Rams face a Cardinals team closer to the bottom than the top

GLENDALE, AZ - SEPTEMBER 25: Quarterback Carson Palmer
GLENDALE, AZ - SEPTEMBER 25: Quarterback Carson Palmer /
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Week 13 has the Los Angeles Rams facing a long in the tooth Arizona Cardinals team who is heading in the wrong direction.

The Los Angeles Rams are a team making a climb to the top of the NFC West, as first year head coach Sean McVay and his second year quarterback have helped turn around a long dormant franchise in year two in LA.

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It’s a task that was elusive to Jeff Fisher.

And as the Rams have made that ascension, they will likely be passing former top of the division team Arizona, as the Cardinals are looking at something of a rebuild after the 2017 NFL season closes for business on New Year’s Eve.

Can you imagine any better or more ironic timing?

Arizona certainly has some players in the twilight of solid careers. Their big three of quarterback Carson Palmer, wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald and running back Adrian Peterson only had one game as a trio, until Palmer went out with an injury during the Rams-Cardinals game in London.

Now, as Los Angeles prepares for a Week 13 game in Glendale, you can’t help but sense one team on the rise, and the sun setting on another.

The Cardinals have been a team unable to put two wins together consecutively. The upside is that is the same with their losses. But if the plan in Glendale was to squeeze one more good season out of Palmer, well, that plan didn’t work.

Next: 3 storylines for Rams at Cardinals in Week 13

Bottom line is that Los Angeles and Arizona are heading in different directions. The Rams have the benefit of youth and freshness on their side, while the Cardinals should be planning retirement announcements and draft plans.

Such is life for an Arizona franchise who had ‘hope’ as part of the 2017 game plan.