The Los Angeles Rams and Arizona Cardinals face-off in Week 10 as both teams enter this contest beat-up and missing key players. The Rams won’t have their best offensive weapon in Puka Nacua, and they are still without Davante Adams as well as Terrance Ferguson. L.A.‘s offense already was a question mark and that’s even more so going into Week 10.
The Cardinals just lost their lead wide receiver in Michael Wilson for the season. Arizona also won’t be starting Garder Minshew who was hurt in Week 9
against the Seattle Seahawks, so they will likely turn to rookie Carson Beck.
Even with all the changes over the course of the NFL season, neither the Rams or Cardinals likely expected the rosters they have available to them entering Week 10. Keep an eye out for anymore injury news as the NFL keeps on rolling, whether the players are ready or not.
Can Carson Beck convince the Cardinals not to draft a QB? He has eight games to make his case (cbssports)
“Now the third-round rookie is in line to make his NFL debut against the Rams this Sunday. And Beck will have eight games to convince the Cardinals they don’t need to use what will almost certainly be a top-10 pick on another quarterback next spring.
(I say “almost certainly” because while the Cards are currently 3-6 and everything appears to be going wrong, a year ago at this time, the Saints were 1-7, turned to Tyler Shough to finish 5-4 and ended up with the eighth pick instead of something higher. Shorter version: We’ll see.)“
Cardinals WR Michael Wilson out for the season due to ‘fracture in his neck area’ (sports.yahoo)
“Wilson played through the injury and finished the game, but will miss the remainder of the season. The wide receiver had also been playing through two broken ribs. He brought in six of his seven targets for 60 yards against the Seahawks.
Arizona was relying on Wilson to be its No. 1 wide receiver. His breakout season last year, plus a strong start this year, gave the franchise the confidence it needed to trade away Marvin Harrison Jr. earlier this season.
Without Wilson and without Harrison, Arizona’s wide receiver depth is sufficiently depleted. Barring other signings, the Cardinals’ top wideout options are currently Reggie Virgil, Simi Fehoko, Harrison Wallace III, and Devin Duvernay.“
Rams reunite with Xavier Smith (nbcsports)
“With all the injuries at wide receiver, the Rams decide to bring back a familiar face in Xavier Smith in lieu of trading for a receiver. Smith was on the 49ers’ practice squad after the Rams waived him earlier this season. He caught 18 passes for 303 yards for the Rams last year, seeing the bulk of his opportunities as kick returner. Smith figures to operate as receiving depth with special teams utility once again.
– Aditya Fuldeore”
Los Angeles Rams Have No Easy Answer to Their Receiver Emergency (athlonsports)
“Los Angeles Rams wide receiver Puka Nacua is expected to miss significant time after suffering MCL and PCL sprains and turf toe on the final offensive play in the 20-13 win over the Washington Commanders in Week 9. Sean McVay said the team will likely place Nacua on injured reserve, a move that would keep the offense without its leading receiver for at least four games and intensify an already difficult challenge for quarterback Matthew Stafford.
Locked On Rams co-host Gavin Carlson argued the injury reflected an avoidable pattern, pointing to the number of screens and other underneath play calls that exposed Nacua to repeated contact. Carlson focused especially on McVay’s third-and-11 end-around call, which came after Nacua had briefly left the game and returned.“
Rams WR depth chart: Who’s left with Puka Nacua and Davante Adams out? (ramswire)
“The Los Angeles Rams came into the season with one of the best wide receiver duos in the NFL in Puka Nacua and Davante Adams. Unfortunately, they haven’t been on the field together very much this year. Nacua missed two games in Weeks 2 and 3, while Adams has been on IR since injuring his hamstring in Week 6.
Now, Nacua is expected to join him on IR after injuring his knee in Sunday’s win over the Commanders. Nacua will likely miss at least a month, with an IR stint forcing him to miss the next four games and return in Week 15 at the earliest.
To make matters even worse, Jordan Whittington is a candidate for IR due to his lingering back injury.“
The NFL’s 6 biggest disappointments so far (sbnation)
“Sitting at 5-4 the Rams are a middling football team. Nothing more, nothing less. What makes this so mind-boggling is how confident we all were that Sean McVay’s team would be a dominant force in football. Sure, we can point to Myles Garrett being hurt for the bulk of the first half of the season, but that doesn’t explain how we reach Week 9 and Los Angeles can only beat the hapless Commanders by one-score.
Everything got off on the wrong foot with McVay having a horrific miscalculation on how to approach the season opener in Australia against the 49ers. Now it’s as if the Rams have never really shaken that rust off. Matthew Stafford has taken a significant step back after an MVP-winning 2026 season. He has thrown nine interceptions already, on pace for 17 — which would be his highest total since the 2021 season. While slated to throw for 30 touchdowns this year, which would be 16 fewer than a year ago. We didn’t expect Stafford to match his 2026 totals, but there’s been a pronounced drop-off which has damaged the Rams’ offense.“
Stephen A. Smith says Sean McVay has done something ‘inexcusable’ with the LA Rams (hitc.com)
“Speaking via NFL on ESPN, he said: “I have to say to Sean McVay, what has happened to you? What’s happened to you? I think he’s an elite coach. I think he’s big time. He’s a brilliant dude, next level with football, a wonderful dude to talk to, the whole bit. Got nothing but love for him.
“I don’t know what the h*** has happened to him this year. You go to Melbourne, Australia, and land 28 hours before kickoff. The 49ers were there for a week. For some reason, you’re the only human being alive, the only adult that I’ve ever known that didn’t take into consideration jet lag and the kind of impact that will have on you.”
Rams earn poor trade deadline grade after taking big risk at WR (sports.yahoo)
“When addressing the media on Monday, head coach Sean McVay told reporters they would be looking at “all avenues” to improve the position group.
“Putting our heads together and figuring out just the semantics of, what is the 48/53 (man roster)? What does our practice squad look like?” he said. “How does that shape the different areas of our football team, defensively, offensively and in the kicking game?”
Ultimately, it appears Snead and McVay have decided to go in a different direction.“
Rams Trade Deadline Winners and Losers: Les Snead Fails Matthew Stafford (si.com)
“This is not the Les Snead that we are accustomed to seeing. The Snead that we’ve seen operate over the past several years would have made a move for a wide receiver, even if it wasn’t for a big name. It’s hard to fathom how the offense could lose Puka Nacua for several weeks and the front office could look at the roster and come to the conclusion that it was enough. Not doing anything felt like the Rams are punting on the 2026 season.“
Rams Power Rankings: Week 10 (therams.com)
“Each week, TheRams.com will be taking an aggregate look at where the team ranks across different outlets in the sports media landscape. Here are the power rankings for the Rams heading into Week 10:
“NFL.com, Nick Shook Rank: 17
Last Week: 18
Change: +1
ESPN.com Rank: 12
Last Week: 12”
