The Los Angeles Rams under Sean McVay are 9-2 against rookie quarterbacks and that could be bad news for Carson Beck and the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday. It also could be an awesome opportunity for Beck to show up the Rams and fellow rookie Ty Simpson who will be on the sidelines.
If Beck wins, then that’d be a great start to a NFL career. If Beck loses against Myles Garrett and Aaron Donald, then perhaps that was to be expected.
We’ll have to tune in on Sunday to see Beck is another win for the Rams
against rookie signal callers, or if he earns the tough win.
How have rookie QBs fared historically vs. Sean McVay and the Rams? (ramswire)
“Historically, rookie quarterbacks have struggled against the Rams. The odds are against Beck to buck that trend; Arizona is a 9.5-point underdog in this game, making the Rams heavy favorites despite being on the road
Rookie QB stats vs. Rams since 2017
With McVay as the head coach, the Rams are 9-2 against rookie quarterbacks, according to Stathead. The only two rookies to beat the Rams were Caleb Williams in 2024 and Tua Tagovailoa in 2020. Tagovailoa only threw for 93 yards and one touchdown in that shocking win against Jared Goff and the Rams, while Williams had just 157 yards and a score in the Bears‘ 24-18 win over Los Angeles in 2024.“
Week 10 picks: Experts predict Rams won’t get upset by Cardinals again (sports.yahoo)
“The Los Angeles Rams head into Week 10 battered and bruised, but with a winning record for the first time all season. They’ll also take on an Arizona Cardinals team that upset them in Week 6. A win would help the Rams keep pace for the Wild Card as well as deliver the team’s first divisional win in 2026.
It’ll be an interesting showdown given how well the Rams defense performed in Week 9 with Aaron Donald and Myles Garrett finally on the field together, especially given they’ll take on rookie quarterback Carson Beck and a similarly-injured Cardinals offense. Arizona is also without running back Jeremiyah Love and receiver Michael Wilson. The Rams, meanwhile, won’t have Puka Nacua, Davante Adams or Jordan Whittington in this game.
NFL experts are not expecting an upset this time around. Los Angeles received all 52 picks across seven major outlets, with no analyst picking the Cardinals.“
Los Angeles Rams Announce Myles Garrett Decision Amid Significant Updates (heavy.com)
““Guys that will be DNPs: Myles Garrett. He’ll be questionable for the game. He’s feeling good. It’s more of just getting him feeling as good as possible. He’s had a really good week, played a bunch of snaps, and expect him to be able to build on that. But we’re being smart with him,” McVay told reporters on November 13. “Steve Avila will be listed as out with his hamstring. Trent McDuffie and Kam Curl will both be limited for practice today and listed as questionable. And then, Terrance Ferguson will be out for the game as well.”
The most encouraging sign of Garrett’s status for Sunday is that he took the podium to speak with the media to close out the week.“
Rams’ Myles Garrett Among Multiple Questionable Players for Week 10 (sports.yahoo)
“Garrett has been on the injury report with a knee ailment, which limited him on both Wednesday and Thursday. Per Rams reporter Stu Jackson, the defensive end is now questionable.
In addition to Garrett, cornerback Trent McDuffie and safety Kam Curl are also questionable.
McVay did state that he expects Garrett to play and “feels good” about Curl, which may likely lead to both suiting up for the Cardinals matchup. However, McDuffie is more of a worry, and his response over the weekend to working out will determine if he can play.“
Rams’ Myles Garrett expected to play at Arizona despite missing practice (mymotherlode)
“Garrett was largely pleased with his performance, in which he played 61.5% of the defensive snaps, apart from needing to build up his endurance and address what he felt was a slow get-off time.
“I’m sure Next Gen or PFF or somebody would tell me it wasn’t too bad,” Garrett said. “It felt terrible to me.”
McDuffie is dealing with a back injury that forced him to miss the Rams’ third straight win last week, getting them over .500 for the first time this season at 5-4. McVay expressed optimism he would be able to play, provided McDuffie felt good coming out of Friday’s workout.
