The NFC Wild Card matchup between the Los Angeles Rams and Arizona Cardinals at SoFi Stadium features two NFC West rivals who split their regular season meetings. The Rams enter as 4-point favorites despite both teams showing inconsistent form lately.

The Cardinals stumbled into the playoffs after losing to Seattle in Week 18, missing their chance to win the division. They face an uphill battle, having lost 9 of their last 10 meetings with the Rams since 2017. The biggest question for Arizona is how Kyler Murray and head coach Kliff Kingsbury will handle their first playoff appearance.

The Rams clinched the NFC West despite a disappointing overtime loss to San Francisco, where they squandered a 17-0 lead. They'll need more consistency to advance, especially with a depleted secondary missing Jordan Fuller and potentially Taylor Rapp (concussion protocol). The late signing of Eric Weddle highlights their defensive concerns.

Key Factors:

• Cardinals must establish their running game to compensate for the loss of DeAndre Hopkins and open up passing lanes
• Rams' banged-up secondary could be vulnerable, especially with recent emergency signing of Eric Weddle
• Previous matchup history heavily favors Los Angeles (9-1 in last 10 meetings)
• Both teams enter playoffs with questionable momentum after Week 18 losses

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