London game an important one for Arizona Cardinals
By Jim Koch
This weekend’s game will go a long way towards determining how well the Arizona Cardinals stack up in the competitive NFC West
There’s a new divisional foe standing in the way of the Arizona Cardinals. While the Seattle Seahawks remain viable, a wet behind the ears head coach has another team causing a commotion. This Sunday in London, the Cardinals will get a close-up look at Sean McVay and his first-place Los Angeles Rams.
The Rams’ new leader has been making quite an impression. Hired this past January at the tender age of 30, the former Washington Redskins’ offensive coordinator is the youngest head coach in modern history. Through the first six games at least, McVay the youngster appears to know what he’s doing.
Los Angeles is off to a four and two start. The Seahawks, having just come off of a bye week, are a half-game out of the division lead at three and two. Arizona, at three and three, could assume sole possession of first place with a victory over the Rams and a Seattle loss.
Under McVay’s guidance, quarterback Jared Goff is proving that the proclamations of his being a first-round draft bust may have been overblown. 2016’s first-overall pick out of the University of California has thrown for eight touchdowns against just three interceptions. Running back Todd Gurley has recovered from a sub-par ’16, and wide receiver Robert Woods leads the Rams in receptions (22) and receiving yards (322).
More from Raising Zona
- Arizona Cardinals: Could Eric Bieniemy come to the desert?
- Would Jonathan Gannon be a good fit for the Arizona Cardinals?
- Arizona Cardinals: Budda Baker right in his take regarding the next coach
- Arizona Cardinals: 3 reasons new coach should want to work with Murray
- Arizona Cardinals special teams could be completely revamped in 2023
On defense, linebackers Mark Barron (a Deone Bucannon clone) and Alec Ogletree are wreaking havoc on opposing offenses. Cornerback Trumaine Johnson leads the secondary with 21 tackles, a pick-six and five passes defensed. Los Angeles has gotten an amazing 17 quarterback sacks out of their defensive line alone.
The key to the Cards’ success against such a talented bunch lies in the legs of newcomer Adrian Peterson. The revamped offensive line opened up Mack-truck sized holes for him last week, and will need to do more of the same versus the Rams. Carson Palmer would’ve had a much harder time with this contest a couple of weeks ago when the o-line and backs were struggling.
Los Angeles has actually gotten the short end of the stick in the two-game season series of the two franchises. The matchup in London counts as a home game for the Rams, not the Cardinals. The two rivals will meet again in Glendale during the first week of December.
Even though Las Vegas oddsmakers have installed Los Angeles as three-point favorites, the game has the looks of a tossup. Arizona’s win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers put them right back into the NFC West mix. It’s time now for Bruce Arians’ group to keep the momentum going.