Arizona Cardinals: 3 keys to victory against the Rams in Week 6
By Sion Fawkes
The Arizona Cardinals are 1-4 and they need a win to at least stay respectable in 2023. Unfortunately for them, the Los Angeles Rams have been rather competitive despite their own 2-3 record, and the Redbirds can expect one of their oldest rivals to bring their A-game this Sunday.
The Rams offense can be explosive, even if Matthew Stafford is no longer playing to the level he used to. Nonetheless, he still has a few excellent pass-catchers at his disposal. This means the Cardinals need to find ways to keep the ball out of Stafford’s hands as much as they can.
Defensively, the Redbirds must find ways to put Stafford under duress, and they also need to capitalize on big plays.
3 keys for the Arizona Cardinals against the Rams in Week 6
1 - Play ball control offense
If the Arizona Cardinals want to keep the ball out of the Rams potentially explosive offense’s hands, they need to control the game offensively. And the Cards received great news today, with Keaontay Ingram looking like he’ll be raring to go this Sunday to pair with Emari Demercado.
Ingram showed us how well he can move the ball in the preseason, even if that hasn’t yet translated to the regular season, thanks to his 15 yards on 12 carries. However, he’s performed much better than what the eye test shows, given his PFF grade of 72.0 and his rather respectable 68.8 rushing grade. The offensive line consistently breaking down when he gets his chance is a huge reason behind his bad numbers.
Demercado showed us last week he’s ready to step up and take on a larger role with Conner out. He’s ranking 37th overall out of 54 qualifying running backs this season per PFF, amassing a 64.1 grade and a 71.9 rushing grade. If (presumably) Ingram and Demercado can put together at least a serviceable effort, it will play to their advantage this Sunday.