Disappointing Rams face Cardinals in Coliseum's NFL farewell
ARIZONA (5-9-1) at LOS ANGELES RAMS (8-7)
Sunday, 4:25 p.m. ET, Fox
OPENING LINE - Rams by 7 1/2
RECORD VS. SPREAD - Cardinals 9-5-1, Rams 10-5
SERIES RECORD - Rams lead 41-38-2
LAST MEETING - Rams beat Cardinals 34-7 on Dec. 1
LAST WEEK - Cardinals beat Seahawks 27-13; 49ers beat Rams 34-31
AP PRO32 RANKING — Cardinals No. 22; Rams No. 12
CARDINALS OFFENSE — OVERALL (22), RUSH (9), PASS (24)
CARDINALS DEFENSE — OVERALL (31), RUSH (25), PASS (31)
RAMS OFFENSE - OVERALL (9), RUSH (24), PASS (5)
RAMS DEFENSE - OVERALL (13), RUSH (22), PASS (10)
STREAKS, STATS AND NOTES - NFC West’s two also-rans finish up disappointing seasons. ... Rams’ final game at 96-year-old Coliseum, which has hosted two Super Bowls, 23 Pro Bowls and 51 seasons of NFL play since 1946. Rams move into palatial SoFi Stadium in Inglewood next season. ... Rams coach Sean McVay has never lost to Cardinals, going 5-0. Rams have scored at least 31 points and allowed no more than 16 in each game, which is unmatched in any five-game rivalry stretch in NFL history. ... Cards QB Kyler Murray limited in practice after hurting hamstring last week. ... WR Larry Fitzgerald has been vague about plans, but game could be final chapter in his stellar career. Only Jerry Rice has more catches or yards receiving in NFL history. ... DE Chandler Jones leads league with 19 sacks, closing in on title held last season by Rams’ Aaron Donald, who is seventh with 12 1/2. After making four sacks last week in Seattle, Jones has outside chance of catching Michael Strahan's NFL single-season record of 22 1/2. ... LB Jordan Hicks is fifth in league with 136 tackles. Hicks, Rams LB Cory Littleton both left off NFC Pro Bowl team despite prolific tackling seasons. ... Former UCLA starter Brett Hundley is Murray’s backup. He knows about Coliseum success after leading Bruins past USC 35-14 in 2013 crosstown showdown before dropping his famous “UCLA runs LA, everybody knows that” quote. ... Rams attempt to secure third consecutive winning season for first time since 1999-2001 in St. Louis. ... McVay attempts to match John Robinson (1983-85) as last Rams coach to start career with three straight winning records. Rams have had 10 head coaches in between. ... Rams sit third in NFL with 49 sacks after dropping San Francisco’s Jimmy Garoppolo six times last week. ...RB Todd Gurley will become franchise leader in career rushing TDs with next such score. He needed just five seasons to tie Marshall Faulk and pass Eric Dickerson, Steven Jackson. ... Gurley needs 25 yards from scrimmage for fifth straight 1,000-yard season. Indicator of his quiet season is that it took him this long. ... QB Jared Goff needs 370 yards passing to set career high. Already Goff has career high with 16 interceptions, and passer rating is down significantly from past two years. Goff ranks fourth in NFL with 4,319 yards passing. ... TE Tyler Higbee has 100 yards receiving in four consecutive games. One more 100-yard game will break franchise record for most in any tight end’s entire career. Higbee also has set franchise record for TEs with 61 catches this season with 35 in last four weeks. ... Could be last game for Rams S Eric Weddle, who knows his future is tenuous and has thought about retirement. ... Fantasy tip: There’s little reason to suspect Higbee’s pass-catching spree won’t continue; Goff and McVay appear to be dedicated to it. If you can get him, use him.
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