The last time the Rams graced the field of University of Phoenix Stadium, it was also the last time Carson Palmer played in the 2014 season. The last time these two teams faced off certainly changed the NFL landscape going into the postseason as it relegated the Cardinals from a division leader to a wild card team. Palmer will look to show the Rams what his surgically repaired knee can do and take home the second 4 – 0 start for the team in the last four years.
Picking Up the Blitz
One thing coach Jeff Fisher is known for is putting his defenses into prime position at getting to the quarterback. So far this year that remains the same. Robert Quinn and Aaron Donald continue to prove to the NFL that they may be the toughest end and tackle duo in the league to block as they have 3 and 3.5 sacks respectively going into the Sunday contest. Former Georgia linebacker Alec Ogletree is also showing signs of improving as a pass rusher as he has tallied 2 quarterback take downs already this season. This will likely be the biggest challenge for the offensive line of the Cardinals so far this year as they will need to be able to communicate shifts and pick ups before the snap more than they have in prior weeks. Once the ball is snapped however, there will likely be a lot of one on one matchups that will be tested as help from other linemen may open up opportunities for Quinn or Chris Long to come around on stunts and get after Carson Palmer. Palmer has only been sacked once thus far, but this Rams team knows how to create mass confusion at the point of attack.
Make Foles Face Third Down
If there is one thing that Nick Foles has shown difficulty with this season is keeping drives alive for long periods of time. The Rams are a dismal 4 for 22 when facing third down this year and more often than not they are quite long third downs at that. The running game for St. Louis is to put it bluntly abysmal. The leading rusher for the team is Benny Cunningham with 57 yards through three games. Tre Mason follows behind with 42 yards and first round pick Todd Gurley did not show signs of wonder that made him a top ten selection in the draft earlier this year with his 9 yard debut last week. If the front seven of the Cardinals can keep the trend of the last few weeks for the Rams’ running game then they can go after Foles and force hurried passes or perhaps even sacks. Foles has been known to be quite a statue in the pocket going back to his days as a Wildcat at the University of Arizona. Foles has only tossed a single interception this season but he has shown signs of being separated from the ball quite a bit after he’s hit. In their week one victory over the Seahawks Foles lost the ball twice on strips. If that happens against the Cardinals it may lead to defensive touchdowns as the unit under Bruce Arians has already returned two turnovers for six points.
Spreading the Ball Key For Palmer
The resurgence of Larry Fitzgerald cannot be overstated. The veteran pass catcher has shown signs of his 2008 form with 23 catches and averaging 111 yards a game going into their week four contest. His five touchdowns leads the league in that category that while it has seen a number of star players out with injury at the receiver position, it still leaves an impressive stamp on Fitzgerald’s early season work. The likelihood this continues only goes as far as the other receivers do on this squad. John Brown is the only Cardinals receiver that has double digit catches thus far with twelve. Darren Fells had an impressive week one performance against New Orleans, but has since gone quiet. Jaron Brown has not seen as many looks as Cardinals fans expected when they saw the 6-foot-2 wide out come into camp this year with a lot of chatter about his potential to really step into his own. Michael Floyd may be the most disappointing member of the group after his injuries have limited him to only two catches the entire season. The size that the Cardinals were hoping to exploit on the sidelines has not been there, though it is hardly noticeable from the two 40 point outings that the team has dished out. You can only go to the well so much however, and Fitzgerald will eventually find himself facing more attention and struggling to get himself open with double, perhaps at times triple coverage.
This may be the first real trap game for the Cardinals and the pressure provided by the defense of St. Louis may prove to be just a little too much for a line that is still adjusting to having Mike Iupati and Bobby Massie in the lineup. Communication issues may plague the Cardinals on offense and may just spell doom for the Cardinals this week.
Final score: Rams – 24 Cardinals – 14
Kickoff at University of Phoenix Stadium will be at 1:25 PM on Fox.