LA Rams Game Day primer: Last Deal of the Cards

Can John Wolford win his first career NFL game?

The LA Rams will be doing something for the first time since 2017. The Rams offense will be led by a quarterback other than starter Jared Goff. This game will be decided on the bases of how well a 6-foot-1 200-pound dual-threat quarterback can run the LA Rams offense.  Of course, he’ll have plenty of help. bit the key to his success or failure will not be what he can do like starter Jared Goff, but rather what he can do differently?

We know that Goff is a bit immobile, has been fairly accurate with a turnover virtually guaranteed in each game. We know that Goff can run, but seldom does. We know that Goff can throw a deep ball, but seldom does. Perhaps Wolford’s forte will be in running, extending passing plays, and test the back end of defenses. Even if those fall incomplete, the threat alone should be enough to create running lanes for the Rams running backs, whoever they may be for this one.

The Arizona Cardinals are consistent on defense, as they are 14th ranked in yards allowed and15th-ranked in terms of points allowed. The Rams are one of the Top-Three defenses in the NFL in terms of the pass and run. But in terms of vulnerability, the Cardinals allow 123.4 yards on the ground, only good for the 23rdd-ranked rushing defense in the NFL. With Wolford under center, it begs the Rams to feature the running attack in this one

Can the Rams stop Murray and Hopkins in round two?

The Cardinals are 4-3 away, having defeated the San Francisco 49ers, Dallas Cowboys, New York Jets, and New York Giants . However, they have lost games to the Carolina Panthers, the Seattle Seahawks, and the New England Patriots. In all three road losses, the Cardinals offense was held to 21 points or less. For the Rams to claim a victory, the team will need to do better than that.

The key in this one will be the Rams’ ability to stymie WR DeAndre Hopkins, once more. In their first game, the Rams held the Cardinals to 28 points. Hopkins caught eight of 13 passes for 52 yards and a touchdown. The true weapon was seldom used tight end Dan Arnold, who caught two of three targets for 61 yards and two touchdowns.  But overall, the Rams held the Cardinals passing attack to under 200 yards. Kyler Murray was 21 of 39 for 173 yards, three touchdowns and one interception.

The Rams also didn’t do poorly at stopping the Cardinals rushing game. The Cardinals finished with 21 rushes for 92 yards and one touchdown. But while the Rams did not do too bad in their first meeting, the Rams will not win if they give up 28 points in this one. In fact, the defense will need to enter this one with a mindset for 10 or fewer points.