NFL Football BETTING PREVIEW - Arizona Cardinals @ Los Angeles Rams

NFL Football

2026-10-18 - Arizona Cardinals at Los Angeles Rams

A Sports Betting Preview by FirstDown

Arizona Cardinals @ Los Angeles Rams
United States : NFL Week 6
Sunday 18th October 2026 - Scheduled 4:05pm EST
9:05pm (British Time)

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Preview

There was plenty of anger in the Los Angeles Rams (2-3) locker room after blowing an opportunity to beat the Buffalo Bills in Week 5 and that defeat dropped them below 0.500. This means the Rams are already playing catch up in the NFC West where the unbeaten San Francisco 49ers are leading the way and Head Coach Sean McVay will want his time to find their feet very quickly.

The Rams will know they should have won, but they have to make sure they are focused and ready to perform in Week 6 when heading into a Divisional battle against the struggling Arizona Cardinals (1-4).

The Week 1 upset over the Los Angeles Chargers feels a long time ago as far as the Cardinals are concerned- three of the four defeats since then have been by at least 12 points, while Arizona's win over the Chargers has not looked nearly as good as it felt in Week 1.

Injuries have piled up on the Arizona roster and that makes it very difficult to see how they can be a lot more competitive than they were in the blowout loss to the Detroit Lions last time out.

On the Offensive side of the ball, the Cardinals do not look like they match up very well with the Los Angeles Rams- it has been possible to run the ball against the Rams, but the Secondary have played the pass pretty well, while the Arizona Cardinals are a team that have not been very productive on the ground behind the Offensive Line.

Jacoby Brissett has offered some veteran guidance from the Quarter Back position, but he has also thrown up far too many Interceptions and the team have allowed Marvin Harrison Jr to leave for the Houston Texans. That is going to have an impact on the passing game and the Cardinals will be under pressure for much of the day to try and keep the ball moving and the Rams Offensive unit on the sidelines.

Games in this sport are usually won and lost at the Line of Scrimmage and the Los Angeles Offensive Line should be able to push the Cardinals Defensive Line into a position where the run can be established. This is key for the Rams to open up the Offensive playbook and Matthew Stafford should be placed in a position where he can lead his team to a strong win.

Pounding the rock on the ground should mean Matthew Stafford is throwing out of third and manageable spots on the field and the Cardinals Secondary have been exposed in recent outings. Matthew Stafford and the Rams passing numbers suggest they can move the ball with consistency for as long as they want in Week 6, although the veteran needs to take care of the ball a little better.

Turnovers will give the Cardinals an opportunity to make this a competitive game, but if they cannot win in that column, Los Angeles should have too much for Arizona.

Two of the last three games hosted by the Rams against the Arizona Cardinals have been won by the home team by 17 point margins and they have every chance of doing that this week.

Losing that game on Monday Night Football to the Buffalo Bills and in the manner it was lost will have an impact on the Los Angeles Rams, but they should have enough on both sides of the ball to secure another big win over this NFC West rival.

Prediction

Lay the points with the home team in this Divisional game.

The Pick :

Los Angeles Rams 31-14 Arizona Cardinals

FIXED ODDS BETTING :

I'll back Los Angeles Rams - 12 Points at -110 with Bovada