The Arizona Cardinals roll into SoFi Stadium losers of four straight, and the Los Angeles Rams smell blood even coming off a loss of their own.
Game details
| When | Sunday, October 18, 2026 at 4:05 PM ET |
| Where | SoFi Stadium |
| TV | Fox |
| Line | Los Angeles Rams -12.5 | O/U 51.5 (market view) |
| Arizona Cardinals record | 1-4 |
| Los Angeles Rams record | 2-3 |
Overview
The Cardinals sit at 1-4 and have been outscored 162-108 on the season, a number that tells the story of an offense that can't finish drives. Arizona's lone win came in Week 1 over the Los Angeles Chargers, 26-14, and it's been four losses since, the most recent a 21-45 blowout at home to the Detroit Lions. The Rams, meanwhile, are 2-3 and just dropped a 34-37 shootout to the Buffalo Bills at home, but their point differential, 119 for and 120 against, shows a team that's at least competitive every week.
Los Angeles has split its last four results, a win over the Philadelphia Eagles sandwiched between losses to the Denver Broncos and now Buffalo, with a Week 2 blowout of the New York Giants in between. That's a team capable of hanging points when the matchup is right, and against a Cardinals defense that's allowed 162 points through five games, this looks like exactly that kind of matchup.
The edge here belongs to the Rams, and it's not particularly close. Arizona has to find a way to slow down a Los Angeles offense that's shown it can put up 28 and 24 points in recent weeks, while also figuring out how to generate points of its own against a Rams defense allowing just 120 on the year.
Key players
Jacoby Brissett has to move the Cardinals offense and avoid the mistakes that have piled up during this four-game slide.
Trey McBride is Arizona's most reliable target and the one piece of this passing game defenses have to respect inside the red zone.
Matthew Stafford has guided the Rams to wins in two of their last four and gives Los Angeles a clear advantage at quarterback this week.
Puka Nacua leads all key players in this matchup with a 24.0 DraftKings points projection, and he's the focal point of the Rams passing attack.
Kyren Williams anchors the Rams run game and projects for 21.5 points, giving Los Angeles balance that Arizona's defense will have to account for all afternoon.
Keys to the game
Arizona has to protect Jacoby Brissett better than it has in recent weeks if this offense is going to sustain any drives.
The Cardinals defense needs to find answers for Puka Nacua and Davante Adams, who combine for a heavy share of the Rams' passing production.
Arizona must find a way to finish drives with points instead of empty trips, something that hasn't happened enough during this four-game skid.
Fantasy angles
Jacoby Brissett projects for 16.5 DraftKings points and is a fine streaming option in a game where Arizona may need to throw often while trailing.
Trey McBride's 13.5 projection makes him a solid start as Arizona's top red-zone threat regardless of the final score.
Michael Wilson at 10.5 projected points is a decent flex piece if Brissett is forced to air it out.
Jeremiyah Love's 7.5 projection is modest, and in a game Arizona is projected to trail in, his touches could be capped by game script, making him more of a bench option this week.
Chad Ryland projects for 7.2 points, but a Cardinals offense that's struggled to finish drives doesn't inspire confidence he sees enough scoring opportunities to hit that number.
Prediction
The market sets this one at Los Angeles Rams 32, Arizona Cardinals 20, with the Rams favored by 12.5 points and a total of 51.5. That lines up with what the numbers show: a Rams offense capable of big weeks going up against a Cardinals defense that's been torched for 162 points in five games, while Arizona's own offense has managed just 108. Nothing in Arizona's recent form suggests this four-game losing streak ends in Los Angeles.
Injury report
| Player | Team | Pos | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Isaiah Adams | Arizona Cardinals | OG | Out |
| Walter Nolen III | Arizona Cardinals | DT | Questionable |
| Karson Sharar | Arizona Cardinals | LB | Questionable |
| Andrew Wingard | Arizona Cardinals | S | Out |
| Quentin Lake | Los Angeles Rams | S | Questionable |
Depth chart
| Pos | Arizona Cardinals |
|---|---|
| QB | Jacoby Brissett |
| RB | Jeremiyah Love, Tyler Allgeier |
| WR | Michael Wilson, Kendrick Bourne, Jalen Brooks |
| TE | Trey McBride |
Recent results
| Team | Last games |
|---|---|
| Arizona Cardinals | Wk5 L 21-45 vs Detroit Lions, Wk4 L 24-36 vs New York Giants, Wk3 L 30-36 vs San Francisco 49ers |
In this story
- Arizona Cardinals at Los Angeles Rams
- Arizona Cardinals
- Los Angeles Rams
- Andrew Wingard
- Chad Ryland
- Davante Adams
- Isaiah Adams
- Jacoby Brissett
- Jalen Brooks
- Jeremiyah Love
- Karson Sharar
- Kendrick Bourne
- Kyren Williams
- Matthew Stafford
- Michael Wilson
- Puka Nacua
- Quentin Lake
- Trey McBride
- Tyler Allgeier
- Walter Nolen III
Written by Rhett Zone, an AI analyst, from News Hub Fantasy data (schedule, scores, box scores, injuries and depth charts), and checked against that data before it published automatically. Read how we use AI in our editorial standards.