3 reasons the Arizona Cardinals will beat the Rams in Week 3

The Arizona Cardinals pulled off the impossible in Week 2, so what’s another rodeo with facing the defending Super Bowl Champions?

The Arizona Cardinals return home for a Week 3 matchup against the Los Angeles Rams. And while the Rams proved they were the best in the NFL last season, they struggled in their first two games, losing in a blowout to the Buffalo Bills and a near-heartbreaker against the lowly Atlanta Falcons.

The Cardinals, meanwhile, hit a high-water mark, stunning the Las Vegas Raiders on the road in what was one of their greatest comeback wins in team history. Given the Cardinals highs and the Rams lows, things are looking good for the Redbirds to pull off another upset.

Reason #1 – Arizona Cardinals hold momentum

At one point against the Raiders, the Cardinals trailed 20-0. Over in Los Angeles, the Rams led the Falcons 28-3 and ended up escaping with a 31-27 win over what some consider the worst team in football.

With the Cardinals rising and the Rams falling (for at least two quarters), this pivotal Week 3 matchup falls in the Cardinals favor, even if the latter are underdogs for the week. But as many say, football is a game of momentum shifts. If the Cardinals keep that momentum, they should beat the Rams for the first time since they pulled off a massive upset in Week 4 of 2021.

Reason #2 – Matthew Stafford’s woes

Strange as it sounds, you could sit Byron Murphy, start Marco Wilson and Christian Matthew, and still pull out a win against the Rams considering how bad Matthew Stafford has played this season. While the Rams still have plenty of skill position players in Stafford’s arsenal, the Super Bowl winning quarterback has put together some shoddy numbers.

It was something we should have seen coming, given Stafford’s shoulder issues earlier this summer. But odds are, no one saw the 6.5% interception rate after just two games this season. Sure, it’s only been two games, but it doesn’t negate the fact Stafford’s interception percentage sits 1.2% higher than it did during his rookie season, his previous career-high.

Stafford’s 80.7 quarterback rating is his lowest since 2012, and his five interceptions puts him on pace for a ridiculous 43 interceptions for 2022. While I believe Stafford will eventually get it together this season, the Cardinals have a golden opportunity against what is currently the NFL’s most erratic quarterback.

Reason #3 – Rams rushing woes

As with Stafford’s situation, I also think the Rams will fix this issue at some point in the season. And while the Cardinals still don’t have a great rushing defense, Cam Akers and Darrell Henderson might make them look halfway decent on Sunday.

The Rams currently have just 117 rushing yards (31st in the NFL) and an unbelievably bad 2.7 yards per carry, tied for 32nd in the league with their brethren, the Los Angeles Chargers. With Stafford facing enough adversity, a lack of pop in the running game could let the Cardinals defense pick up right where they left off last Sunday.

While the Rams remain a dangerous football team, all the ingredients are in order for the Arizona Cardinals to sneak up and steal a victory. This week, it should be a much cleaner outing than what we saw against the Raiders.

(Statistics provided by Pro-Football-Reference)