The St. Louis Rams authored one of Week 9's most enthralling upsets. On Sunday, Jeff Fisher's team will look to pull out another against the Arizona Cardinals, owners of the best record in football.
The Rams' 2014 season seemed over before it began. Starting quarterback and former No. 1 overall pick Sam Bradford tore his ACL during the preseason, leaving Shaun Hill and Austin Davis in his stead. Unsurprisingly, the Rams dropped four of their first five games, leaving many to wonder whether this would be Jeff Fisher's swansong. However, the team has rebounded since, looking stronger defensively behind the sudden surge of first-round pick Aaron Donald.
Arizona, meanwhile, has played well all year. Despite a cavalcade of injuries on defense, the Cardinals feature one of the NFL's best units thanks in large part to defensive coordinator Todd Bowles. The offense has taken off the last few weeks with Carson Palmer settling back into the starting lineup.
In his eight games of action, Austin Davis has played efficiently, completing 64.2 percent of his passes for 1,785 yards and 11 touchdowns. However, he has been careless with the football, tossing seven picks. Though Zac Stacy leads the team in rushing yards, he seems to have ceded the lead tailback spot to rookie Tre Mason. Over the past three weeks, Stacy has 13 carries while Mason has 44. With Brian Quick lost for the season, tight end Jared Cook becomes the top target in the passing game. He has 343 yards on 29 receptions.
The Cardinals' offense is beginning to hit its stride. Running back Andre Ellington has amassed 872 all-purpose yards through the team's first eight games along with five touchdowns. Larry Fitzgerald has quietly reemerged as the team's top threat in the passing game. He leads Arizona in receiving yards and plays of 20 or more yards with 513 and nine respectively.
The Rams enter Sunday's game with a record of 3-6. The Cardinals come in at 7-1.
How to watch
Where: University of Phoenix Stadium, Glendale
When: 4:25 p.m. ET
TV: FOX
Announcers: Chris Myers, Ronde Barber, Jennifer Hale
Radio: Rams Radio Network, Cardinals Radio Network
Online streaming: Verizon NFL Mobile
Odds
The Cardinals are 7.5-point favorites according to OddsShark.
Further reading
For more on the Rams, check out Turf Show Times. For additional coverage of the Cardinals, head on over to Revenge of the Birds.