Home will feel like home again for Rams when Cardinals visit SoFi Stadium
It’s a short week of preparation for the Rams.
But coach Sean McVay, quarterback Matthew Stafford and the rest of the offense can take comfort knowing at least one thing can be eliminated as they get ready for Saturday’s game against the Arizona Cardinals at SoFi Stadium: practicing with a silent count.
Unlike fans of the San Francisco 49ers, Green Bay Packers, Las Vegas Raiders, Minnesota Vikings, Philadelphia Eagles and Buffalo Bills, Cardinals followers will not fill more than half of SoFi Stadium. Or even a discernible fraction.
That means the Rams, riding a four-game winning streak, have the opportunity to play with a huge home-field advantage as they attempt to clinch the NFC West.
If the Seahawks lose to the Bears on Thursday, the Rams could clinch the NFC West with a victory over the Cardinals on Saturday.
If the Chicago Bears defeat the Seattle Seahawks on Thursday night at Soldier Field, the Rams could virtually win the division with a victory over the Cardinals. If the Seahawks beat the Bears, the division title will come down to the Week 18 finale between the Rams and Seahawks at SoFi Stadium.
“The fans will be excited,” McVay said of Saturday’s game. “I think our players have given them a lot of good things to be able to cheer about over the last month. ... I expect a really good atmosphere with a lot of potential things at stake. This is one of those deals that I think it’ll be a great crowd and a great Rams home-field atmosphere.”
Receiver Cooper Kupp anticipates the same.
“It’ll be good to be back home,” he said after last Sunday’s victory over the New York Jets in New Jersey. “I’m excited to see what we can do on a Saturday night. Get those fans out there and make that place poppin’.”
Stafford said a 2023 Thursday night game against the New Orleans Saints, this season’s Thursday night game against the Vikings, and the 2021 NFC championship game against the 49ers stood out as times when the home crowd was particularly loud.
The Rams are 4-2 at home against teams with large traveling or Southern California-transplanted fan bases. They defeated the 49ers, Raiders, Vikings and Bills and lost to the Packers and Eagles.
Much to the delight of Eagles fans, running back Saquon Barkley rushed for 255 yards and two long touchdowns in a 37-20 rout of the Rams. But since then, the Rams beat the Saints on the road, outlasted the Bills and then won road games against the 49ers and Jets.
Now they will be home against the Cardinals and Seahawks.
Rams offensive line does not allow a sack for the third game in a row, and opened holes for Kyren Williams, who ran for 122 yards in a win over the Jets.
Early in the season, especially after dominating the Rams, the Cardinals appeared as if they would be a contender. They were 1-3 after four games, but the losses came against the Bills and Lions, who have secured playoff spots, and the Washington Commanders, who are vying for one. They won five of their next six, including four in a row, before losing four of their next five.
Last Sunday, the Carolina Panthers defeated the Cardinals 36-30, eliminating them from the playoff hunt.
Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray has passed for 16 touchdowns with nine interceptions. He also has rushed for five touchdowns. Running back James Conner, who always seems to play well against the Rams, rushed for 117 yards and a touchdown against the Panthers before suffering a knee injury.
The Rams are looking forward to playing before a large home crowd that can force the Cardinals to go to a silent count.
“That’s a huge advantage for the defense,” defensive coordinator Chris Shula said. “The guy and the coaches definitely feel that energy.”
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