Cardinals vs. Rams Prediction, Spread, NFL Picks Today – Sunday, October 18

The Cardinals and Rams meet in a division matchup that kicks off at 4:05 p.m. ET on FOX. The Cardinals need a win after dropping their last four games, but they'll face a motivated Rams team coming off a heartbreaking loss to the Bills last week. 

According to PrizePicks, the Rams are 12.5-point home favorites on the spread for Sunday, October 18's matchup.

Below, we’ll break down our Cardinals vs. Rams prediction, followed by player projections via PrizePicks.

Make your Cardinals vs. Rams picks on PrizePicks now! 

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Cardinals vs. Rams Prediction, Spread, Over/Under – Sunday, October 18

The Rams are a 12.5-point home favorite with a 1.09x payout to win outright, compared to the Cardinals' 6.25x payout.

Here are the full payouts for the Cardinals vs. Rams on PrizePicks, including winner payouts, the spread, and the over/under. PrizePicks data is live at the time of writing and is subject to change. 

Make your Cardinals vs. Rams prediction on the spread on PrizePicks.

All stats are via NFL Next Gen Stats, FTN Fantasy, and PFF unless otherwise noted.

The Cardinals are already one of the league’s worst defenses, ranking last in points allowed per game (32.5) and 28th in EPA allowed per play (+0.09). Now, Arizona might have to worry about its offense.

Last week’s game against the Lions was the first after the WR Marvin Harrison Jr. trade. Although Harrison Jr. wasn’t productive offensively, his presence may have helped his teammates excel. Arizona managed only a season-low 21 points against a Lions defense that allows 29.6 points per game. 

With Harrison Jr.'s departure, Cardinals WR Michael Wilson is now the primary receiver, but he wasn't a factor last week, finishing with just 30 receiving yards and a season-low 14.6% target share. 

The Rams have a great pass defense, ranking second in passing yards allowed per game (156.8), though they may be missing one of their top defensive backs, as Rams CB Trent McDuffie is questionable for this game.

This makes Cardinals TE Trey McBride’s role even more important. Last week, he caught 9 passes for 66 yards and 1 TD. He’s already one of the NFL's more productive tight ends, leading the position in receptions (42) and third in receiving yards (308). 

The passing game could suffer if the Cardinals cannot balance the offense with the run. They will be without their star rookie RB Jeremiyah Love, who leads the team in carries (67) and rushing yards (245).

To pull off an upset, Cardinals head coach Mike LaFleur has to show something the Rams have never seen from him. LaFleur served as the Rams’ offensive coordinator from 2023 to 2025, so the Rams may know what LaFleur wants to do.

The Rams’ schedule started tough, and they lost to three playoff teams from last year (49ers, Broncos, and Bills). The next five games will be against teams that missed the playoffs last year, including the Cardinals twice.

The Rams’ passing game looked great in Week 5 against the Bills, as Stafford threw for 383 yards and 3 TDs. Several Rams receivers were involved, with four players recording at least 50 receiving yards. 

However, WR Puka Nacua was the star, with an eye-popping 17 receptions for 183 yards. That was Nacua’s first game back from injury, proving that when he’s on the field, he is always Stafford’s primary target.

The passing game was exceptional last week, but the Rams couldn't gain much yardage on the ground. They finished with 77 rushing yards at 3.3 yards per carry, but they did score 2 rushing TDs. 

RB Kyren Williams had a disappointing performance, rushing for 49 yards, the second time he’s failed to reach 50 this season. Williams rushed for under 50 yards only once in the previous two seasons. This is a more favorable matchup against the Cardinals defense, which ranks 23rd in rushing yards allowed per game (126.6).

The key to the Rams avoiding an upset is likely the effectiveness of their defensive front and pass rush. Los Angeles has been excellent at getting to the quarterback, ranking third in quarterback pressure rate (42.5%). The Cardinals are 13th in quarterback pressure rate allowed (21.2%) and 20th in sacks allowed (12).

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Cardinals vs. Rams Prediction on the Spread – 10/18/26

• The Rams rank ninth in offensive EPA per play (+0.04), a significant edge over the Cardinals, who rank 28th in EPA allowed per play (+0.09).
• The Cardinals struggle to generate pressure, ranking 31st in quarterback pressure rate (30.3%). The Rams offensive line has done well to keep the pocket clean for Stafford, sitting fourth in pressure rate allowed (30.6%).
• The Rams do well on third down, with a 44.6% conversion rate (ninth). That could be a problem for the Cardinals, who allow opponents to convert on 42.1% of third downs, ranking 20th.
• According to RBSDM, although L.A. is only 14th in touchdown rate (9.3%), it still holds a significant advantage over the Cardinals, who are last in opponents’ touchdown rate (14.8%).
• According to FTN, the Cardinals defense gives up a lot of big plays, sitting 30th in explosive play rate allowed (11.8%).

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Cardinals vs. Rams Picks, Player Stats for PrizePicks: 10/18/26

Here are the top Cardinals vs. Rams picks to target on Sunday, October 18. Today’s NFL picks for PrizePicks include WR Michael Wilson and QB Matthew Stafford.

Cardinals WR Michael Wilson vs. Rams: 58.5 Receiving Yards

• The Cardinals’ passing offense may not produce enough to get Wilson the yards he needs, as the Rams allow the second-fewest passing yards per game (156.8).
• Wilson managed only 30 receiving yards against a Lions defense that allows the second-most receiving yards to wide receivers (974); now he faces the Rams, who have allowed the second-fewest (512).
• When closely covered, Wilson is 76th among wide receivers in DVOA against tight coverage (-74.9%). The Rams lead the NFL in tight coverage rate (40.9%).
• Wilson has faced man coverage on 37.7% of snaps, the ninth-highest rate among wide receivers. However, he ranks only 61st in DVOA against man coverage (-37.2%). The Rams have the ninth-highest man coverage rate in the league (36.9%).

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Rams QB Matthew Stafford vs. Cardinals: 281.5 Pass Yards

• Stafford leads the league with 1,572 passing yards and faces a Cardinals defense that allows 236.8 passing yards per game (25th).
• Arizona is 31st in EPA allowed per dropback (0.32). According to RBSDM, Stafford places sixth in EPA per dropback (+0.21) since Week 4.
• The Cardinals drop into zone coverage on most their defensive snaps (68.8%) and are 22nd in DVOA allowed (11.2%) in zone coverage. Stafford ranks eighth in DVOA against zone coverage (21.7%).
• Arizona’s inability to generate pressure could be a problem against Stafford, who leads the league in passing yards when kept clean (1,287) and is third in passing TDs (9).

Add Matthew Stafford to your PrizePicks lineup now!

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Make Cardinals vs. Rams Picks on PrizePicks

The Rams need to get back in the win column if they want to be a playoff contender. For the Cardinals, the ship is sinking fast; they’ve lost four straight and must start winning, or their season could end early.

Don’t wait until kickoff — make your Cardinals vs. Rams picks on PrizePicks to win real money if you're right. Just pick your players, predict More or Less on their stats, and cash in on your predictions when you're right.

With PrizePicks Team Picks, make your predictions on game winners, spreads, and over/unders — or combine one with players for even higher payouts.

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