Rams vs Cardinals Monday Night Football Picks and Predictions: Can Rams Gain Ground in NFC West?

Monday Night Football in Week 14 of the NFL season features an NFC West clash between the Los Angeles Rams and Arizona Cardinals.

Both of these teams are in the Top 10 of our Covers.com Power Rankings and with the Cardinals enjoying home-field advantage in this contest, NFL betting lines opened with them as 3-point favorites before trimming to -2.5.

Here are our best free Rams vs. Cardinals NFL picks and predictions for MNF on December 13, with kickoff at 8:15 p.m. ET.

Rams vs Cardinals odds

Odds via the Covers Line, an average comprised of odds from multiple sportsbooks.

The line opened with the Cardinals at -3 with the Over/Under at 52. Early money came in on the Rams and the Under, shifting the line to Cardinals -2.5 and the total to 51.5. When news broke on Monday that the Rams would be without Jalen Ramsey and Tyler Higbee, the line shifted back to -3 while the total moved to 51. 

Use the live odds widget above to track any future line movements right up until kickoff and be sure to check out the full NFL odds before placing your bets.

Rams vs Cardinals predictions

• Prediction: Rams +2.5 (-110)
• Prediction: Under 51.5 (-110)
• Best bet: Kupp Over 91.5 receiving yards (-115)

Predictions made on 12/10/2021 at 3 p.m. ET.
Click on each prediction to jump to the full analysis.

Rams vs Cardinals game info

• Location: State Farm Stadium, Glendale, AZ
• Date: Monday, December 13, 2021
• Time: 8:15 p.m. ET
• TV: ESPN

Rams at Cardinals betting preview

Weather

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Key injuries

Rams: Brian Allen C (Out), Rob Havenstein OT (Out), Tremayne Achrum OT (Out), Terrell Lewis OLB (Out), Robert Woods WR (Out), Darrell Henderson Jr. RB (Out), Chris Garrett LB (Out), Tyler Higbee TE (Out), Jalen Ramsey CB (Out), Robert Rochell DB (Out), Sebastian Joseph-Day DL (Out), Cam Akers RB (Out), Bryce Perkins QB (Out).
Cardinals: Beau Brinkley C (Out), Zach Kerr DT (Out), Trace McSorley QB (Out), Joshua Miles OT (Out), J.J. Watt DE (Out), Maxx Williams TE (Out).

Find our latest NFL injury reports.

Betting trend to know

The Cardinals are 4-10 ATS in their last 14 games as home favorites. Find more NFL betting trends for Rams vs. Cardinals.

Rams vs Cardinals picks and predictions

Our predictions are compiled from the analysis of the spread and total and are indications of where we are leaning for this game.
Our best bet is the play that we like the most for this game, which we would actually put some of our bankroll behind.

Spread analysis

The Cardinals are fresh off a 33-22 win against the Bears which improved their record to 10-2 (9-3 ATS), the best mark in the NFC West. 

The Rams are coming off a 37-7 beatdown of the lowly Jacksonville Jaguars which was a victory they really needed after losing three games in a row. Sean McVay's squad is now 8-4 SU and 5-7 ATS, and a loss on Monday night would make it nearly impossible for them to catch Arizona for the division title, especially with the Cards holding the tiebreaker thanks to a 37-20 victory against the Rams in Week 4. 

There were several reasons for L.A.'s three-game slide but chief among them was the play of quarterback Matthew Stafford, who went from an MVP frontrunner to the reckless and turnover-prone version we saw in Detroit. However, Stafford is coming off his best game in weeks, throwing for 295 yards and three touchdowns with zero turnovers.

While Jacksonville's weak defense played a role in that so did the play-calling of McVay who called 12 play-action attempts, of which Stafford completed 10 for 173 yards. If McVay continues to use play-action to keep Arizona's defense honest, Stafford should have success on Monday, especially when you consider the Cardinals' blitz-happy style and Stafford's ability to exploit it.

The Cardinals got quarterback Kyler Murray and All-Pro wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins back in the lineup last weekend after playing three games without them. The Cardinals won two out of three contests without their superstar duo but will be glad to have them back against a Rams team that ranks sixth in the NFL in defensive DVOA, including second in the league against the run. 

That will likely be the biggest factor in this contest, with the Cards running roughshod over L.A. defenders in the previous meeting to the tune of 216 yards on the ground. In the Rams' other 11 games this season they have surrendered just 89.9 rushing yards per game on 3.6 yards per carry. 

That's not the only thing that looks like an outlier about that previous showdown, with Kyler Murray losing in his first four career starts against the Rams. As a matter of fact, before this year, the Rams had gone 8-0 SU and 7-0-1 ATS in the previous eight meetings. It's also worth mentioning that the Cardinals have been better on the road than at home this year, boasting an average scoring margin of plus-16 ppg in away contests compared to plus-1.4 ppg at State Farm Stadium.  

Prediction: Rams +2.5 (-110)

Over/Under analysis

When these teams met up in October, they put 57 points on the board but there's reason to think that the total of 51 for Monday might be a tad too high. As we previously mentioned we don't see the Cardinals having that same kind of success on the ground.

While the Rams have given up plenty of points in recent weeks much of that had to do with turnovers and poor field positioning due to an underachieving offense. The Rams stop unit still allows the fourth-fewest yards per play (5.1) in the NFL and is anchored by one of the best defensive lineman in the league in Aaron Donald. 

While Colt McCoy helped keep the Cards afloat with Murray sidelined, the main reason they won in Weeks 9 and 11 was due to the strong play of their defense. Arizona ranks third in the NFL in defensive DVOA while allowing the fourth-fewest points per game (18.7). 

With the Under going 5-2-1 in the Rams last eight games, back it again on Monday night. 

Prediction: Under 51.5 (-110)

Best bet

We mentioned that the Week 4 result between these teams looks like a statistical outlier and another area where that holds true was the play of Cooper Kupp. The Rams receiver leads the league with 1,366 receiving yards but had just 64 yards against the Cardinals.

The Over/Under on Kupp's receiving yards total for Monday Night is set at 91.5, a number he has surpassed in every game this season except for that previous meeting. However, Kupp was still targeted 13 times in that game, which ties his season high.

Look for Kupp to get his mitts on more of those targets this time around and take the Over on his receiving yards against a Cardinals secondary that isn't at its best when defending in the slot. 

Pick: Kupp Over 91.5 receiving yards (-115)

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