LAS VEGAS – The NFC-leading Cardinals hope to extend their NFC-best winning streak to five games when they host a divisional matchup with the Rams (4:25 p.m. ET, FOX) on Sunday. St. Louis will be playing its second consecutive NFC West game on the road after pulling off a 13-10 upset of the 49ers last week as a 10.5-point underdog.
The Line: Cardinals -7, Total: 43
Line movement: The Cardinals opened as 7-point home favorites at the Westgate Las Vegas SuperBook on Sunday, and the line was adjusted to -6.5 on Friday. Other shops moved to 6.5 on Thursday. The Wynn and CG Technology opened the game 7.5 and moved to 7. The total opened 43.5 at the SuperBook and dipped slightly to 43 there in early betting action. For updated spreads and totals from around Las Vegas, visit our live odds page.
Trends that matter: The Rams are 1-3 ATS in their last four road games against NFC West opponents. The Rams are 4-9 ATS in the last 13 meetings with the Cardinals. The Cardinals are 6-1 ATS in their last seven games.
The UNDER is 6-1 in St. Louis’ last seven games as a road underdog. The UNDER is 5-0 in Arizona’s last five home games against NFC West opponents. The UNDER is 9-3 in the last 12 meetings.
Cardinals, Rams proving doubters wrong: Arizona may not be impressing oddsmakers too much, but books have been forced to drop the team’s Super Bowl odds, which are down to 10-to-1 at the Westgate. That’s what happens when you have the best record in the NFL and a two-game lead in the division over the defending NFC West and Super Bowl champion Seahawks.
The Cardinals lead the Rams by four games but have to be leery of them after they pulled off the biggest straight-up upset by an underdog this season last week at San Francisco. Surprisingly, Arizona is actually closer to St. Louis than Seattle in the latest Don Best/Linemakers NFL Power Ratings. The Cardinals moved up two spots from last week and are tied at No. 17 with a 94 rating, while the Rams are tied at No. 25 with a 91. The Seahawks are tied at No. 6 with a 97.5.
Arizona and St. Louis each defended home field last year in splitting their two meetings. However, a 30-10 win by the Cardinals at University of Phoenix Stadium was their first by more than six points in eight games between the teams. That’s worth noting considering the point spread has been hovering at Arizona -7.
The odds of a second consecutive straight-up win by the Rams as road underdogs of 7 points or more seem very slim, though. In fact, it’s been a while since they even covered two straight road games, as you have to go back to the end of the 2012 season to find them beating the line against the Buccaneers and Seahawks in their last two games of the year. They also last won two in a row away from home in 2012, topping the Cardinals 31-17 as 1-point underdogs on Nov. 25 of that year before edging the Bills 15-12 two weeks later as 3.5-point dogs. St. Louis then saw its road winning streak reach three games with a 28-13 victory two weeks after that as 3-point dogs.
Injuries that matter: Visit here for all Week 10 NFL injuries
Weather: The forecast calls for warm temperatures, around 80 degrees, and mostly sunny skies. Visit Weather Underground for the latest forecast.
Handicapping tools: Matchup analysis | STL team page | ARI team page
The Linemakers' lean: The Rams have been tough out for NFC West foes this season, beating Seattle and San Francisco, the latter nearly twice. The line here is the largest for a game between these teams since '09, and it's too many points for Brian Blessing to pass up. Vinny Magliulo, meanwhile, likes the UNDER with two solid defenses on the field. Seven of the last 10 games in this series have stayed UNDER, and we mentioned some more convincing UNDER trends above. Rams and UNDER are the plays.
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