The season is on the line in the latest meeting between the Los Angeles Rams and Arizona Cardinals when they square off in Monday night's NFL Super Wild Card Weekend 2022 finale. The NFC West foes split the two meetings this season, with the Cardinals (11-6) cruising to a 37-20 win at L.A.'s SoFi Stadium in Week 4 and the Rams (12-5) winning 30-23 in Arizona in Week 14. Los Angeles won the West on the strength of a five-game winning streak before an overtime loss to the 49ers in Week 18.
Kickoff from SoFi Stadium is set for 8:15 p.m. ET. Los Angeles is favored by three points in the latest Rams vs. Cardinals odds from Caesars Sportsbook, while the over-under is 49. Before making any Cardinals vs. Rams picks or NFL playoff predictions, see what the SportsLine Projection Model has to say.
The model, which simulates every NFL game 10,000 times, is up more than $7,400 for $100 players on top-rated NFL picks since its inception six-plus years ago. The model enters the 2021 NFL playoffs on an incredible 136-97 run on top-rated NFL picks that dates back to the 2017 season.
The model also ranked in the top 10 on NFLPickWatch four of the past five years on straight-up NFL picks and beat more than 94 percent of CBS Sports Football Pick'em players four times during that span. Anyone who has followed it is way up.
Now, the model has zeroed in on Rams vs. Cardinals and locked in another confident against-the-spread pick. You can see it only at SportsLine. Now, here are several NFL betting lines for Cardinals vs. Rams:
- Rams vs. Cardinals spread: Los Angeles -3
- Rams vs. Cardinals over-under: 49 points
- Rams vs. Cardinals money line: Los Angeles -175, Arizona +150
- AZ: Cardinals are 18-6-3 against the spread in their last 27 games as road underdogs
- LAR: Favorite is 8-2-1 against the spread in their last 11 meetings
Why the Rams can cover
Los Angeles is 18-12-1 against the spread in divisional games under head coach Sean McVay (since 2017), including an 8-1-1 against the spread mark versus Arizona. The Rams are a dangerous team on both sides of the ball, with quarterback Matthew Stafford and wide receiver Cooper Kupp the lynchpins on offense and defensive tackle Aaron Donald and cornerback Jalen Ramsey among the defensive stars. L.A. is in the top 10 in total offense (372.1), passing yards (273) and scoring (27.1).
Stafford is second in the NFL in TDs (41) and third in passing yards (4,886), and he is motivated to get his first career playoff victory. Kupp fell short of a record-setting season but led the NFL in all three receiving categories with 145 catches for 1,497 yards and 16 TDs. The Cardinals are more vulnerable against the run, ranking 20th in the league (114.8). Cam Akers returned from a torn Achilles' last week, while Sony Michel had 845 yards in the backfield. The Rams are third in the NFL with 50 sacks, and Donald (12.5) and Leonard Floyd (9.5) will be among those harassing Kyler Murray all night.
Why the Cardinals can cover
Quarterback Kyler Murray is one of the best playmakers in the NFL. Murray has completed 69 percent of his passes for 3,787 passing yards with 24 passing scores. He has blazing speed and can force defenders to miss in the open field. Murray has added 423 yards on the ground with another five rushing touchdowns. The Oklahoma product is averaging 301.2 passing yards per game.
Running back James Conner has been a touchdown machine for Arizona. Conner finished the year tied for second in the NFL with 15 rushing touchdowns. The Pittsburgh product leads the team with 202 carries for 752 rushing yards. Receiver Christian Kirk is a reliable weapon for Arizona and leads the team with 77 receptions for 982 yards with five touchdowns.
How to make Cardinals vs. Rams picks
Now, the model has broken down Rams vs. Cardinals from every angle. The model is leaning under the total, projecting 47 combined points. It also says one side of the spread hits over 50 percent of the time. See who to back here.
So who wins Rams vs. Cardinals in their NFL Wild Card 2022 game? And which team covers over 50 percent of the time? Visit SportsLine now to see which side of the Rams vs. Cardinals spread you should jump on Monday, all from the advanced model that is up more than $7,400.
