Cardinals vs. Rams: Full Arizona Game Preview
The Arizona Cardinals will wrap up their tour of NFC West stadiums with a trip to St. Louis to face the Rams on Sunday afternoon.
This is the second matchup between the division rivals, with the Rams winning 24-22 in Arizona in Week 4.
Arizona is coming off an uninspiring and unsettling 19-13 victory over San Francisco in Week 12. The Cardinals struggled throughout the game, only managing to take control midway through the fourth quarter against a depleted 49ers team.
The Rams had a far tougher go of things in Week 12, getting trounced 31-7 by the Cincinnati Bengals. They've lost four straight and their playoff hopes are dwindling.
Click ahead for the full midweek preview, including an update on the Cardinals' running game and a look at the week's key matchup.
Date: Sunday, Dec. 6
Location: Edward Jones Dome, St. Louis
Time: 1:00 p.m. ET
TV: Fox
Latest News and Notes
1 of 5
Next Johnson Up
The team's worst fears were confirmed on Tuesday when the Cardinals were forced to put running back Chris Johnson on the injured reserve/designated to return list with a fractured tibia. The earliest he can return is Super Bowl week, should the team make it that far.
With Andre Ellington also out with a foot injury, head coach Bruce Arians announced that rookie David Johnson would be the team's starting running back.
Johnson is the most talented back on the team, but he's also the least experienced.
The younger Johnson leads the Cardinals with eight touchdowns on the season, but he's only touched the ball 54 times on offense. He's shown a propensity for both the big play and fumbling.
Had the elder Johnson's injury occurred a month ago, it's possible fans would be waving the white flag. But the Cardinals' running game has stumbled to a halt in recent weeks, and it's possible the rookie could provide a much-needed jolt in the backfield.
Arians Takes a Chance Along the Offensive Line
Jonathan Cooper's knee injury has healed, but he'll remain on the bench going forward. Ted Larsen, who filled in while Cooper was injured, will remain the starter.
The move is based on performance, but feel free to file this one under "rearranging deck chairs on the Titanic." According to Pro Football Focus, Cooper has a minus-6.7 grade this season, while Larsen checks in at minus-9.6. Neither has played good football.
According to Darren Urban of the team's official website, Arians still has faith in Cooper, but it's fair for fans to be alarmed by the situation. He was the seventh overall selection in the 2013 draft, and he's been benched in his third season.
Between Cooper and 2015 first-round pick D.J. Humphries, who has yet to see the field, it's not difficult to see why the Cardinals' offensive line is currently in tatters.
The duo still may turn into productive players, but the pattern is worrying to say the least.
Key Injuries
2 of 5
The Cardinals released their Week 13 injury report on their official website following Wednesday's practice. It remains significantly less pretty than any view chosen at random in Sedona, although it's getting better.
We dealt with the running back situation in the previous slide, but here are the other key injury notes.
Frostee Rucker, Cory Redding and Jerraud Powers
Via Urban, the defensive trio is expected to miss Sunday's game. None of the three practiced on Wednesday.
Rodney Gunter, Xavier Williams and Red Bryant performed capably in Rucker and Redding's place against San Francisco, and another such effort on Sunday would be a massive boost. The more time they can buy for Redding and Rucker to get healthy before the schedule turns nasty again, the better.
The bigger concern could be in the secondary, where Powers remains the best of a few bad options opposite Patrick Peterson at cornerback. Tyrann Mathieu makes Powers' loss easier to swallow, but Justin Bethel has struggled in coverage and Corey White was just signed this week.
Larry Fitzgerald, Michael Floyd and John Brown
Some good news at last: All three were limited participants in practice on Wednesday.
Although all three played against San Francisco in Week 12, Arizona has seldom had its top three receivers at full strength this season. Given that their differential ability on offense is throwing deep, having Fitzgerald, Floyd and Brown all healthy down the stretch is paramount.
All three will play on Sunday against St. Louis, and barring a setback, it's looking at least possible that they'll be in fine shape once the playoffs roll around.
Key Matchup
3 of 5
Arizona's Offensive Line vs. St. Louis's Defensive Line
This shouldn't come as much of a surprise, as it's Arizona's biggest weakness going up against St. Louis's biggest strength.
The Cardinals' offensive line will have to improve greatly in practice this week after its poor performance against a weak San Francisco front seven in Week 12. The numbers were alarming, with the team averaging just 2.4 yards per carry and Carson Palmer taking nine hits.
Arians has named Larsen the starting right guard on merit with a healthy Cooper taking a seat on the bench. PFF has graded Cooper out ahead of Larsen, but neither has been particularly impressive.
The Rams' defensive line, meanwhile, remains among the most feared in the league despite Robert Quinn's extended absence. There's no word on whether Quinn will be able to play on Sunday—the team announced that he did not practice on Wednesday—but the Rams have enough depth along the line to cause problems regardless.
In its Week 4 victory over the Cardinals, St. Louis totaled four sacks and 10 hits on Palmer. Arizona will have to do much better to avoid similar problems on Sunday.
.jpg?w=256 "Colts Jaguars Football")
3 Things to Watch
4 of 5
Now in his third season, Austin is finally paying dividends as a versatile offensive weapon. He gave Arizona fits in Week 4, catching six passes for 96 yards and two touchdowns while also picking up 20 yards on two carries.
The Rams like to get the ball in Austin's hands in a variety of ways, and it'll be interesting to see how the Cardinals cope with him the second time around.
There's no question they have the talent in the secondary to keep him under wraps—they just have to keep track of him.
Arizona's Run Defense
Austin did a solid job of carving up the Cardinals defense, but Arizona was ultimately undone by its inability to stop Todd Gurley. The rookie piled up 144 rushing yards in the second half alone in Week 4.
The problem for Arizona in that game was partly physical and partly mental. It got pushed around a little bit, but it also struggled to stay disciplined. It's not unreasonable to expect this to be a key teaching point during the week for defensive coordinator James Bettcher.
Can David Johnson Hold on to the Football?
Johnson is going to see a lot more touches now that he's the starter. While that means there will be more opportunities for him to make a big play, it also means there will be more chances for him to cough the ball up.
Johnson has three fumbles on the season, including one on the opening kickoff against St. Louis in Week 4. Arizona had three turnovers in that game, and it'll need its rookie runner to hold on to the football on Sunday to avoid a repeat of that performance.
Prediction: Arizona 28, St. Louis 13
5 of 5
Arizona has played just well enough to win in the last three weeks with a 16-point total margin of victory in that time.
One of two things is likely to happen at this point: The Cardinals will finally cut too fine a line and lose, or they'll snap out of it and put together an explosive performance.
My gut tells me to expect the latter on Sunday.
After a 4-3 start, St. Louis has dropped its last four games and its playoff hopes are all but gone. With a questionable situation at quarterback and distractions off the field, it's hard to see the Rams turning their season around.
The Cardinals, as we know, have everything left to play for, and Arians isn't shaking things up a bit this week—largely through Cooper's benching. He's sent a message to his team that a certain level of performance is expected.
It'll come through for him.
Final score: Arizona 28, St. Louis 13
.jpg?w=480 "Colts Jaguars Football")
.png?w=480)
