Stafford, Rams look to end 2-game skid by hosting reeling Cards to wrap up regular season

Arizona (3-13) at Los Angeles Rams (11-5)

Sunday, 4:25 p.m. EST, Fox.

Against the spread: Cardinals 6-10; Rams 10-6.

Series record: Rams lead 52-41-2.

Last meeting: Rams beat the Cardinals 45-17 on Dec. 7, 2025, in Glendale, Arizona.

Last week: Cardinals lost to Bengals 37-14; Rams lost to Falcons 27-24.

Cardinals offense: overall (19), rush (29), pass (7), scoring (23).

Cardinals defense: overall (26), rush (25), pass (24), scoring (29)

Rams offense: overall (2), rush (8), pass (2), scoring (1).

Rams defense: overall (17), rush (13), pass (17), scoring (8).

Turnover differential: Cardinals even; Rams plus-9.

WR Michael Wilson has thrived over the last half of the season and has the chance to hit 1,000 yards receiving for the first time in his career. He needs 93 yards against the Rams to reach the mark, which seems realistic considering he had five catches for 89 yards and a touchdown last week against the Bengals.

Rams QB Matthew Stafford dominated the Cardinals defense for 281 yards and three touchdowns when the two teams met on Dec. 7. Stafford threw a season-high three interceptions on Monday, but should be able to bounce back against one of the league’s worst defenses, as the Cardinals have given up 35 points per game during their eight-game losing streak.

Rams momentum vs. health. Coach Sean McVay has to juggle two different but important objectives in the regular-season finale, trying to recapture the form that had Los Angeles looking like a Super Bowl favorite three weeks ago while also making sure everyone is available for the postseason. Two consecutive losses mean the Rams will be on the road for a NFC wild-card playoff game next week, leading the usually cautious McVay to declare he needs to play his starters. Whether that means the likes of Stafford, WR Puka Nacua and RB Kyren Williams will be on the field for all four quarters isn’t certain.

Cardinals: CB Kei’Trel Clark (back) was put on injured reserve Tuesday. WR Marvin Harrison Jr. is out and on injured reserve with a foot injury. S Budda Baker (concussion/thumb) didn’t play last week.

Rams: WR Davante Adams (hamstring) will miss his third straight game with the expectation he should be ready for the playoffs. … S Quentin Lake got a full practice in Thursday as he returns from an elbow injury that put him on injured reserve. Lake won’t play against the Cardinals but should be available in the postseason. … RG Kevin Dotson (ankle) remains out, and his status for the wild-card round isn’t clear.

The Rams have won 15 of the past 18 in the series going back to 2017. However, two of those losses to the Cardinals have come in the five regular-season games at SoFi Stadium since the building opened in 2020. … The Rams scored a season-high 45 points in the first meeting against the Cardinals four weeks ago.

The Cardinals started the season with a 2-0 record, but have since lost 13 of 14, including their past eight. ... If the Cardinals lose, they could finish with more losses than the rest of the NFC West combined. ... Third-year coach Jonathan Gannon has a 15-35 record over nearly three full seasons. ... QB Jacoby Brissett has thrown for a career-high 3,123 yards and 21 touchdowns since becoming the team’s starter in Week 6. Brissett has a 1-10 record in 11 starts. ... Cardinals CBs Denzel Burke and Will Johnson are two of only four rookie CBs in the league with at least 10 passes defended. ... Cardinals TE Trey McBride has caught 119 passes this season, which is an NFL record for a tight end. ... Cardinals DL Calais Campbell will play his 278th NFL game on Sunday. The only DLs with more career games are Jim Marshall (282) and Hall of Famer Bruce Smith (279). The 39-year-old Campbell has not decided if he’ll return for a 19th season. … Stafford has 42 touchdown passes to set a single-season high. He had 41 scoring throws in 2011 and 2021. … WR Puka Nacua had five receptions for 47 yards versus Atlanta, his lowest output this season in a game he was able to finish. … The Rams have allowed 27 points or more in four of their past five games after doing so just once in the first 11 games. … OLB Jared Verse scored his first regular-season touchdown when he returned a blocked field goal 76 yards against the Falcons. Verse had a 57-yard fumble return for a score in the wild-card victory over Minnesota on Jan. 13, 2025. … OLB Byron Young has two sacks in his past nine games. He had nine sacks through the first seven weeks. … The Rams have four takeaways in their past five games, three of which came in the 38-37 overtime loss at the Seahawks on Dec. 18. … Stafford needs one touchdown pass to tie Dan Marino (419) for seventh in NFL history. Stafford is also 15 completions away from passing Matt Ryan (5,551) for sixth most in league history.

Rams rookie TE Terrance Ferguson has become more of a factor in the two games since Adams aggravated his hamstring pull, getting three receptions for 33 yards and a touchdown against the Seahawks and two receptions for 54 yards and a touchdown against the Falcons. He could see even more targets if Los Angeles chooses to minimize Nacua’s workload, making him an intriguing final week option.

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