“He was rolling, you know, doing a lot of good stuff yesterday,” McVay said.
The ongoing issues with the Rams’ two marquee offseason acquisitions is indicative of their larger injury crisis that has threatened a campaign that began with them as Super Bowl betting favorites. Los Angeles is so beat up that star wide receiver Puka Nacua was placed on injured reserve Thursday to free up a roster spot, a reversal from what McVay had indicated earlier in the week when he cited the limited number of IR slots remaining to be able to bring players back later in the season.
“Some things changed where we needed that spot because of all the moving pieces,” said McVay, while adding that nothing has changed with the timeline for Nacua’s return from knee and toe injuries.“
Rams’ $71 million injury nightmare among NFL’s worst (sports.yah00)
“The Rams have watched a parade of Pro Bowlers, All-Pros and established starters limp into the training room this season, including Myles Garrett, Trent McDuffie, Jaylen Watson, Davante Adams and Puka Nacua.
Garrett, thetwo-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year, finally returned in Week 9 after undergoing knee surgery. Meanwhile, Watson is lost for the season, Adams remains sidelined with a hamstring injury, and Nacua is dealing with knee ligament sprains and turf toe.
It’s enough to make the Rams’ medical staff consider asking for overtime pay.
Believe it or not, the Rams aren’t even the most injured team in California, at least according to RotoWire’s formula.“
FAA flight debacle could disrupt Rams, Chargers, 49ers; NFL responds (nypost)
“The Rams have spent all weekpreparing for the Cardinals. Now, an unprecedented travel nightmare could force them to prepare for a road trip of an entirely different kind.
A nationwide ground stop issued by the Federal Aviation Administration on Friday afternoon has thrown weekend travel plans into chaos, potentially affecting several NFL teams scheduled to fly to their respective games Saturday.
U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy announced the shutdown about 1:15 p.m. PT, citing a communications issue affecting air traffic control centers across the country.“
Rams injury report: Myles Garrett, Trent McDuffie questionable vs. Cardinals (ramswire)
“Heading into Sunday’s game, the Rams will have three players listed as questionable: Myles Garrett, Trent McDuffie and Kam Curl. Garrett isn’t practicing on Friday, as Sean McVay said the Rams are just “being smart” with him. McVay expects Garrett to play, saying that he’s “feeling good” and building on a strong performance last week.
McDuffie and Curl will be limited in practice, and the Rams will see how they feel before determining their statuses for Sunday’s game. McDuffie has missed three of the last four games but McVay said earlier in the week that he’s “optimistic” about a return on Sunday. Curl didn’t practice at all last week due to a foot injury and still managed to play against the Commanders.“
A Duel in the Desert: Los Angeles Rams vs Arizona Cardinals Preview (lastwordonsports)
““One of the calling cards for our group, and is always an expectation, is we play with passion and energy, and I think we would all agree that (the first game against the Cardinals) wasn’t quite up to our standards,” McVay said.
Los Angeles will likely rely on running 13 personnel while several of their best receivers are sidelined with injuries. Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford must spread the targets in order to keep Arizona’s defense off guard.
“It’s not difficult to pull the trigger, I trust those guys,” Stafford said.“
Sean McVay reveals real reason why Rams suddenly changed minds on Puka Nacua’s injury status (sports.yahoo)
“”I’m sure you guys are wondering what changed with Puka. We needed the roster spot,” McVay said. “We didn’t need it initially.”
McVay insisted the decision wasn’t prompted by a setback in Nacua’s recovery. The Rams never realistically expected their superstar receiver to return before the minimum four-game absence required by injured reserve.
“Some things changed where we needed that spot because of all the moving pieces,” McVay said. “That was what we did to be able to get Brennan Presley up.”
Nacua, meanwhile, has begun rehabilitation and remains in good spirits, according to McVay.“
