Arizona Cardinals running back James Conner (6) runs against the Los Angeles Rams during the first quarter at State Farm Stadium on Sept. 15, 2024.
The Arizona Cardinals face the Los Angeles Rams in Week 17, hoping to even their record to 8-8 and beat the Rams for the second time this season.
They kick off from SoFi Stadium at 8:15 p.m. ET, a game you can see on NFL Network. The Cardinals beat the Rams 41-10 in Week 2 at home, the Rams’ worst loss of the season.
How can the Cardinals get a win in Week 17?
Run the ball successfully
In the Cardinals’ win over the Rams, they rushed for 258 yards. But in the Rams’ four-game winning streak, they have allowed only 96.0 rushing yards per game and have held their last two opponents under 100 yards.
James Conner is not 100% with a knee injury, so the Cardinals will need a big effort from him and Michael Carter to keep the offense moving.
That will open the passing game.
Get the ball to both Trey McBride and Marvin Harrison Jr.
Harrison had a monster first quarter against the Rams, catching four passes for 130 yards and two touchdowns.
His production recently has been very mediocre, so a big game would go a long way. He needs one touchdown catch to tie the Cardinals’ rookie record and match the production of Anquan Boldin and Larry Fitzgerald their rookie seasons.
McBride is coming off his lest productive game of the season. His three catches last week were tied for his season-low and his 20 yards were the lowest total this season.
Essentially, Arizona needs Conner, McBride and Harrison to be productive.
Protect the football
Kyler Murray has six interceptions in the last five games, double what he had in the first 10. Some have come from having to force a throw in a do-or-die situation, but he is at his best when he is in rhythm.
Slow Kyren Williams
Williams has been great with over 1,200 yards and has had huge games against Arizona in the past. But he was limited to 25 yards in Week 2. He has averaged 105.3 yards per game in the Rams’ win streak an has over 100 in three of those games. His production has made the pass game easy to complete passes to Puka Nacua and Cooper Kupp.
Take the ball away
The Cardinals have only 14 takeaways this season. Matthew Stafford has a career-low interception percentage of 1.6% this season.
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This article originally appeared on Cards Wire: Keys to victory for Cardinals vs. Rams