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Arizona Cardinals vs. Los Angeles Rams Odds & Game Pick (2021)

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Week 4 brings us a marquee NFC West matchup between the undefeated Arizona Cardinals and Los Angeles Rams, so who will come out with a clean 4-0 record?

Below we’ll take a closer look at the betting angle surrounding this game.

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Details

  • Opening Line: O/U: 53.5 |LAR -6 
  • Current Line: O/U: 55 | LAR -4 

Overview

Both teams enter this matchup coming off wins. The ‘Cards defeated the lowly Jacksonville Jaguars 31-19, though that score doesn’t indicate how close the game was throughout. The Rams on the other hand come in after annihilating the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 34-24, as a late garbage-time touchdown from Giovanni Bernard made the score look closer, but the Rams dominated from start to finish.

Below we’ll compare how these two teams match up metrically:

Numbers Courtesy of Pro Football Focus 

Average Offensive Snaps

  • ARZ: 67.3
  • LAR: 59.3

% Run Plays

  • ARZ: 40%
  • LAR: 43%

% Pass Plays

  • ARZ: 60%
  • LAR: 57%

EPA Per Run

  • ARZ: 0.01
  • LAR: -0.27 

EPA Per Pass

  • ARZ: 0.15
  • LAR: 0.47

These teams are nearly identical in running and passing plays. Both teams’ running game has been subpar, but the Rams hold a significant advantage in EPA per Pass. Stafford may have more arm talent, but Murray can certainly keep up, ranking 3rd overall league-wide with 1,005 yards.

Speaking of these two quarterbacks, let’s analyze their advanced statistics through Week 3 per PFF:

Check out all of our game previews and picks for the week >>

Overall Grade

  • Murray: 84.3
  • Stafford: 82.7

Passer Rating When Clean

  • Murray: 107.7
  • Stafford: 128.2

 Passer Rating Under Pressure

  • Murray: 118.7
  • Stafford: 127.2

Big-Time Throw %

  • Murray: 8.47%
  • Stafford: 3.96% 

Turnover-Worthy Play%

  • Murray: 2.54%
  • Stafford: 0.99%

Stafford possesses better arm talent, but Murray is much more versatile. However, I favor the veteran Stafford here, who has just as many weapons at his disposal, and a much better coaching staff.

Trends

  • Favorite is 9-1-1 ATS in their last 11 meetings
  • Cardinals are 0-7-1 ATS in their last 8 meetings
  • Under is 5-2 in the last 7 meetings in Los Angeles

Bottom Line

This game will come down to whose defense performs the best. I favor the Rams, as they are PFF’s NO.3 rated defense coming into this game. Another factor is coaching. Sean McVay has perennially dominated the Cardinals and Kliff Kingsbury, who doesn’t possess anywhere near the football aptitude as McVay.

Pick: LA Rams -4

Check out our consensus odds on all of this week’s NFL games >>


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Jordan Anderson is a featured writer at BettingPros. For more from Jordan, check out his archive and follow him on Twitter @Jordan_A03.