Cardinals vs. Rams: Saturday Night Football Picks, Predictions

We’ve got an NFC West showdown to round out a rare slate of NFL Saturday games, between the Cardinals and Rams at 8 p.m. ET on NFL Network. We’ve got NFL Saturday Night Football picks and player predictions for NFL DFS and PrizePicks to make your Lineup building easier.

A rematch of their Week 2 skirmish, the two team’s trajectories have since headed in opposite directions than you would think given the results of the first matchup. In Week 2, the Cardinals smacked the Rams in a blowout, 41-10, with the Cardinals having one of their best offensive performances of the year. 

Now, 15 weeks later, the Cardinals playoff hopes are gone, and the Rams could give themselves a better shot at the NFC West title with a win on Saturday night.

Below, we’ll highlight some of the best NFL DFS picks for Saturday Night Football on PrizePicks and a touchdown scorer pick for the game on PrizePicks. This game rounds out a three-game NFL Saturday slate — find picks for all three games in the Saturday NFL DFS Cheat Sheet.

Don’t forget to head to the PrizePicks NFL board, lock in your picks, and build your Lineup to get in on the real money NFL Saturday action before this game locks at 8 p.m ET.

‍

Cardinals vs. Rams on Saturday Night Football: How to Watch

Date: Saturday, December 28, 2024

Time: 8 p.m. ET kickoff

Location: SoFi Stadium, Inglewood, CA.

TV: NFL Network

Saturday Night Football Picks: Cardinals vs. Rams 

Here are three of the top Cardinals vs. Rams picks for NFL Saturday Night Football on PrizePicks, plus a game prediction.

• Rams RB Kyren Williams 17 Fantasy Score  — More
• Cardinals K Chad Ryland 1.5 FG Made — More (Demon)
• TD Scorer Prediction: Cardinals TE Trey McBride
• Score Prediction: Rams 24, Cardinals 20

Rams RB Kyren Williams 17 Fantasy Score — More

Rams RB Kyren Williams is absolutely taking over. In the last three weeks, Williams has 81 attempts, 317 rushing yards, 165 yards after contact, and 12 broken tackles.

Among all RBs weeks 14-16, that’s good for:

• 1st in attempts, with the next man at 68
• T-3rd in rushing yards
• 2nd in yards after contact
• 1st in broken tackles, with the next at 7

Despite his last three weeks being one for the history books, across the entire season, Williams has been outstanding. He ranks 2nd in attempts, 3rd in rushing yards, and 3rd in broken tackles. 

So why the More on his Fantasy Score? Because his red-zone stats are actually more impressive. Through the season Williams has a league-leading 67 red-zone attempts, good for a league-leading 13 rushing touchdowns. Since 2023 he has converted 63.3% of his goal line carries, surpassed only by QB Jalen Hurts at 70.6%. 

The Cardinals have been far more poor against the run than the pass this season. They currently rank T-19th in rushing touchdowns allowed per game, and 22nd in rushing yards allowed per game. They also allow the seventh most fantasy points to opposing running backs. 

The Cardinals of late have been prone to allowing monster days out of running backs. Last week, Panthers RB Chuba Hubbard gashed their defense for 32.5 fantasy points. Three weeks ago, Seahawks RB Zach Charbonet went off for 38.3 fantasy points. 

I see Kyren Williams and the Rams asserting their dominance on the ground, and Williams adding his name to the list of RBs to feast against the Cardinals this month. 

Cardinals K Chad Ryland 1.5 FG Made — More (Demon)

If someone cashes their projection 8 out of 11 games they’ve played in, that player is most likely worth a look. Enter Cardinals kicker Chad Ryland, who since his start in Week 5, has hit for two or more field goals in all but three outings. Now, against the Rams, we get him as a Demon projection.

In Ryland’s 11 games, he’s posted 25 makes on 29 attempts. In only one game has a missed FG caused him to not hit this projection, so even with a potential miss on the cards — Arizona isn't deterred in letting him keep kicking. 

Even better, in four of his eight times going more on this projection, he has made three or more FGs. So not only is he beating this projection, he’s clearing it with ease. 

As for match ups, the Rams allow the 12th most FG attempts per game at 2.1, and at home it’s even sweeter, with the Rams allowing 2.3 FGA per game. The Rams also allow the ninth-most successful field goals a game at 1.87. 

In what I see as a potentially close game, I’d have to think the Cardinals — who kick more field goals than 24 other team — continue to kick at a high volume. 

Note: Demon picks add a payout boost to your lineup on PrizePicks, as they are more difficult projections to hit. 

💰 Use Promo Code "Playbook": Get $50 instantly with your first $5 NFL Lineup

‍

TD Scorer Prediction: Cardinals TE Trey McBride (Demon)

Cardinals TE Trey McBride is well on his way towards a monster 100-reception, 1,000-yard season. He just needs 8 catches and 42 yards across two games to reach such a feat. Shockingly, he has zero receiving touchdowns to show for it. 

Even QB Kyler Murray is aware, putting on Instagram “85 will touch the endzone soon, I promise.” It still didn’t happen last week. Now the Cardinals officially have nothing else to play for, so you’d think Murray would finally live up to his promise and find his reliable TE in the end zone.

Outside of the politics of a QB telling his teammate he would get him in the end zone, many of the other variables are favorable for McBride to finally cash one in. 

For starters, workhorse RB James Connor — who has scored 9 TDs this season — is banged up and questionable rolling into Saturday. If he’s out, McBride instantly becomes the offense's favorite choice for elite usage. He may also get more usage if Conner is not 100%.

Of every tight end in the league, McBride has the highest percent of team targets at 26.9%. This is also good for top ten among all pass catchers in the NFL. 

McBride also has 17 red-zone targets, every single TE outside of him that has amassed 14 or more targets has scored at least twice. Murray feeds him the ball, it feels inevitable he finally comes down with one in the endzone. 

The Rams allow the eighth most receiving yards to tight ends and play zone coverage at one of the highest clips in the league — where McBride does his best work. With all things considered, this game has all the makings of a McBride masterclass with that TD grab being the long deserved cherry on top. 

Note: Demon picks add a payout boost to your lineup on PrizePicks, as they are more difficult projections to hit. 

Saturday Night Football Prediction: Rams 24, Cardinals 20

The Rams will be hungry to secure the win in front of their home crowd, with a chance to virtually lock up the NFC West title before Week 18 if they do, depending on strength of victory. The Cardinals on the other hand will hope to play spoiler, looking for a repeat of their matchup earlier in the season.

The Cardinals are fresh off a loss to the abysmal Panthers, so could be motivated to save some face here with a bounce-back win. The Rams on the other hand are rolling, having won four in a row including a high-scoring win against the current Super Bowl favorites, the Buffalo Bills. 

I see the Cardinals playing them close, just as they did in their one-point loss to the Vikings earlier this month, but I don’t think they'll have enough in the tank to match the Rams offense. I see the Rams gritting and grinding out a win to virtually secure their playoff bid, but not doing it by nearly as many points as most would tell you.

‍

Build Your NFL Saturday Lineup on PrizePicks

Whether you’re going big with a Demon pick or staying safe with the Goblins, there’s no better way to add to the excitement of Saturday Night Football and Rams vs. Cardinals than building your ideal PrizePicks Lineup. 

This game will wrap up a three-game Saturday NFL slate; with NFL action all day long, you can cash on your NFL knowledge all day long.

It’s the easiest way to get real money action on Saturday Night Football. Just pick more or less on two or more player projections, set your lineup, and lock in for Saturday Night Football on NFL Network. Keep coming back to the Playbook for more NFL DFS picks all season long.