The Los Angeles Rams are looking to get back on track in Week 14, after losing to the Carolina Panthers in the week prior. They surrounded the number one seed in the NFC to the Chicago Bears; this is the start of their path back to reclaiming it.
Standing in their way for the first time in 2025, the Arizona Cardinals are looking to do what they do best, and play teams close. It doesn’t help that the Rams have already played their other two divisional foes close in their first games, so this is definitely a trap game for a Rams team coming off one of their worst performances of the season.
How To Avoid the Trap
Nov 30, 2025; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; Los Angeles Rams head coach Sean McVay looks on during the third quarter against the Carolina Panthers at Bank of America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Scott Kinser-Imagn Images | Scott Kinser-Imagn Images
Jacoby Brissett has only won one game as the Cardinals’ starting quarterback, but he works their secondaries, not having a game this season under 250 passing yards. It only took Bryce Young 206 passing yards to upset the Rams. Why can’t Brissett do the same?
The Rams are going to have to rely on their defensive front to step up and generate pressure that Brissett can’t navigate. Jared Verse and Bryon Young need to have big games and take down Brissett consistently. If he goes unchecked, he will light up the Rams’ secondary and make the game closer than it needs to be.
Nov 30, 2025; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford (9) takes the field before the game against the Carolina Panthers at Bank of America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Scott Kinser-Imagn Images | Scott Kinser-Imagn Images
Matthew Stafford isn’t expected to turn the ball over three times again, but just in case, Sean McVay should rely on their run game more to beat the Cardinals. As he did against the Seattle Seahawks, he wanted to avoid putting the ball in harm’s way and gave Kyren Williams and Blake Corum 22 carries combined.
The only reason the Panthers were able to beat the Rams was that they capitalized on turnovers, as well as long sustained drives with their rushing attack. The Cardinals have no rushing attack, and if the Rams can take away some of Brissett’s deep shot opportunities with pressure, they won’t have the means to move the ball downfield.
Nov 23, 2025; Inglewood, California, USA;Los Angeles Rams running back Kyren Williams (23) carries the ball past Tampa Bay Buccaneers safety Tykee Smith (23) in the second half at SoFi Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images | Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images
The Rams can opt to trust in Stafford and be aggressive with their play calling, airing the ball out against the 24th-worst-ranked defense on opposing points scored. However, there can be no room for error; leaning on Williams is a safer bet.
The game kicks off at 1:05 PM PST / 4:05 PM EST and can be watched on CBS Sports!
Be sure to follow along with our live game thread for updates throughout the contest.