The Arizona Cardinals are looking to pull off another upset over their divisional rival Los Angeles Rams. Their Week 10 rematch is scheduled for Sunday, Nov. 15, with kickoff at 2:05 p.m. MST. The game can be viewed on CBS, Paramount+, and NFL+, with Arizona Sports 98.7 FM as the radio option available.
Arizona Cardinals injury news
Hayden Conner is set to be Arizona's starting center as they will be without Hjalte Froholdt (concussion) and guard Jon Gaines II (ankle). Defensive lineman Zach Carter (knee) is also out despite coming off the Injured Reserve list.
Six more Cardinals are listed as questionable: tight end Hunter Long (knee), defensive lineman Roy Lopez (toe/ankle), cornerback Max Melton (knee/hand), defensive lineman Darius Robinson (wrist), left tackle Jayden Williams (knee), and safety Dewey Wingard (groin).
Los Angeles Rams injury news
The Rams are dealing with injuries of their own as well. The most notable injury is superstar wide receiver Puka Nacua, who was placed on Injured Reserve Thursday and will miss at least the Rams' next four games. Nacua suffered MCL and PCL sprains, plus turf toe, on the last offensive possession of the Rams' Week 9 win against the Washington Commanders.
With Nacua already ruled out, the headliner to continue monitoring is their superstar on the other side of the ball: Myles Garrett (knee). Garrett didn't practice Friday, but Rams head coach Sean McVay did express optimism about his chances of suiting up.
Trent McDuffie (back) and Kam Curl (toe) join Garrett with questionable tags. Los Angeles has already ruled out tight end Terrance Ferguson (ankle/hamstring) and offensive lineman Steve Avila (hamstring).
Storylines
Carson Beck's starting debut
Carson Beck showed promise in his lone preseason game for the Cardinals. He'll now get a chance to prove that can translate to meaningful regular season games.
Arizona's third-round rookie is now the third starting quarterback in as many weeks. Mike LaFleur benched Jacoby Brissett in favor of Gardner Minshew II. Then Brissett was traded to the Baltimore Ravens, and Minshew unfortunately suffered a season-ending torn UCL in his throwing elbow.
With Arizona's season falling apart at midseason, Beck's trajectory is the biggest thing to monitor for the second half.
Cardinals O-line vs. Rams D-line
The Cardinals have a rookie quarterback and are down two offensive linemen, plus Paris Johnson Jr., who has already been ruled out for the season after tearing his left biceps in Week 4's loss to the New York Giants. How is this team supposed to stop Garrett and the Rams' defensive front?
LaFleur's system will help, as he can orchestrate quick throws to help Beck to some extent. But there's a reason this game has a projected low-scoring total for Arizona, as they could struggle to hold the line.
Cardinals' depleted wide receiver room
This is starting to look like an offensive recipe for disaster. Rookie quarterback, bad offensive line, and a depleted group of pass catchers. The Cardinals' wide receiver room has quickly gone from a strength to a weakness. Their top four receivers are all now out of the picture.
Marvin Harrison Jr. was traded to the Houston Texans after early-season struggles. Kendrick Bourne and Jalen Brooks were already both out for the season. Most recently, WR1 Michael Wilson joined that list after fracturing a vertebra against Seattle. The silver lining is he won't need surgery, but that quickly leaves tight end Trey McBride as the only pass-catching option.
A good one to have as arguably the best in the league at his position. But it'll be much easier for the Rams to make him the focal point of the defense when there's nobody else around to keep them honest.
Prediction
This one will be more challenging for Arizona to pull off than their 18-16 upset in Week 6 at SoFi Stadium. They return to Glendale but haven't found any success at home, with an active ten-game losing streak that's the longest home losing streak in franchise history.
Now the odds are stacked even higher against them with key injuries, most notably now having to rely on third-round rookie Beck at midseason. The Cardinals enter the contest as double-digit underdogs, as this isn't the same roster that pulled off the win back in Week 6.
Rams 24, Cardinals 14
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