Rams at Cardinals: 6 stats and facts to know for Week 14 matchup
The Rams and Cardinals were both undefeated the first time they met this season, which came all the way back in Week 4. Since then, the Rams have lost three more games, while the Cardinals have dropped two.
They’ve remained the top two teams in the NFC West, with Arizona leading the way at 10-2 and the Rams two games behind at 8-4. On Monday night, they’ll square off for the second time in what’s unquestionably a pivotal matchup with massive playoff implications.
Here are six things to know for Rams-Cardinals in Week 14.
Rams haven’t lost in Arizona since 2014
The Rams snapped their eight-game winning streak against the Cardinals back in Week 4 when they were crushed at home, 37-20. But another streak still lives on: six straight wins in Arizona. The Rams haven’t lost to the Cardinals on the road since 2014, well before Sean McVay arrived as their head coach. Their last road loss to Arizona came on Nov. 9, 2014, falling 31-14 on the road to a Cardinals team that was 7-1 at the time and cruising with Carson Palmar at quarterback.
Palmer threw for 241 yards in that win, but he also suffered a torn ACL that would sideline him for the rest of the season.
Cardinals are only team to keep Kupp under 7 catches and 90 yards
In all but one game this season, Cooper Kupp has caught at least seven passes for 90 yards. The only time he didn’t top those numbers was in Week 4 against the Cardinals, who held him to five catches for 64 yards and no touchdowns – his lowest totals of the season. In that game, he averaged just 4.92 yards per target, by far his worst of the year and his lowest since Week 6 of the 2020 season.
The Cardinals could have a hard time keeping Kupp in check for a second time this season as he’s averaged nine catches for 118.8 yards per game in his last six starts.
Cardinals are top 6 on third and fourth down
The mark of a good team is often having success on third and fourth down. The Cardinals, who own the best record in football at 10-2, have been excellent on both downs this season. They’re converting on 43.8% of their third-down opportunities, good for sixth in the NFL. They’re second on fourth down with a conversion rate of 66.7%, too.
Defensively, teams are only converting 33.3% of the time on third down and 40% of the time on fourth, putting the Cardinals fourth and third in the league, respectively. The Rams are 12th in third-down conversions on offense and 23rd in third-down defense, so they’ll need to be at their best Monday night to beat Arizona.
Last 10 Rams-Cardinals games have been decided by 7+ points
There haven’t been many close games between the Rams and Cardinals in the last five years. Going all the way back to their final meeting of the 2016 season, no Rams-Cardinals game has been decided by fewer than seven points. The Rams have won seven games against the Cardinals by at least 10 points since McVay took over, with five of them coming by at least 16 points.
The Cardinals’ two wins in their last 10 games against the Rams were by a score of 37-20 and 44-6. Will Monday’s game buck this trend?
Rams and Cardinals are on opposite ends of run-defense spectrum
The Cardinals have been awful against the run this season. Even though they’re 16th in rushing yards allowed, they’re allowing the third-most yards per carry (4.7) in the NFL. Pro Football Focus gives them a run defense grade of 38.5 – second-worst in the league, making them one of just two teams with a grade below 43.9. Their run-stop win rate at ESPN is the fourth-worst at 28%, further evidence of their struggles against opposing rushing attacks.
The Rams, on the other hand, have been excellent against the run. They have the highest run-stop win rate at 34%, the best run defense grade at PFF (88.6) and are allowing just 3.8 yards per carry – second-best in the league. Against a team that likes to run the ball with James Conner, Kyler Murray and Chase Edmonds, when healthy, the Rams match up well against the Cardinals’ ground game.
Murray and Stafford are No. 1 and 2 in passer rating
For the first eight weeks of the season, Kyler Murray and Matthew Stafford were among the top contenders for NFL MVP. Then Murray got hurt and Stafford became a turnover machine, causing both of their odds to drop.
But they’re still having very impressive seasons. Murray leads the NFL in passer rating (112.2) by a comfortable margin, while Stafford is second at 106.3. They’re also first and second in adjusted yards per pass attempt and touchdown percentage. Now that Murray is healthy and Stafford seems to have corrected his turnover issues, Monday’s matchup should be a good one at quarterback.
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