NFL Predictions: Cardinals Will Defeat St. Louis Rams in Thursday Night Football Matchup

Oct 02, 2012 12:28 PM EDT

Do not look now, but the Arizona Cardinals are No. 1 in the NFC West, undefeated and look to continue winning as they travel to St. Louis to face the Rams as Week 5 of the NFL kicks off. 

The Cardinals have the worst offense of the three undefeated teams in the NFL. You would think they were 0-4 when just analyzing their statistics. Their defense might give up a lot of yardage, but they are a stingy group when it comes to giving up points.

What has kept the Cardinals undefeated this far into the season is their defense and opportune offense. The Cardinals defense has allowed an average of 15.2 points a game through the first quarter of the season.

Their offense is ranked 16 in the league scoring just 22.8 points a game. But when you do the math, that means the Cardinals are still winning by a touchdown. 

They have played tough teams also. They faced the New England Patriots and the Philadelphia Eagles, so it is not like they are pounding away at chumps the way the Houston Texans are doing so far.

The Rams come into this matchup as the clear underdog. Their offense has been lackluster as well in 2012 and their defense has done just enough to keep them close in certain games. 

Since it is a divisional matchup, this game might turn out to be a slow, defensive slugfest between both teams.

They both have weak offenses and their defenses dictate the flow of the game.

However, when you have Larry Fitzgerald on your team, you have to like your chances of winning. 

The first quarter might go scoreless, but at some point Kevin Kolb and Fitzgerald will get their groove and go on to beat the Cardinals.

PREDICTION: I give the edge to the Cardinals on Thursday. The Cardinals have only allowed four touchdowns all season long. If they stay tough, they will be able to keep this total at four after Thursday's game is over. They will defeat the Rams 17-9. 

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