Rams vs. Cardinals NFL Betting Odds, Picks: Rookie QB Beck makes first start
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Kevin Tompkins
In Week 10, we’ve got an NFC West clash and rematch from Week Six as the 5-4 Los Angeles Rams, winners of three straight, head to State Farm Stadium in Glendale, AZ, to take on the 3-6 Arizona Cardinals.
The Rams have steadied themselves after a 2-4 start, beating the Las Vegas Raiders on the road, the Los Angeles Chargers and the Washington Commanders in Landover, MD last week, although the offence struggled yet again in that one and also lost Puka Nacua indefinitely.
Meanwhile, the Cardinals’ quarterback carousel just took another spin. After Arizona fell 30-16 at home to the Denver Broncos in Week 7, Gardner Minshew relieved a struggling Jacoby Brissett in Dallas and rallied the Cardinals from a 17-3 deficit to a 33-30 overtime win.
Minshew was then named the starter and Brissett was dealt to the Baltimore Ravens, but the offence managed just three points in a 17-3 loss in Seattle, and Minshew tore the UCL in his throwing elbow in that game. He was placed on injured reserve Tuesday, ending his season, which means third-round rookie Carson Beck will make his first NFL start.
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Rams vs. Cardinals Kickoff, Weather, TV, Streaming Info
Kickoff is Sunday at 4:05 PM ET at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona. The game will air on CBS, with streaming available on Paramount+ and DAZN.
Weather will not be a factor for Week 10’s game, as State Farm Stadium’s retractable roof and climate control keep conditions consistent.
NFL Betting Odds, Point Spread, Trends
The visiting Rams are 9.5-point road favourites with a -425 money line on the NFL odds board. The home Cardinals are placed at +330 on the money line, and the total has dropped to 40.5, a telltale sign that the market expects points to be hard to come by with a rookie under centre for Arizona and both teams missing key receivers.
This season, the Rams have moved the ball better than almost anyone, averaging 379.8 yards per game and converting 66.7% of their red zone trips into touchdowns, but they’re scoring a more modest 23.8 points per game. The defence has carried the load during the winning streak, allowing just 43 combined points over the last three games. Los Angeles is 5-4 against the spread through a little over half of the season.
As for the Cardinals, the offence has stalled, averaging 19.8 points and 318.0 yards per game and scoring touchdowns on just 42.9% of their red zone trips. The defence has been much worse, giving up 255 points, the most in the NFC, at 28.3 per game. Arizona is 4-5 against the spread.
With the Rams’ defence rolling and Arizona turning to a rookie making his first NFL start behind a depleted receiving corps, siding with Los Angeles makes sense, even at the higher number. The under is worth a look as well, as neither offence is close to full strength and the Rams may look to make this a defensive game to not put much on Stafford with a depleted pass-catching unit.
NFL Player Odds and Props
Los Angeles Rams
Blake Corum OVER 57.5 rushing yards
Corum has led the Rams’ backfield in scoring in three of the last four weeks, and he was the more effective back in Washington, carrying 11 times for 58 yards and a touchdown while Kyren Williams was bottled up.
With Puka Nacua (knee, turf toe) and Davante Adams (hamstring) both on injured reserve, Los Angeles is likely to lean on its run game, and Corum has become the more explosive half of the backfield after posting 746 rushing yards and six touchdowns as the change-of-pace back last season.
Arizona has allowed more than 120 rushing yards per game, and as nearly double-digit favourites, the Rams should have plenty of carries to go around here. Corum has hit the 57-yard mark in his last three games, averaging 5.7 yards per carry in his last three games.
Arizona Cardinals
Carson Beck OVER 0.5 interceptions
Beck’s first NFL start comes against one of the most dangerous fronts in football. Myles Garrett returned from knee surgery last week and immediately racked up three sacks, and the Rams can also send Aaron Donald and Byron Young after a rookie who will be working with a skeleton crew of pass catchers.
With Michael Wilson out for the season and Marvin Harrison Jr. traded to the Texans earlier in the year, defences can key on tight end Trey McBride, and Beck will most likely be playing from behind as a 9.5-point home underdog, which means more obvious passing downs and more chances for mistakes.
Los Angeles Rams
Matthew Stafford may have a tall task in front of him in the second half of the season, as he will have to navigate a bare-bones receiving corps without Nacua and Adams. Tight end Terrance Ferguson is also on injured reserve with a hamstring injury and was expected to return, but he aggravated that injury in last Friday’s practice.
That leaves Tutu Atwell, Jordan Whittington and Konata Mumpfield as Stafford’s starting receivers, so expect Sean McVay to lean on Williams and Corum in the run game.
The defence is now the strength of this team. Myles Garrett, acquired from Cleveland in the offseason, returned from arthroscopic knee surgery last week in Washington and wasted no time, piling up three sacks alongside a returning Aaron Donald and Byron Young. For the next month or so, the run game and defense will have to carry the load for the Rams if they’re going to make a continued playoff push.
Arizona Cardinals
Beck, a third-round pick out of Miami, takes over with Minshew done for the year. He looked sharp in his lone preseason appearance, going 15-of-19 for 188 yards and a touchdown in the Hall of Fame Game, but injuries kept him off the field the rest of the summer, and Arizona signed 40-year-old veteran quarterback Josh Johnson to back him up.
Mike LaFleur said the offence won’t change much with Beck under centre, but his receiver options are thin. Michael Wilson, who had 51 catches for 546 yards before his season-ending neck injury, joins Harrison as departures from the receiver room, leaving McBride as nearly the entire passing game, and Tyler Allgeier will be asked to carry the ground attack with Jeremiyah Love on injured reserve.
Defensively, the Cardinals have been leaky all season, and they rank in the bottom half of the league against the run. The good news is that they’re facing a Rams offence without its top two receivers or its starting tight end.
Arizona’s best hope is to keep this a low-possession game, lean on Allgeier, protect Beck with quick throws to McBride and force Stafford to win with a backup receiving corps.
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