Nobody outside the desert is giving the Arizona Cardinals much of a chance Sunday. They’re double-digit underdogs, their top rookie is out and they just traded Marvin Harrison Jr. to Houston. Still, Trey McBride and a few teammates give Arizona a path, and Mike LaFleur’s offense will need every one of them at SoFi Stadium.
Running back Jeremiyah Love has been ruled out with an ankle injury, which only raises the stakes for the players below. Here are the six who will swing it.
Make players for the Cardinals
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Trey McBride, tight end
McBride leads the NFL with 42 catches, and he has at least seven in every game this season. No tight end has led the league in receptions since Tony Gonzalez in 2004, per the team website. Another seven-catch day would put him in range of Travis Kelce’s record of eight straight such games by a tight end.
The issue has been efficiency. He’s averaging just 7.3 yards per catch, and LaFleur expects defenses to double him with Harrison gone. McBride’s best matchup is against linebackers, where he has 19 catches for 139 yards, the most in the league, according to Rams On SI. “We can’t keep saying we’re going to get better. We have to prove it,” McBride said.
Jacoby Brissett, quarterback
Brissett has thrown a touchdown pass in all 17 of his Arizona starts, the second-longest active streak behind Jared Goff, according to The Associated Press. The Cardinals are 2-15 in those games, and that’s the number that matters.
His Week 4 loss to the Giants ended with a walk-off pick-six, one of three interceptions that day. National outlets are already asking whether the Cardinals should turn to rookie Carson Beck. A turnover-free game against a Rams defense allowing very little through the air would quiet that noise for at least a week.
Josh Sweat, outside linebacker
Arizona has generated pressure on just 30.3% of dropbacks, second-lowest in the NFL, and Sweat hasn’t been the fix. PFF credits him with eight pressures and one sack through five games, and his 56.1 pass-rush grade ranks 84th among edge defenders.
This is his best chance to change that. Rams On SI flagged Sweat against backup left tackle David Quessenberry as a key matchup, with Quessenberry making his first start since January 2024. Sweat has also been named a possible trade candidate, so a big game would help both the Cardinals and his market.
Break players for the Rams
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Davante Adams, wide receiver
Adams is the deep threat in this offense. His 15.4-yard average depth of target is well beyond Nacua’s, and he has 441 yards and four touchdown catches on 27 receptions. One more touchdown would break a tie with Larry Fitzgerald for sixth on the all-time list, which would sting a little in Arizona.
Max Melton figures to see plenty of Adams. Rallis said Melton is playing the best ball of his career. He’ll need to prove it against a veteran who caught two touchdown passes in the overtime loss to Buffalo.
Matthew Stafford, quarterback
The reigning MVP has played more pass snaps than anyone, and PFF lists his average time to throw at 2.66 seconds, fourth in the league. That quick release matters against a Cardinals rush already struggling to get home.
Stafford has also logged eight big-time throws, eighth among quarterbacks. He has thrown for 1,572 yards and nine touchdown passes, and his 9.9% pressure-to-sack rate ranks fourth, so even a good Arizona rush rarely finishes the play. That leaves Rallis choosing between sending extra rushers, which opens throwing lanes for Stafford, and sitting back in coverage, where Adams and Nacua have been winning all season.
Byron Young, outside linebacker
Young leads the Rams with 3.5 sacks, and Los Angeles has needed every one with Myles Garrett on injured reserve. The Rams rested him Friday, but he carries no injury designation.
He’ll spend much of Sunday across from rookie left tackle Jayden Williams, a seventh-round pick whom LaFleur praised after the Detroit game. If Young wins that matchup early, Brissett will be throwing on the run all afternoon.
Arizona’s last win came back in Week 1, in this same stadium. Getting McBride, Brissett and Sweat to outplay three Rams starters is a tall order, but it’s the only way this ends differently.
