Rams vs Cardinals Monday Night Football Last Minute Betting Pick

Huge game in the NFC West on Monday night to conclude Week 14 as the Los Angeles Rams look to keep their division hopes alive with an upset at the first-place Arizona Cardinals, who are favored on the NFL odds.

How to Bet Rams at Cardinals NFL Odds & TV Info

When: Monday, 8:15 PM ET
Where: State Farm Stadium
TV: ESPN
Radio: http://www.siriusxm.com/nfl
Stream Option: ESPN app
Opening NFL Lines: Cardinals -2.5 (total 51.5)

First Meeting

In Week 4, the Cardinals won 37-20 in Los Angeles. Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray completed 24 of his 32 passes for 268 yards, with two touchdowns, adding 39 yards on the ground. Arizona had 465 total yards. A.J. Green caught a 41-yard TD pass, Chase Edmonds ran for 120 yards and James Conner rushed for two short scores for Arizona, which ended the Rams’ streak of eight consecutive victories in the rivalry during Rams coach Sean McVay’s career. Matthews Stafford went 26 of 41 for 280 yards and two touchdowns for LA.

Including the postseason, Sunday’s game will mark the 88th all-time meeting between the two teams, with Los Angeles leading the series 47-39-2.

Why Bet on LA Rams?

The Rams snapped a three-game slide with a 37-7 win over a terrible Jacksonville team last Sunday, but the Rams should have routed the Jags. Los Angeles got a 65-yard return on the opening kickoff by Brandon Powell to its first points, also scoring 10 points off two turnovers created by its defense to gradually build its lead.

Quarterback Matthew Stafford completed 26 of 38 pass attempts for 295 yards and three touchdowns, while wide receiver Cooper Kupp added eight receptions for 129 yards and one touchdown in the win. Kupp became the fourth wide receiver in Rams history to record 100 receptions in a single season, joining Isaac Bruce (119, 1995) and Torry Holt (117, 2003; 102, 2005), and also gave him a new single-season career high in receiving touchdowns with 11.

Kupp also set a new franchise record with his eighth-straight game of seven more or receptions and tied Pro Football Hall-of-Famer Elroy Hirsch’s single season record (1951) with his eighth-consecutive game of 90 or more receiving yards. Kupp needs 181 yards receiving on Monday to break the NFL record for receiving yards through Week 14, held by Hall of Fame Lions WR Calvin Johnson. Johnson had 1,546 yards through 13 games in 2012. His QB was the same as Kupp’s now in Stafford.

In the feature back role, running back Sony Michel carried the ball 24 times for 121 yards and one touchdown vs. Jacksonville. He got all the work because Darrell Henderson is banged up. He was dressed for the game but didn’t play. It’s not clear if he will Monday.

Heading into Monday, the Rams will need another strong performance out of Michel – plus Henderson, if he plays. In the first meeting between the two teams, the Cardinals ran for 216 yards on 40 carries as a team, a factor in them to control the time of possession by more than 10 minutes.

The Rams have placed starting right tackle Rob Havenstein and cornerback Dont’e Deayon on the reserve/COVID-19 list, the team announced Sunday. A day earlier, running back Darrell Henderson also was put on the reserve/COVID list. Sony Michel is expected to start at running back given the unlikelihood that Henderson, who McVay said Saturday was showing signs of illness, clears COVID protocols in time for kickoff.

Why Bet on Arizona?

The Arizona Cardinals just missed out on making the NFL playoffs last season. Thanks to an NFC-best 10-2 record, they would clinch no worse than a wild-card spot with a win Monday but the team has its sights set on much more than just a playoff berth. The Cardinals are currently in position to land the No. 1 seed in the NFC playoffs and the bye that comes in the first round of the postseason with it. Arizona hasn’t been in the postseason in six years.

vIn franchise history, the Cardinals have reached 11-or-more wins in an NFL season on five prior occasions (1925, 1948, 1975, 2014 and 2015). They won the NFL Championship in 1925, lost the NFL title game in 1948 and advanced to the NFC Championship Game in 2015.

The NFC West was home to the team with the NFL’s best record through 13 weeks. Five of the past nine NFC Champions have come from the NFC West, representing the conference in the Super Bowl, including two of the prior three seasons.

Arizona had little trouble in a 33-22 win in Chicago last Sunday as both QB Kyler Murray and star WR DeAndre Hopkins returned after missing three games each due to injury. Murray completed 11-of-15 passes for 123 yards and two touchdowns, adding 10 rushes for 59 yards and two additional scores. Murray’s 10 carries were a season high for a player who appeared to be 100 percent healthy. Hopkins caught 2-of-2 targets for 32 yards and a touchdown.

Murray has already tied Hall of Famer Kurt Warner for most games by a Cardinal with a passing rating of at least 120 in a game – five – this year and still has five chances to break it. He became the fourth-youngest player ever to pass for 10,000 yards in a career, and leads the NFL in passer rating at 112.1. Murray also has six games this season completing at least 70 percent of his passes, and his 15 in his career already has tied Warner for most in Cardinals’ history.

In wake of starter Maxx Williams’ season-ending knee injury, the Cardinals in October traded cornerback Tay Gowan and a 2022 fifth-round pick to Philadelphia in exchange for tight end Zach Ertz, giving Murray another veteran target in the passing game. Ertz has 23 receptions for 279 yards and three touchdowns in six games with the Cardinals.

The Cardinals are healthier than they’ve been in several weeks. Guard Justin Pugh (calf) and running back Chase Edmonds (ankle) are eligible to return, though coach Kliff Kingsbury said he’s not sure if they will be active against the Rams. A decision has to be made 90 minutes before kickoff.