Will the Cardinals Pose a Threat to the Rams?

The Los Angeles Rams are looking to win the NFC West in back-to-back seasons next year, and one of the biggest question marks for them is how much better/worse the rest of their divisional rivals will be next year.

The Seattle Seahawks offense may have more explosive plays with Sam Darnold at the helm, but they are a team that projects to get worse with the departure of key personnel in the off-season. Even if they improve record-wise, the Rams know how to handle a team led by Darnold.

On the other hand, the San Francisco 49ers are a team that projects to be even better next season, simply based on improved health. Injuries were the reason that they only won six games, and they still have plenty of talent across the board.

That leaves the Arizona Cardinals, who certainly addressed their defensive struggles in the draft, but are also a team that can regress after what was already a disappointing 2025 season. The Los Angeles Rams will be facing them for the first time in the 2025 season on their home turf, and I want to talk about some key things to look out for.

This NFC West matchup will take place in week 14 and may have playoff implications for the Cardinals, and if everything goes according to plan, certainly for the Rams. The biggest question for the Cardinals in 2025 is what type of jump Marvin Harrison Jr. will make as a player.

He was touted as one of the best wide receiver prospects ever before entering the NFL, only for him not even to be a finalist for Offensive Rookie of the Year. He's put on some notable muscle in the off-season, and if he's able to become the Cardinals' number one option in the passing game, he could expose the Rams' weak secondary.

Another thing to note about the Cardinals' offense is how well they'll be able to keep Kyler Murray in check on the ground, as stopping the run was something they struggled with on defense. They added players on the defensive side of the ball to help with that, but Murray is going to give them a real test to see how much better they are than last year.