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Cardinals vs Rams Week 6 Expert Picks, Prediction Roundup
Jan 4, 2026; Inglewood, California, USA; Los Angeles Rams tight end Colby Parkinson (84) runs after the catch for a touchdown against the Arizona Cardinals during the second half at SoFi Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The Arizona Cardinals and Los Angeles Rams are set to meet in Week 6 action at SoFi Stadium, and in the least shocking development, the home team is heavily favored to win on Sunday.

The Cardinals are massive underdogs entering Week 6, and perhaps rightfully so. Arizona's shown little to inspire upset hopes of a Rams team that's coming off a short week and a loss on Monday Night Football.

National picks are heavily slanted towards Los Angeles:

Sports Illustrated

  • Albert Breer: Rams
  • Eva Geitheim: Rams
  • Mitch Goldich: Rams
  • Mike Kadlick: Rams
  • Gilberto Manzano: Rams
  • Conor Orr: Rams
  • John Pluym: Rams
  • Matt Verderame: Rams

ESPN

Maldonado's pick: Rams 28, Cardinals 7
Moody's pick: Rams 38, Cardinals 17
Walder's pick: Rams 31, Cardinals 16
FPI prediction: LAR, 87.3% (by an average of 11.9 points)

NFL.com

It was a clean sweep of Rams picks again from Jeremy Bergman, Brooke Cersosimo, Gennaro Filice, Bobby Kownack, Dan Parr.

Cersosimo provided an explanation as to why she chose Los Angeles:

"Weird things happen in this league, but this one feels pretty straightforward. The Rams' offense is averaging 424.4 yards per game, and to be honest, it feels like they haven't come close to reaching peak performance in 2026. Sean McVay has a pick-your-poison attack that makes defenses pay on the regular, and Arizona's league-worst scoring defense will be no match for Matthew Stafford and Co.

"On the other side of the ball, Los Angeles' defense has been steady, ranking third in yards allowed and fifth on third down, and should do enough to stall an Arizona offense that'll likely have its share of chunk plays featuring Trey McBride but ultimately won't sustain most drives. The Rams' biggest issue has been their special teams, and they didn't waste time replacing kicker Harrison Mevis for Blake Grupeafter Monday night's fiasco. We'll see if one change does the trick."

The Athletic

  • Zach Berman: Rams
  • Jon Greenberg: Rams
  • Chad Graff: Rams
  • Larry Holder: Rams
  • Josh Kendall: Rams
  • Steven Louis Goldstein: Rams
  • Austin Mock: Rams
  • Nick Kosmider: Rams

Bleacher Report

  • Gary Davenport: Cardinals
  • Brad Gagnon: Rams
  • Ian Hanford: Rams
  • Kris Knox: Rams
  • Moe Moton: Rams
  • Wes O'Donnell: Rams
  • Brent Sobleski: Rams

Our Prediction

Divisional battles are always tough, so there's credence to this being a close game. However, unless Arizona's really turned a corner this week in practice, it's really hard to imagine the Rams losing this game.

Final prediction: Cardinals 17, Rams 26


This article first appeared on Arizona Cardinals on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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