Rams open as 4.5-point favorites over Cardinals

The Los Angeles Rams found out who they’ll be playing in the wild card game next week: They will be hosting the 11-6 Arizona Cardinals on Monday Night Football. The game is at 5:15 p.m. PT at SoFi Stadium and features two teams that split the season series 1-1, each time the road team taking home the victory.

The Rams have opened as 4.5 points favorites at DraftKings Sportsbook.

Both teams enter the postseason with a loss, but the Cardinals have lost four of their last five games and the Rams had won five in a row prior to dropping Sunday’s season finale to the San Francisco 49ers.

LA quarterback Matthew Stafford had three touchdowns on Sunday, raising his season total to 41. But he also had two interceptions, making it a total of 17 in 17 games. Cooper Kupp had another 100-yard game, giving him 16 contests this year in which he had at least 90 receiving yards. The only exception: Week 4 against the Arizona Cardinals.

The Cardinals had a home game against the Seattle Seahawks in Week 18 and needed a win to take home the NFC West crown and be the hosts next Monday. Instead, the Cardinals fell 38-31 and have fell from 10-2 to 11-6 entering the postseason.

This will be Kyler Murray and Kliff Kingsbury’s first playoff game in the NFL. It is the fourth time in five tries that Sean McVay has made the postseason but the offseason’s blockbuster move to acquire Matthew Stafford and in-season acquisitions of Odell Beckham Jr and Von Miller will be for nothing without beating the Cardinals next Monday.