Week 14 in the NFL concludes on Monday Night Football live on TSN with a massive NFC West showdown.

The 10-2 Arizona Cardinals host the 8-4 Los Angeles Rams as a short home favourite.

The Cardinals enter the game having won back-to-back outings, while L.A. snapped a three-game losing streak last week.

This will be the second meeting between these two teams this season. The Cardinals upset the Rams 37-20 in Los Angeles back in Week 4.

Los Angeles Rams at Arizona Cardinals

Line: Cardinals -2.5

Total: 51.5

By the Numbers

These are two of the best teams in the NFL on both sides of the ball. Arizona and L.A. rank fifth and sixth respectively per overall DVOA, while the Rams are the only NFL squad to have a top-six grade on offence and defence per DVOA.

Offensively, they both rank top four in yards and points per drive, while they’re only two of six teams to average at least 28 points per game.

Murray makes triumphant return

The Cardinals ability to maintain its position among the league’s best offences is especially impressive considering starting quarterback Kyler Murray sat out three games from Weeks 9 through 11 due to an ankle injury.

Murray returned last week versus the Bears, throwing two touchdowns, and rushing for two more in a 33-22 victory over Chicago.

Also returning last week for Arizona was DeAndre Hopkins. The Cards’ No. 1 receiver also missed the previous three games due to a hamstring injury, but looked just fine against Chicago, hauling in this impressive touchdown catch.

On the other side of the ball, Arizona has limited all but two of its 12 opponents to fewer than 25 points this season, including the high-powered Rams.

They rank fourth in scoring defence but are not generating as much pressure as they were at the beginning of the season. That’s largely due to the absence of J.J. Watt, who had the defence’s second highest pass rushing grade prior to his season-ending injury.

Can the Rams contain Murray?

As for the L.A. defence, they should have no problem generating pressure and this game will likely be decided by whether they can turn that pressure into sacks and bad decisions from Murray.

The Rams rank first in pass rush win rate this season, while the Cards offensive line ranks 22nd in adjusted sack rate allowed and have surrendered the 10th most quarterback hurries.

Of course, Murray’s elusiveness can cover up a lot of warts, as only Tom Brady has a lower turnover worthy play rate this season per Pro Football Focus.

Best bets

This game features the second highest total on the Week 14 slate. A big reason for that is the efficiency of both offences this season, as well as the pace at which they play.

L.A. ranks first in situational neutral pace, while Arizona ranks eighth. Rams games average the sixth most plays, while their contests also produce the fifth most total points.

Betting on either L.A. + 2.5 or over 51.5 are both in play, but I prefer to tease them together.

Sean McVay’s teams are 8-1 against the spread all time versus the Cardinals, while the over has hit in 11 of the 13 contests where McVay and the Rams have been underdogs.

Pick: Six-Point Tease - Rams +8.5, Over 45.5