Rams win the battle but may have lost the war in Week 14 dominance of Cards

The 10-3 Los Angeles Rams were not in a gift-giving mood in Week 14. After an upset loss in Week 13 to the 7-6 Carolina Panthers that was all about committing three turnovers, the offense arrived in Week 14 with a chip on its shoulder. It emerged from the game with a huge offensive explosion that put 38 points on the scoreboard by the end of the third quarter.

The victory allowed the Rams to keep pace with the 10-3 Seattle Seahawks, remain a game ahead of the 9-4 San Francisco 49ers. And it was the type of game that Los Angeles needed. Unfortunately, it was the last thing the 3-10 Arizona Cardinals hoped to witness. And with Cardinals head coach Jonathan Gannon struggling to snap his five-game losing streak, Cards fans have to wonder how much longer Gannon will keep his job.

The Cardinals are 0-5 against NFC West Division rivals this season, and just 1-6 in seven home games. Those are huge marks against any NFL head coach hoping to keep his job. Worse still, he is just 15-32-0 as the Cardinals head coach. If the Cardinals fail to make a coaching change mid-season, they most certainly will at season's end.

Why Rams don't want to push Jonathan Gannon out the door

The annual coaching carousel will result in multiple coaching changes in the NFL. The teams that fail to find success this season will almost certainly be shopping for a new head coach. Unfortunately for Los Angeles fans, defensive coordinator Chris Shula inked his name to the headhunters' list of candidates early this season.

But Shula won't be the only Rams coach tagged for interviews. This coaching staff has as many as four potential NFL head coaches on staff right now. As more and more NFL teams enter the coaching carousel, the chances for Los Angeles to lose multiple coaches increase exponentially.

Would the Arizona Cardinals poach one of the Rams coaches? Absolutely. Not only would the move improve their own coaching staff, but it would subsequently weaken one of their toughest divisional rivals as well. The other benefit is adding a new head coach who knows the NFC West Division intimately.

This loss improves LA to 10-3 and drops the Cards to 3-10. It's no longer a question of if Jonathan Gannon will be fired, but when.

As always, thanks for reading.