Rams (

26) at
Cards (

22.5)

Game Overview ::

By mike johnson>>

• Matchups on both sides will encourage these teams to put the ball in the hands of their quarterbacks early and often.
• Arizona blitz tendencies leave them vulnerable to a Rams passing offense that is built to exploit it.
• The Rams lack of ability to create pressure on the quarterback so far this year could be problematic in containing Kyler Murray.
• Neither team is likely to have much success running the ball, and both teams project to increase their tempo from what we’ve seen in the first two weeks.

How los angeles Will Try To Win ::

The Rams got back on track in Week 2, dominating an overmatched Falcons team for most of the game before giving them a glimmer of hope late due to a lack of aggressiveness and a few self-imposed mistakes. After looking completely overmatched against the Bills, the Rams looked more like their old selves as they scored 31 points in that Week 2 game. However, they still have a ways to go before we can start comparing them to last year’s offensive juggernaut that won the Super Bowl. Week 3 may be just what they need, as they face a Cardinals defense that ranks 32nd in pass defense DVOA, according to Football Outsiders, and also ranks 32nd in PFF’s coverage grades. Adding fuel to that fire, the Cardinals are blitzing at a league-leading 50% rate and Matthew Stafford has historically been terrific against the blitz, including last year when he averaged a massive 8.6 passing yards per attempt and had a 7:1 TD-to-INT ratio across three meetings with these Cardinals.

The Rams are actually passing more to start this season than they did last year, with their offense throwing at a top-10 pass rate over expectation through two weeks. However, their pace of play has dropped considerably this year as they are currently 29th in the league in situation-neutral pace of play after ranking 4th in that same category last year. It is still early in the season, so those trends could just be the fluky result of a small sample size. The Rams were likely trying to slow the game down and keep Josh Allen off the field in Week 1, and then trying to ice the game against an inferior opponent in the Falcons in Week 2. This week should give us a better idea of whether this slower pace is more “signal” or “noise” in regards to their approach this year, as a matchup against a competitive divisional foe who they are tied with in the standings should encourage them to push the tempo and keep their foot on the gas. In regards to play calling, we are likely to see a pass-happy Rams approach this week due to the advantages in the passing game laid out above as well as the struggles that the Rams 29th graded rushing offense by PFF have had to start the year. The blitzing Cardinals are going to leave Cooper Kupp in man coverage and allow Matthew Stafford to pick them apart on the back end, so there will be little reason for the Rams to move to a more balanced approach in this matchup.

How Arizona Will Try To Win ::