The St. Louis Rams pulled off an upset last week in San Francisco. It will take an even greater effort to overtake the division-leading Arizona Cardinals.
Rams vs. Cardinals 2014: Online streaming, time, TV schedule and radio
St. Louis takes on the team with the best record in football.


As they were in 2013, St. Louis has been hit hard by injuries. Starting quarterback Sam Bradford tore his ACL before the regular season even began. On defense, star defensive end and ironman Chris Long is likely out for the season while recovering from a severe ankle injury. Yet the team has managed to remain competitive. After trotting out journeyman Shaun Hill at quarterback in Week 1, the Rams settled on Austin Davis, who has performed very well at times. Though he may not prove to be more than a high-quality backup in the long term, Davis has given this team a boost and kept its season alive.
As bad as the Rams' injuries have been, no team has lost more players than the Cardinals. During the offseason, starting inside linebacker Daryl Washington was suspended for a violation of the league's substance abuse policy. Fellow starting inside linebacker Karlos Dansby was lost in free agency. Once camp began, defensive lineman Darnell Dockett suffered a season-ending ACL tear. Once the season began, edge rusher John Abraham was forced to miss time and eventually go on IR with a concussion. Quarterback Carson Palmer missed four weeks with nerve damage in his throwing shoulder. Yet despite the losses, Arizona has produced one of the league's best defenses and played well enough offensively to win games.
In his seven starts, Davis has played efficiently. He has completed 64.2 percent of his passes for 1,785 yards and 11 touchdowns. He does need to cut down on turnovers, however, as he has already thrown seven interceptions and fumbled three times. Of late, Tre Mason has stepped into the lead back role, rushing for 44 carries over the last three weeks. Tight end Jared Cook leads the team's healthy players in receiving yards with 343.
With so many injured defensive stars missing time, Arizona has turned to several youngsters and unheralded veterans. Alex Okafor, Dan Williams, Frostee Rucker, and Larry Foote have combined for 73 tackles and five sacks. On offense, tailback Andre Ellington has gained 872 all-purpose yards while future Hall of Fame receiver Larry Fitzgerald has caught 35 passes for 513 yards. He also leads the team in plays of 20 or more yards with nine.
The Rams enter Sunday’s game with a record of 3-5. 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
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.











