Cardinals vs Rams Odds, Picks, and Predictions Week 6: Kupp & Co. Light Up Arizona

The Los Angeles Rams got some help with the return of Cooper Kupp last week but still fell to the Eagles. Now the 2-3 Rams will look to crawl back to .500 Sunday at home vs. a struggling Arizona Cardinals team that enters Week 6 as a touchdown underdog with a total of 48.5 according to NFL odds. 

Joe Burrow got back on track against an injured Arizona secondary last week and with the Cards struggling to generate any pressure, Matthew Stafford and this offense could be flirting with 30 points Sunday indoors on the fast track. 

Here are my free NFL picks for Cardinals vs. Rams.

Cardinals vs Rams odds

Cardinals vs Rams predictions

The Arizona Cardinals could likely be without both starting safeties with Budda Baker still on the IR and Jalen Thompson exiting last week. This defense just allowed the Bengals, who had scored just four touchdowns before the Week 5 meeting, to put up 34 points. Joe Burrow was struggling mightily before the stat padding and it will be Matthew Stafford and the Los Angeles Rams’ turn to rack up points vs. a reeling Arizona team.

The Arizona defense has allowed four straight opponents to score at least 28 points and no team in football allows more red-zone trips than the Cards. That’s great news for the Rams team total Over 27.5 as L.A. sits sixth in Red Zone TD percentage and the only thing stopping this offense from scoring more has been its lack of drives inside the opposing 20. Arizona will help with that.

Speaking of the L.A. offense, Cooper Kupp returned to the lineup last week (eight catches, 12 targets, and 118 yards) but the Rams managed just 14 points and under 300 total yards of offense. A lot of that had to do with the matchup as Los Angeles tends to struggle moving the ball when facing pressure and Philadelphia did so with four sacks.

The Cards rank 30th in pressure percentage on the year and Stafford will have all day to find his receivers vs. this injured secondary. The QB has a completion percentage nearly 20 points higher with a clean pocket.   

The Arizona offense is also in tatters. Starting running back James Conner is out and rookie Keaonty Ingram is likely in. Marquise Brown was DNP at practice on Wednesday and Joshua Dobbs could be heading back to earth. He had three turnovers last week vs. the Bengals and finished dead last in CPOE in Week 5. 

The Rams’ offense has a great matchup on Sunday to put up points from start to finish. This is also the only team that has managed more than 16 points vs. the 49ers and the indoor setting is also sealing the deal. 

My best bet: Rams team total Over 27.5 (-115 at DraftKings)
Picks made at time of writing may not reflect live odds.

Cardinals vs Rams same-game parlay

Rams TT Over 27.5

Kupp 125+ receiving yards

+575 at bet365

It's just two legs but Kupp saw 35% of the targets in his return and looked good. Stafford will have more time to throw in Week 6 after facing plenty of pressure from the Eagles' elite pass rush last week.

Facing a defense that will likely be without its starting safeties and can't create pressure, Kupp is going to have a big game, and his Milestone markets are in play.     

Learn how to bet a same-game parlay with these helpful tips and strategies.

Cardinals vs Rams spread and Over/Under analysis

This spread was LA -4.5 on the look ahead, reopened at -6, and then hit as long as -7 on Thursday morning. 

The move from 6.0 to 7.0 is warranted. Arizona is dealing with injuries to the secondary as Baker is out and Thompson is on the wrong side of questionable. Arizona also lost its RB back last week and No. 1 receiver Marquise Brown is dealing with an injury and was DNP on Wednesday.

Arizona is hurting on both sides of the ball and its average play to begin the season might be regressing to where everyone was projecting the Cards before the season. The book could be out on Dobbs and this offense and the injuries aren’t helping them entering Week 6. 

Through five games, the Cardinals have allowed a league-high 25 red-zone trips to opposing teams which is a substantial number and their defense’s 56% RZ TD rate (15th) has been the only thing helping keep points off the board. 

The Rams entered last week averaging 5.5 yards per play which was a Top 10 mark. Philly held them down but this offense with Kupp back is fast and has plenty of options as Stafford ranks in the Top 10 in time to throw. With the Cardinals struggling to pressure opposing QBs and ranking 30th in pressure, Stafford could be picking this team apart.

I’d be happy with the -6.5 if you can find one as it's a side that I’ve already put into my weekly pick pool. 

Looking at the total, the Over has taken plenty of money this week, moving from as low as 46 to its current 48.5 as of Thursday afternoon. I don’t know how I feel about two-way scoring in this game as the injuries are hurting the Arizona offense. 

The indoor setting helps for a faster game and both teams rank in the Top 10 in pace of play — both in total and in a neutral context. However, with this total moving more than two points, I’m hesitant to double dip on the Rams team total Over and the full game Over. I like the Rams -6.5 much better than the Over 48.5 because I don’t trust the Cards to hit the 20-point mark.  

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