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Cardinals Give Rams Massive Gift to Help Clinch Playoff Spot

The Cardinals have officially ruled out two key players as the Rams fight to win the NFC West in Week 17.

By Jason Schandl

Nov 26, 2023; Glendale, Arizona, USA; Arizona Cardinals head coach Jonathan Gannon and Los Angeles Rams head coach Sean McVay shake hands after their game at at State Farm Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-Imagn Images
Nov 26, 2023; Glendale, Arizona, USA; Arizona Cardinals head coach Jonathan Gannon and Los Angeles Rams head coach Sean McVay shake hands after their game at at State Farm Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-Imagn Images / Joe Camporeale-Imagn Images
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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.

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. PFF has 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 Sportsbook has 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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