NFL Week 2 picks, predictions and best bets
USA TODAY Sports’ Lorenzo Reyes is back with his NFL best bets for week 2 games of the NFL season.
Time/site: 1:05 p.m. MST, State Farm Stadium, Glendale, Arizona.
TV: FOX. Radio: 98.7 FM.
Last time they played: For the most part, the Cardinals were a competitive team once Kyler Murray returned last season. Their Week 12 showdown with the Rams in Glendale, though, was an exception. They couldn’t stop Los Angeles through the air or on the ground and lost 37-14. Murray had a solid day but that was the only silver lining for Arizona.
Series history: The Rams are 50-40-2 all-time against the Cardinals — a relatively even split between the league’s two former St. Louis-based clubs. Recent years, though, have not been kind to Arizona. Since Sean McVay took over as the Rams head coach in 2017, the Cardinals are 2-13 against the Rams. That includes a 34-11 walloping in the 2021 wild-card round the last time the Cardinals made the playoffs.
Coaching matchup
As mentioned above, the Cardinals have never been able to find an answer for McVay’s 11-personnel, motion-heavy offense. On Thursday, safety Budda Baker was asked about stopping star Rams receiver Cooper Kupp. Baker said that the Cardinals know they need to restrain Kupp but that doing so is no easy task given how McVay disguises the Rams’ offensive intentions. Last season, the Cardinals allowed an average of 31.5 points to the Rams. Before that, head coach Jonathan Gannon had not faced McVay since 2017 when Gannon was an assistant defensive backs coach for the Vikings. Gannon did help his team stifle McVay’s offense on that occasion in a 24-7 Vikings win.
Storyline
All week, the Cardinals’ coaching staff has shot down the importance of division rivalries and instead emphasized simply getting a win, whoever it comes against. It’s easy to see the reason for their urgency. The Cardinals’ next four games include matchups vs. Detroit, at San Francisco, and at Green Bay. They do have a friendly home matchup with Washington mixed in there, but if they lose on Sunday, it’s easy to see them having a 1-5 record by mid-October. Winning this game — in which they’re favored — would shift the entire sentiment of the season. Plus, it’s an opportunity for the offense to prove itself. In the first half last week, the Cardinals scored 17 points on three offensive possessions. In the second half, they scored three points on five offensive possessions. That unit must perform like it did in the first half to have a chance against McVay’s Rams.
Arizona will win if…The defense can create any pressure: The Cardinals managed just one sack last week and were one of the league’s least effective teams at generating pressure. This week provides an opportunity, though, with the Rams missing two starting offensive linemen. Plus, the Cardinals should be able to blitz more often against Matthew Stafford than they did against Josh Allen, when they had to worry about the Bills’ mobile weapon escaping the pocket.It can find a way to control Kupp: In last week’s loss to the Lions, Kupp had 14 catches for 110 yards and a touchdown on a remarkable 21 targets. It won’t be easy, but the Cardinals must find a way to prevent the Rams’ best playmaker from getting the ball that often. It could be a challenge for a beleaguered secondary.Marvin Harrison Jr. gets involved: Harrison’s NFL debut was downright shocking. He finished with one catch on three targets for four yards. Afterward, the Cardinals said that the Bills surprised them by focusing heavily on Harrison and taking him out of the game. Even if that’s the case again Sunday, offensive coordinator Drew Petzing needs to find a way to get the ball in his rookie’s hands.
More NFL: 5 takeaways from the Cardinals’ season-opening loss to the Bills
Los Angeles will win if…Kyren Williams gashes the Cardinals: In his breakout season, the Rams running back ran for 301 yards on 36 carries in two games against the Cardinals. That’s 8.4 yards per carry. The Cardinals’ revamped defensive line fared well against James Cook last week and held him to 3.7 yards per carry. They’ll aim to repeat that effort against Williams.Arizona’s offensive line struggles again: Perhaps the biggest difference in the second half against Buffalo was the performance of the Cardinals’ offensive line. After an impressive first half, it allowed three sacks in the second. Two of those came due to the struggles of Kelvin Beachum, who replaced the injured Jonah Williams at right tackle. Beachum’s improvement is crucial this week.The Rams get big showings from their other receivers: Stopping Kupp is a big enough challenge for the Cardinals’ secondary. If the Rams can find a way to get their other receivers involved, that challenge will become near impossible. With Puka Nacua out, that group includes less accomplished players like Demarcus Robinson, Tutu Atwell and Tyler Johnson.They said it
Baker on the Cardinals’ struggles vs. Los Angeles: “The Rams have had our number for a while and all I can say is it’s a new team, new year, new players, new scheme. So we’re going to live in the present, starting with today. … Ultimately, it’s working on up to get to that peak on Sunday and to win. The young guys understand that, it’s a divisional game and it’s a very important game to win. Just like each and every week is, but this week especially.”
Gannon on what he learned about the NFC West last season: “Those three teams were better than us.”
By the numbers
1 — The receptions total for both Harrison and Michael Wilson last week. The Cardinals will aim to get more out of their outside receivers this week.
10 — Years since the Cardinals beat the Rams in Glendale. That came in a 12-6 win over the then-St. Louis Rams.
21 — The Bills’ margin of victory on Thursday night against the Dolphins. Their 31-10 Week 2 win over a Super Bowl contender made the Cardinals’ 34-28 loss in Buffalo last week look downright impressive by comparison.
31 — Murray’s passing yards in the second half against Buffalo. He completed 5 of 12 passes in the half.
301 — Rams running back Kyren Williams’ rushing yards in two games against the Cardinals last season.
Who will win and why
Rams 24, Cardinals 21: The Cardinals might be favored but it’s hard to see this defense impacting an offense that features players like Stafford, Kupp and Williams. That unit was expected to struggle entering the season and did little to change expectations last week. If not for a red zone strip sack, they likely would have allowed 41 points. The Rams’ offense might not be quite as explosive as Buffalo’s, but the Cardinals need to show they’re capable of more on the defensive side.
Source link : http://www.bing.com/news/apiclick.aspx?ref=FexRss&aid=&tid=66e4b93ebc2441b7a0cc55f0d8373285&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.usatoday.com%2Fstory%2Fsports%2Fnfl%2Fcardinals%2F2024%2F09%2F13%2Farizona-cardinals-los-angeles-rams-nfl-game-preview-prediction%2F75210022007%2F&c=7072861570431978597&mkt=en-us
Author :
Publish date : 2024-09-13 09:44:00
Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source.