The Los Angeles Rams aim to stay firmly atop the NFC West with a win over the Arizona Cardinals.
The pregame narrative: Kyren Williams is a true workhorse, and he shouldn’t have any problem torching a horrid Arizona run defence. The Cards, meanwhile, will aim to keep pace with the high-flying Rams and that likely means a productive game for Trey McBride.
Check out my Cardinals vs. Rams prop picks for Dec. 28.
Cardinals vs. Rams prop picks
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Best Bet: Williams over 106.5 rushing and receiving yards (-117)
This is a high total for most running backs, but a manageable line for Williams.
Head coach Sean McVay leans heavily on his top running back. Williams is one of only three RBs with over 300 carries this season (303). The other two? Saquon Barkley (314) and Derrick Henry (305).
Heavy workloads have been especially common lately. Williams has a whopping 81 carries across his last three games and he’s turned that into a modest 317 rushing yards.
The Rams enter this contest as favourites and should be in run-friendly scenarios throughout the game. That should set Williams up for another large workload.
A similar volume will almost surely vault Williams over this mark again in Week 17. Arizona is one of the worst run defences in the league.
- The Cardinals are tied for ceding the league’s sixth-most yards per carry (4.7).
- Arizona also surrenders the ninth-most receiving yards per game (37.9) to opposing backs, per CBS Sports.
Key stat: Williams has topped this total in three of his last four games.
Quick pick
McBride over 61.5 receiving yards (-113): McBride was rolling before his three-catch, 20-yard performance in Week 16. I expect him to get back on track in Week 17.
McBride was averaging 91.4 receiving yards per game in the five games before his dud. The tight end is averaging 68.2 receiving yards per game on the campaign and paces his team in receiving yards (958).
The versatile playmaker will aim to take advantage of a plus matchup against the Rams.
Los Angeles’ defence hasn’t been able to contain tight ends this year. The Rams are allowing the ninth-most receiving yards per game (57.2) to opposing TEs this season.
McBride was very efficient in this matchup earlier this season. He caught all six of his targets for 67 yards.
He’s topped this mark in eight of 14 games this season.
Picks made at 11:08 a.m. ET 12/26/2024.
Stevie’s an avid NFL, NHL, and tennis bettor who has no problem talking himself into the underdog. His previous stops include Yahoo! Sports Canada and Toronto Metropolitan University, where he received a degree in Sport Media.