Arizona Cardinals (9-2) at St. Louis Rams (4-7) - Sunday, Dec. 6
Before we talk about this week’s game, a brief review of last Sunday’s win over the 49ers seems in order.
First, without terrible officiating and those four penalties against the Niners when the Cardinals were inside the 10-yard line, this game may not have turned out the way Arizona wanted. In fact, the Cardinals played like they were still in a food coma from Thanksgiving. But having said that, good teams find a way to win, and the Cardinals certainly did that!
The injury report from Cardinals headquarters is getting longer every week. The biggest names on the list at this point are running backs Chris Johnson (broken tibia) and Andre Ellington (turf toe). But when you add in cornerback Jerraud Powers (calf), defensive tackles Frostee Rucker (ankle) and Cory Redding (ankle), and wide receiver Michael Floyd (hamstring), it’s looking like the “next man up” philosophy had better kick in this weekend at the Edward Jones Dome.
The good news is the Rams have turned out to be one of the worst teams in the league, currently with just four wins and a woeful quarterback situation with former UA star Nick Foles looking like a quality third-stringer rather than a starter.
The even better news for Arizona is that the defense is bringing its “A” game lately, and other than Todd Gurley at running back and Tavon Austin at receiver, the Rams don’t have much offense. The Rams haven’t scored more than 18 points in over a month.
However, I really thought the Cardinals could have sent their practice squad to San Francisco last weekend and won, and they proved my wrong then, so I’m not about to make the same mistake twice!
This will probably end up being another slugfest in St. Louis, but I still believe the Cardinals come out on top, although I’m not sure they’ll beat the over/under at 43 points. The Rams' defense is just too good!
I’ll take the Cardinals with a two- or three- point win in St. Louis.
