The Arizona Cardinals head to Los Angeles to take on their divisional rival Rams in a difficult Week 6 matchup.
It's a desperation game for both teams looking to get right early on in the season. The 1-4 Cardinals look to snap a four-game losing streak after getting demolished by the Lions offense last week. Meanwhile, the 2-3 Rams look to bounce back from a rough overtime loss against the Buffalo Bills on Monday Night Football, a game they easily could've won had it not been for special teams mishaps.
The Cardinals enter this matchup as heavy underdogs, with oddsmakers expecting those defensive struggles to carry over from last week. Kickoff at SoFi Stadium is slated for 1:05 p.m. MST (4:05 p.m. ET), and the game can be viewed on FOX.
Cardinals injury news
Arizona's rookie running back Jeremiyah Love sat out practice Wednesday as he's dealing with a left ankle injury. Mike LaFleur said the team wanted to give Love some rest and evaluate his status as the week progresses.
Should he not be able to go, Tyler Allgeier would take on more of a bellcow role in the backfield. It hasn't affected Love's availability up until this point, though it clearly has affected his on-field production and efficiency, with just 22 yards rushing on 12 carries against the Lions.
Love is understandably the headliner on the Cardinals injury report, though the more concerning position is safety. Wydett Williams is in concussion protocol, while Andrew Wingard also missed Wednesday's practice with his knee injury. Kitan Crawford is a potential option as he returns from the injured reserve, which would be good timing. But overall, this is bad timing to be depleted at a position that has to defend the air raid of Matthew Stafford and Co.
Offensive line has been an issue for Jacoby Brissett and the Cardinals offense this season. He's a night-and-day different quarterback when given an appropriate amount of time, and someone who's limited when it comes to improving plays.
That doesn't bode well for the Cardinals' chances against the Rams' defensive front. Paris Johnson Jr. is out for the season with a torn biceps, meaning the Cardinals are now using a seventh-round rookie in Jayden Williams and a recently signed Jedrick Wills Jr. Not ideal options at any point in the season, but especially this early on.
Rams injury news
Just about everything is trending in the Rams' favor for this contest. They have the more talented roster, are playing at home, and are far healthier. Of course, it's a significant loss in star Myles Garrett, who remains on IR due to a knee injury.
Outside of Garrett, it's a clean slate for the Rams as tight end Terrance Ferguson is expected to return from his IR stint.
It's also worth noting that they swapped kickers, replacing Harrison Mevis with Blake Grupe following Week 5's special team disasters.
Storylines
The Sean McVay coaching tree
LaFleur has three years of experience working under McVay as offensive coordinator. It's already a cool storyline in itself, but potentially something Arizona could use to its advantage as LaFleur knows the system so well.
Thin secondary takes on a pissed-off Rams offense
The Cardinals are surrendering a league-high 32.4 points per game to opponents. Pair that with a thin secondary and a pissed-off Rams team coming off their Monday Night loss, and this potentially could be yet another 40-plus night.
McVay's knowledge of Stafford and the Rams offense can ultimately only do so much. I don't see this Cardinals secondary keeping in front of Puka Nacua and Davante Adams. They've been susceptible to big plays so far this season, and there's even more reason to expect that to continue against the Rams.
Can Jacoby Brissett keep up in a shootout?
Arizona has surrendered 30-plus points in each of their four losses this season. There's nothing to suggest Nick Rallis and the Cardinals defense will clean things up anytime soon. If they want a chance to pull off the upset and snap their losing streak, Jacoby Brissett and these offensive playmakers will have to keep up with the shootout.
LaFleur won't make the switch at quarterback, saying that Brissett wasn't the problem in their blowout loss to the Lions. But considering the Cardinals reworked his deal this offseason, you'd still like to see more out of him to unlock these offensive playmakers. If he can't find a way to do that this week, it could be another bad loss to extend this losing streak to five.
There's simply too many things working against the Cardinals this week to pull off the upset. Expect the Rams to bounce back in a major way, sending the league a message that they're still legitimate contenders this season.
Rams 34, Cardinals 20
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