2025 NFL Picks – Week 14: Rams at Cardinals

The Matchup. Edge: Rams.

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LOS ANGELES OFFENSE: The Rams defense was pathetic on Sunday, but I can’t exactly praise the offense for a strong performance either. The Rams moved the chains quite well versus Carolina, but Matthew Stafford’s three interceptions, including a pick-six, buried his team.

Obviously, this is not going to happen every week. Stafford was playing a road game in the elements, but now he’ll be indoors where he’s much more comfortable. He doesn’t have too tough of a matchup either. The Cardinals aren’t poor defensively, but they have some injury issues in their secondary. Stafford should be able to take advantage of those.

Stafford should be able to lean on his running backs as well. Again, the Cardinals aren’t terrible in this category, but aren’t good either. Kyren Williams and Blake Corum should do well in this game.

ARIZONA OFFENSE: The Panthers looked like the Greatest Show on Turf against the Rams. They could not be stopped, as Los Angeles’ defense looked completely helpless. If someone watching that game hadn’t tuned into any other contest this year, they may have thought that the Rams had the worst defense in the NFL.

The Rams don’t have the worst defense in the NFL. They’re ranked third, and they should rebound in this game. Their ferocious pass rush should be able to pressure Jacoby Brissett because the Arizona offensive line has some injury issues. This could force Brissett into the same sort of turnovers we saw from him in the Seattle game.

Los Angeles showed its greatest weakness against the run last week, but that shouldn’t be a problem in this matchup. The Cardinals have absolutely no ground attack to speak of, so the Rams will be able to focus on clamping down on Brissett.

RECAP: I’m a fan of backing great teams off a loss. The Rams looked pathetic against the Panthers, but I’m not taking that result seriously. If you are, consider what the Eagles did last year. They won the Super Bowl, but they had a low-effort performance at home versus Carolina. If Xavier Legette didn’t drop a touchdown on the final play, the Eagles would have lost to the Panthers.

The Rams should be able to bounce back, and they’ll do so against an inferior team that has gotten blown out whenever playing up in competition. The Cardinals have kept most of their games close, but they were dismantled by the Seahawks and 49ers. The Rams are even better than those teams, so if they’re focused off the defeat – and they should be – then they’ll treat the Cardinals similarly.

THURSDAY THOUGHTS: I still love the Rams, so much so that I may bet the -20.5 alt line as long as I’m getting +400 or better. If the Rams are the best team in the NFL, they could treat this game like the Eagles did versus the Cowboys last year following their loss to the Redskins late in the season. Philadelphia stepped on the throat of the Cowboys, and the Rams could treat the Cardinals similarly.

SATURDAY NOTES: The Cardinals have a number of injured players who will miss this game, including Walter Nolen, Marvin Harrison Jr., Greg Dortch, Max Melton, and some others. It’s hard to imagine Arizona being competitive if the Rams are as motivated off the loss as I think they will be.

SUNDAY MORNING NOTES: The sharps are going against our other top picks (Ravens, Jaguars), but they at least like the Rams.

FINAL THOUGHTS: The sharps, as mentioned, are on the Rams. The best line is -9.5 -105 at FanDuel. We’re also betting -20.5 +330 at FanDuel. You can Get $200 in bonus bets from FanDuel by clicking the link.

The Motivation. Edge: Rams.

The Rams are coming off an ugly loss.

The Spread. Edge: None.

WalterFootball.com Calculated Spread: Rams -9.5.

Westgate Advance Point Spread: Rams -8.5.

Computer Model: Rams -7.5.

The Vegas. Edge: Rams.

Tons of action on the Rams.

Percentage of money on Los Angeles: 81% (100,000 bets)

The Trends. Edge: Rams.