Rams vs Cardinals Prediction, Odds, Best Bets - Nov 15, 2026

The Los Angeles Rams bring a three-game winning streak to State Farm Stadium for a rematch with the Arizona Cardinals, who beat them 18-16 in Week 6. Both teams carry major injury questions into Sunday, the Rams at receiver and the Cardinals at quarterback, and the answers will shape the whole afternoon.

The Matchup

The first meeting between these teams ended 18-16 for Arizona in Week 6, and the rematch arrives with the Rams on a three-game winning streak and the Cardinals coming off a 17-3 loss to Seattle. On paper this looks like a mismatch of momentum. The injury report pulls it back toward the game Arizona wants.

Puka Nacua is doubtful to play Sunday with a knee injury. He has 70 catches for 715 yards and 4 touchdowns, and he is the receiver Matthew Stafford looks for when a drive needs saving. Stafford has thrown for 2,374 yards and 16 touchdowns, but 9 interceptions sit on his line too, and his favorite target may be watching from the sideline in Glendale.

Without Nacua at full strength, the Rams offense leans harder on Kyren Williams and the ground game. Williams has 127 carries for 593 yards and 6 touchdowns, and Los Angeles runs for 125.3 yards per game at 4.7 yards per carry. That version of the Rams is still good.

It is just slower and more predictable, and it plays at a pace Arizona can survive. The Rams score 23.8 points per game this season, and their last three wins came in controlled games, 20-13 over Washington and 24-9 over the Chargers among them. Nothing about their recent form says they bury teams early or run away from anybody.

Arizona's offense has its own hard problem, and there is no use dressing it up. Gardner Minshew II is doubtful to play with an elbow injury, and he is the Cardinals' listed passing leader with only 354 yards after taking over midseason. Arizona may be down to a third quarterback on Sunday. Michael Wilson is out with a neck injury and running back Bam Knight is out with a concussion, so the Cardinals will build what they can around tight end Trey McBride.

McBride has 73 catches for 598 yards and 5 touchdowns, and he is the one Arizona player who can move the chains on his own. Tyler Allgeier has 369 rushing yards, and Arizona's best offensive plan is short throws to McBride, honest runs, and long possessions that keep Stafford on the sideline.

The Rams defense allows 20.1 points per game and will expect to win this matchup outright. Byron Young leads Los Angeles with 4.5 sacks and Nate Landman has 66 tackles, and Arizona's line may be without center Hjalte Froholdt, who is questionable with a concussion. Los Angeles is also missing cornerback Trent McDuffie, who is out with a back injury, which gives Arizona's short passing game one less problem to solve underneath.

The question is not whether the Rams control this game. The question is whether they turn control into distance. A defense-led win by a touchdown looks a lot like their recent wins, and it leaves Arizona within reach in the fourth quarter, with a tight end who can steal two or three first downs a quarter.

Key Factors

Everything about the Rams passing game runs through Puka Nacua's status. He is doubtful with a knee injury, and his volume is what lets Stafford spread the ball around and stay ahead of the chains. If he sits, Arizona's defense can squeeze the intermediate routes and dare the Rams to win with Williams and checkdowns. Keep an eye on whether Puka Nacua plays before placing a bet.

Arizona allows 28.3 points per game, the weakest defensive number in this matchup, but that defense has spent the season facing offenses at full strength. A Rams offense missing its top receiver is a different assignment, and Budda Baker, who leads the Cardinals with 3.5 sacks, can play closer to the line against a team leaning on its run game.

Turnovers are the quiet reason Arizona can stay in this game. Stafford has thrown 9 interceptions and the Rams have given the ball away 14 times against 10 takeaways. Arizona has played even in that department, with 8 giveaways against 8 takeaways, and the Cardinals protect the ball well enough to avoid the short fields that turn a manageable game into a rout.

Jack Gibbens has 64 tackles in the middle of the Arizona defense, and the Cardinals have 19 sacks as a team. They do not need takeaways in bunches. They need the Rams to drive the full field, over and over, at a pace that eats into the same clock Arizona is trying to burn from the other side.

The case for Los Angeles is strong and it deserves to be said plainly. The Rams are the better team, with the better quarterback by a wide margin, a defense allowing 20.1 points per game, and three straight wins behind them. Arizona scored 3 points last week and may start a third quarterback. If Stafford plays a clean game and Williams gets rolling early, the Rams can score on schedule while Arizona stalls, and this turns into the comfortable win the records suggest.

That is what beats the pick here, and it is a realistic afternoon. The answer is in how the Rams actually win. Their three straight wins were grinds, not routs, and their offense has not been a quick-strike unit all season. With Nacua doubtful, the path to a multi-score margin narrows to Williams breaking the game open on the ground, and Arizona can commit bodies to stopping exactly that.

Every pick is published with its line before the game. Odds via consensus sportsbooks at time of writing and move constantly. Must be 21+. If gambling is a problem, call or text 1-800-GAMBLER.