The Los Angeles Rams and Arizona Cardinals will close out the 2019 season on Sunday afternoon at the Coliseum. Both teams will play it safe with their banged-up players who are battling injuries, but it should still be a competitive NFC West matchup.
Though the Rams have won five in a row against Arizona by at least 16 points, the Cardinals just beat the Seahawks and Los Angeles lost to the 49ers.
Both teams have a lot of talent and there will be a bunch of intriguing matchups all over the field. Here are four of the biggest individual matchups in Week 17.
Aaron Donald vs. Justin Pugh
Donald had 1.5 sacks, two hits on Kyler Murray and a tackle for loss in the Rams’ Week 13 win over the Cardinals. He’s had at least 1.5 sacks in three of his last four games against the Cardinals, recording 6.5 sacks in that span. He’ll try to keep up his hot streak against Arizona on Sunday with another multi-sack performance against left guard Justin Pugh.
Teams are being forced to pay more attention to Dante Fowler Jr. on the edge, so it’s harder for them to slide protection Donald’s way, but expect Pugh to still get plenty of help on Sunday. The Cardinals don’t want to let Donald beat them, especially with Chandler Jones racing him to Defensive Player of the Year.
Chandler Jones vs. Andrew Whitworth
Speaking of Jones, he’s been arguably the best edge rusher in the league this season despite being once again overlooked on the national landscape. He leads the NFL with 19 sacks and needs four more to break Michael Strahan’s single-season record of 22.5 sacks. Whitworth has a quad injury and was listed as a non-participant on Wednesday’s estimated injury report, so it remains to be seen if he’ll suit up against Arizona.
The Rams will need him to be at his best if he does play, given the way Jones has been dominating of late. He just had four sacks against the Seahawks and is motivated to set the single-season sacks record. The Rams held him to only a half-sack in Week 13, and they’ll need a similar performance on Sunday.
Tyler Higbee vs. Jalen Thompson
Higbee has been on a tear lately, catching at least seven passes for 100 yards in each of his last four games. He’s been targeted 44 times since Week 13, which is 10 more targets than he got from Week 1-12. Jared Goff has been looking his way often, and that should continue again this weekend.
Thompson is a rookie, but he’s often tasked with matching up one-on-one with opposing tight ends. This is a battle Higbee should win, especially with the way Sean McVay is scheming him open on rollouts and crossing routes. Week 13 against the Cardinals was Higbee’s first game with 100 yards, starting this hot streak.
Robert Woods vs. Patrick Peterson
Peterson probably won’t shadow Woods wherever he lines up, but Woods typically plays on the right side of the offensive formation, which is the side of the field Peterson defends. Peterson will be in man coverage at times against Woods, which is a good matchup between an elite corner and a very good receiver.
Woods has been Goff’s favorite target recently and he’ll definitely have at least nine or 10 passes come his way on Sunday. Against the Cardinals in Week 13, Woods erupted for 13 catches on 18 targets for 172 yards. Perhaps Arizona will put Peterson on Woods all game long in an attempt to limit his production.
