NFL Week 4 Early Attractions
Kingsbury's cocaine offense and 3-0 fraudulent season will come crashing down, and the Broncos will make Lamar bleed his own blood.
🏈 Rams -3.5 -110
🏈 Broncos +1 -110
We have the number one team in Week 4 Power Rankings—call them the LA Rams—up against the 3-0 Cardinals at SoFi Stadium. At 3-0, the Cardinals have done some good things (obviously), but I think we can all agree that these wins have been far from making us feel comfortable. It’s great watching Kyler Murray show the world how much of a freak athlete he is with his Madden-like scrambles and deep throws on 4th and long.
We sometimes forget this guy was in the MLB draft and selected 9th overall, but it makes sense with the way he plays football. According to PFF, Murray’s big-time throw percentage is ranked first this year at 9.5% in 114 drop-backs, while going 11 of 15 in 20-plus yard pass completions. Overall, he’s ranked 3rd in pass completion at 76.47%, behind Teddy Bridgewater and Dak Prescott. We can make sense of this through Murray’s ability to extend plays with his legs and find open receivers, but his receiving core is a group of fellas that deserve as much recognition. Rondale Moore ranks 3rd in yards-after-catch at 12.9, and you can count on him turning a 5 yard pass into 15 regularly.
Christian Kirk is 15 for 17 at 239 yards, 15.9 yards per reception, and 2 touchdowns on the year.
In case you forgot, the Cardinals have DeAndre Hopkins and AJ Green as well. Against the Vikings Week 2, Moore, Kirk, Hopkins, and Green collectively recorded 17 receptions for 277 yards. Murray went 29 for 36 for 400 yards and 3 touchdowns. Yet, a pick-six haunted his second half, and the Cardinals walked away victorious due to a missed Vikings’ field goal. Woof.
The following week, the Cardinals played the Jaguars as 8 point favorites. They covered, but the light on their weaknesses shined brighter. We can convince ourselves that big-time throws and fourth down conversions aren’t recipes for long-term success. We can also agree that a 68-yard field goal attempt in a tied ball-game before half is idiotic.
(The Jaguars proceeded to miss the PAT in fantastic Jaguars’ fashion).
Kliff Kingsbury can get by with his cocaine offense as long as defenses have flat footed corners and lack in pass rush, ultimately letting Kyler Murray do his thing. In the first three weeks, they played teams that ranked 23rd (Minnesota), 27th (Tennessee), and last (Jaguars) in pass rush. Week 4, the Rams and Aaron Donald rank 6th.
Since being hired by the Cardinals, Kingsbury is 3 for 12 in divisional games. Since Sean McVay’s hiring in 2017, the Rams are 8-0 against the Cardinals—7 of those games scoring more than 30 points and winning by double-digits. We can draw up this narrative with coaching alone.
Sean McVay lost in the playoffs last year with Jared Goff and since then recruited Matthew Stafford after a run-in in Cabo, as business is usually done—just a couple of fellas drinking Mai Tais on the beach talking football. Whatever it was, it was destiny—McVay needed a playmaker, and Stafford needed out of Detroit.
As a Ram, Matthew Stafford is ranked second in QBR at 129.8. On deep pass attempts 20-plus yards downfield, he is 7 for 11 with 3 touchdowns and zero interceptions. Overall, he has thrown 9 touchdowns, ranked 2nd behind Tom Brady. Last week and against Brady, Stafford threw for 343 yards, 4 touchdowns, and a win against the Bucs.
Stafford found open targets like he has all season with McVay’s offense. According to PFF, the Rams rank 2nd in percentage of passes to receivers considered wide open at 62%. The Cardinals will allow DeSean and Cooper Kupp to make big plays, just as they did against the Vikings.
Cooper Kupp is dealing early this season, making Stafford’s job easy behind a good offensive line. Kupp ranks first in yards and touchdowns at 367 yards and 5 trips to the end zone. He’s tied for first in receptions with Devante Adams at 25.
McVay has the playmakers he needs to cook his offense, and with a quick, sound defense through Aaron Donald and Jalen Ramsey, the Cardinals’ fraudulent, undefeated season will come crashing down before our eyes.
—
Visit The Gambling Report website to keep reading...