We can't ignore the fact that the Cardinals have the No.4 defense.

Allowing just 18.7 points per game, the Cardinals defense can shut down the Rams. One of the Rams' biggest issues is their lack of rushing offense, averaging 97.92 points per game.

Since the Cardinals aren't threatened by the run, they can focus on Matthew Stafford. Expect to see a couple of different blitz packages to hit Stafford early, forcing him into bad decisions.

Our Pick for Los Angeles Rams at Arizona Cardinals

Each of these teams has something they do remarkably well. The Rams have a strong passing offense, but they're also pretty one-dimensional.

When taking this into consideration, we have to take the better overall team, the Arizona Cardinals. Arizona made quick work of the Rams the last time they played, and we don't think they'll have trouble here.

The Cardinals will also only have to cover 2.5-points, which is nothing to them. They've gone 9-3 against the spread this season compared to the Rams 5-7 ATS record. To us, this game will fall right into the Cardinals playstyle.

Take Arizona -2.5 to win this game, cover the spread, and the total to go under 52.

DunkelIndex Free Pick: Arizona Cardinals -2.5, UNDER

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