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The Los Angeles Rams close out the regular season Sunday against the Arizona Cardinals, a rivalry game with very little consequence. The Rams are preparing for the playoffs, while the Cardinals are simply trying to head into the offseason on a high note by beating Los Angeles.
To preview this game, we talked to Cards Wire managing editor Jess Root and asked five questions, both about the present and future Cardinals.
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What’s the feeling on Kyler Murray’s future in Arizona?
Cards Wire: It would be weird after all that has happened to then bring him back. They have pushed the narrative so much about how Jacoby Brissett is making the passing game better and how good the vibes are in the locker room. There's no way for him to return with Jonathan Gannon still leading the team, and with Brissett still under contract, it would be weird for a new coach to then go back to Murray. The organization seemed fine letting Murray and OC Drew Petzing be this year's sacrificial lambs.
Besides Michael Wilson and Trey McBride, is there a player who should scare the Rams?
Cards Wire: In a word, no.
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They are the only players consistently producing. Now, if D.J. Humphries starts again, Josh Sweat might be a guy who could get to Matthew Stafford early, but he hasn't had but a single assisted tackle in the fourth quarter of any game this season.
What’s been the Cardinals’ biggest downfall this year?
Cards Wire: They built the roster thinking the offense would be at least as good as it was for the previous year and a half, which was a top-10 unit with a great running game. They threw money and draft picks at the defense. The run game wasn't good early on, the coaching was bad in the fourth quarter, and the defense was bad in high-leverage situations to start the season and then awful in general the rest of the year. Now, they just don't know how to compete. They play with good effort, but they don't know how to win.
What area of the defense can the Rams exploit?
Cards Wire: I wish I could say they can, but the Rams' weakness is the run game, and the Cardinals offer nothing in the run game offensively. They have averaged 69.0 rushing yards per game over the last seven games.
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Who wins and why?
Cards Wire: If the Rams play their starters more than a quarter, they should roll. I am wary of a sneaky late cover of the +8.5 if the Rams play backups for a significant part of the game, but I don't trust the Cardinals to even give much of an effort. Rams 37, Cardinals 17
This article originally appeared on Rams Wire: Rams vs. Cardinals: 5 questions for Week 18 matchup
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