Happy holidays, Rams fans. The Arizona Cardinals may be a division rival, but this time of year is about forgetting any grudges you hold against those closest to you and giving gifts to show your appreciation. And the Cardinals knocked the gift-giving out of the park this year.
A Week 17 win from the Los Angeles Rams would still require a little bit of help to have them officially clinch the NFC West and a playoff berth this weekend, but it would put them mighty close. And the Cardinals have made an announcement that should all but guarantee a Rams victory.
Let's look at how their latest injury news promises to impact this matchup.
The Cardinals will be without both of their tackles Sunday in Los Angeles.
— Josh Weinfuss (@joshweinfuss)December 24, 2024
Coach Jonathan Gannon said LT Paris Johnson Jr. and RT Jonah Williams won’t play against the Rams.pic.twitter.com/4TR4kEc6yz
Rams Should Dominate the Cardinals With Both Tackles Out
The Cardinals have nothing left to play for, and head coach Jonathan Gannon quickly ruled out both of their starting offensive tackles (Paris Johnson Jr. and Jonah Williams). That leaves Kelvin Beachum and Jackson Barton likely starting as the bookends on the line.
Johnson isn't quite elite, but he's genuinely a great starter, as much as Rams fans might hate to admit that. Williams has also been a plus contributor in his first year with the Cards.PFFhas the two ranked No. 14 and No. 38 among 79 graded offensive tackles this season.
In comparison, Beachum ranks 56th, and while Barton hasn't played enough snaps to qualify for the rankings, his 50.0 grade is significantly worse than Beachum's 63.6 (not to mention Williams' 70.7 and Johnson's 80.8).
With Johnson already out and Williams making an early exit in Week 16, the Cardinals lost to the lowly Carolina Panthers as Kyler Murray was pressured 13 times by the NFL's worst pass rush.
FanDuel Sportsbookhas the Rams as 6.5-point favorites in this one, and their odds to win the NFC West now sit at -750. No divisional game is truly a gimme, and rivals love to play spoiler at this time of year, but removing two of the Cardinals' most important offensive starters should remove all excuses for the Rams in this game. If they can't win this one, they probably don't deserve to make the playoffs anyway.
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