Arizona Cardinals Opponent Preview: St. Louis Rams

This Thursday, the Cardinals will face the St. Louis Rams in a pivotal divisional matchup. While the Rams are playing for pride, the Cardinals are playing to keep their playoff chances alive. Here are a couple of things to look out for in this game.

 Vicious defense

The St. Louis Rams pass rush has pick up from last year, getting 35 sacks this season (third best in the league). The return of Chris Long cannot be overstated, he was the leader of this team and his presence alone has made this team play better. The backend of the defense has been good as well, getting 12 pick and three touchdowns. They will be a huge issue for this Cardinals offense.

“Special” Special teams

The special teams for the St. Louis Rams consistently changed outcomes for the Rams this season. We all remember the two big plays that got the Rams the big win against the Seahawks and last week Tavon Austin scored a touchdown on a punt return against the Redskins last week. This team has its shining moments and they will have a shot to have another one when they face the Cardinals.

Shaun Hill

Shaun Hill looks pretty good over the last couple games, scoring 6 touchdowns and only 2 picks over the last four weeks. He plays conservative and doesn’t make too many mistakes when he does play. He isn’t like Davis where he can run the football with his feet but he can be deadly in the pocket. He can make life difficult for the Cards defense this Thursday.

I think the Cardinals can win this game but it depends on which team decides to show up.