Los Angeles Rams vs Arizona Cardinals: Five Cardinals to Watch

The Los Angeles Rams head into a rematch of their 33-0 blowout of the Arizona Cardinals in London this weekend riding a high from beating a New Orleans Saints team that was previously on an eight game winning streak.

Oh, and next week they will play host to the Philadelphia Eagles, who currently hold the best record in the NFL.

Here are the Cardinals who are most likely to take advantage of the Rams if they get caught looking ahead to the Eagles.

Blaine Gabbert

Gabbert isn’t exactly lighting the world on fire since replacing Drew Stanton a few weeks ago, but he is the owner of a 5/3 TD/INT ratio and a 51.1 QBR in his two starts.

The Rams defense sacked Cardinals QBs three times in their last meeting and Carson Palmer ended up on injured reserve with a broken arm. I expect a lot of pressure from Wade Phillips’ defense, but Gabbert has proven capable on a limited basis. The Rams need to be careful not to be too aggressive.

Adrian Peterson

Typically when a team gets shut out, they either don’t get much going on offense or turn the ball over multiple times. In London, it was a little of both. The Rams held Peterson to 21 yards on 11 carries and made him look like the journeyman running back he is at this point in his career.

That said, Peterson does have two games of 130+ yards this season and can be a threat if the Rams aren’t 100% focused on their current opponent. AP is battling a neck injury, but if he is able to overcome that and play on Sunday the Rams would be smart to keep the Cardinals from getting any momentum going in the ground game.

Larry Fitzgerald

It doesn’t matter who is playing quarterback for the Cardinals, Fitzgerald is going to get his. He may not be as quick as he once was, but he’s one of the most savvy wide receivers in the league.

Fitzgerald is a top 5 WR of all time and has already punched his ticket to the Hall of Fame. You don’t ever stop focusing on a player like that. Particularly when that player is leading their team in every major receiving category by a wide margin.

Patrick Peterson

Sammy Watkins meets another shutdown corner in what has been a who’s who among NFL cornerbacks. The difference from years past though is that the Rams have enough weapons in the passing game to overcome their #1 receiver being shut down.

I wouldn’t expect Goff to throw towards Peterson much, but you never know who is going to get the ball in Sean McVay’s offense.

Tyrann Mathieu

Early in his career, the honey badger made a name for himself as a playmaker and had earned adoration among the league as an up an coming star. Injuries have dimmed his star significantly, but he can still make big plays to turn the momentum of a game.

He may not be able to take over a game anymore, but he can certainly cause a key turnover in the red zone that could turn the tide of a close game.