This article is part of our NFL Picks series.
Arizona Cardinals at Los Angeles Rams Betting Odds, Picks, and Predictions for Week 10
The Cardinals (3-6) pay a visit to the defending champion Rams (3-5) at SoFi Stadium for an NFC West Week 10 clash on Sunday afternoon. The two teams already met at State Farm Stadium back in Week 3, which resulted in a 20-12 victory for Los Angeles.
Both teams are coming off Week 9 losses. Arizona was beaten by another division rival, by the Seahawks, which completed a sweep of the season series via a 31-21 victory. The Rams were upended by the Buccaneers on the road, 16-13, on a Tom Brady touchdown pass with nine seconds remaining.
Arizona Cardinals 
at Los Angeles Rams 
for Week 10
*Best lines at time of writing listed
Moneyline: Cardinals +118 (FanDuel Sportsbook)/ Rams -125 (DraftKings Sportsbook)
Point spread: Cardinals +2.5 (DraftKings Sportsbook)/ Rams -2 (PointsBet Sportsbook)
Total: Over 39.5 points (PointsBet Sportsbook)/ Under 40 points (BetMGM Sportsbook)
The Rams opened as three-point favorites when this line was first released in the middle of last week, but that number grew to four points in the immediate aftermath of a Week 9 in which the Cardinals weren't actually as competitive as their 10-point loss to the Seahawks suggested. It was then bet all the way down to one point during the week before growing to three points and then dipping back to its current 2-to-2.5-point figure.
The uncertain injury news regarding both Kyler Murray (hamstring) and Matthew Stafford (concussion) has undoubtedly played a major factor, and with both players' status potentially not known until pregame warmups, bettors have seemingly compromised with a number that seems to acknowledge the possibility of both absences.
The same instability hasn't affected the total, as it's been on a much more consistent downward trajectory since opening at 45 points. It subsequently dipped all the way to 40 as news regarding the two quarterbacks emerged later into the week and is now as low as 39.5 at some sportsbooks as of Saturday.
Arizona Cardinals at Los Angeles Rams Betting Picks This Week
This is one of the more interesting games to prognosticate on the entire Week 10 slate, as neither team is guaranteed to have its starting quarterback available heading into Sunday morning.
We'll start with Kyler Murray, who's battling a hamstring injury that could keep him out of this matchup. However, Saturday night reports indicate a final decision on Murray will come down to Sunday's pregame warmups, when the coaches and training staff will evaluate how well he can run. If he's ultimately unable to suit up, veteran Colt McCoy will step in under center for Arizona.
Subbing in three games last season for an injured Murray, McCoy, a 12-year pro, completed 75.6 percent of his passes for 684 yards, three touchdowns and one interception over that span. A relatively mobile signal-caller in his own right, McCoy also gained 40 yards on 14 rushes in that stint. While nowhere near the caliber of runner Murray is, McCoy does have elusiveness when necessary and is certainly savvy enough as a passer to find holes in a defense.
What makes McCoy's impressive three-game run under center last season even more noteworthy is the fact he played all of those contests without the benefit of DeAndre Hopkins, who he'll have at his disposal Sunday if he does make a spot start.
On the other side, John Wolford will be in line to take over starting duties for the Rams should Matthew Stafford be unable to clear concussion protocol in time to play. Wolford showed some flashes in a Week 17 spot start for then-starter Jared Goff back in 2020, throwing for 231 yards and rushing for 56 more versus these same Cardinals. Wolford then notably drew the start in the following week's wild-card game against the Seahawks but was hospitalized after a first-half neck injury.
Wolford put up only four pass attempts all of last season while Stafford started every game, and he's yet to see the field this season. If he gets the call, he'll certainly have some game rust to work off, and he'll fac an Arizona defense that's actually been much better on the road (305.3 total yards per game allowed) than at home (419.8 total yards per game allowed).
Even with the uncertainty at quarterback, the Under feels like the safest wager in this spot, considering the two teams combined for just 32 points in the first meeting with their starting quarterbacks.
Cardinals at Rams Best Bet: Under 40 points (-110 at BetMGM Sportsbook)
Arizona Cardinals at Los Angeles Rams Prediction
Cardinals 19, Rams 17
This is a difficult game to prognosticate due to the uncertainty surrounding both quarterbacks, but I actually have a bit more faith in McCoy's experience and past body work than Wolford's. I'd look for Arizona to be able to do a bit more on offense than the Rams if both backups play, and even if it comes down to McCoy vs. Stafford, that may not be as big a disadvantage as one might initially think. A close and low-scoring Arizona victory here is my prediction
