It was bad enough that OT Rob Havenstein (injury) and RB Darrell Henderson (COVID-19) were deleted from this mega-matchup. Now, CB Jalen Ramsey (COVID-19) has joined them, leaving L.A. seriously short-handed. Ramsey’s absence will be felt against the league's No. 3 offense that features WR DeAndre Hopkins. The Rams have underachieved lately, and it was widely assumed their star-filled roster would coalesce against the Cardinals. Too many absentees threaten that notion and tilt the edge to Arizona.

The Cardinals were already going to be my pick for Monday Night Football, but learning Jalen Ramsey and Tyler Higbee will be out makes it important to get in now before this line balloons to a field goal or more. The Rams have done most of their damage against sub-.500 teams this season, and while Los Angeles is extremely talented, we saw it struggle already once this season against Arizona. I had the Cards as a 5-point favorite before the personnel adjustments, giving plenty of value at these odds. Look for Kyler Murray to attempt to take the top off a depleted secondary early. The Rams may struggle to match scoring plays as they have not been the same since Robert Woods got injured.

While this game is still part of Week 14, I am very ready to start a new football week as every break went against me on Sunday. It was a total disaster. Ah well, guess buying that Succession yacht will have to wait another week. The Rams are dealing with a bit of a COVID issue as running back Darrell Henderson, right tackle Rob Havenstein and cornerback Donte Deayon have all landed in protocols. Obviously not ideal for such a big game. Arizona, meanwhile, might get back running back Chase Edmonds from injury and he's a good pass-catcher out of the backfield. Really, this come down to not trusting Matthew Stafford in a big game.

These are two of the top five passing offenses in the NFL, but the Rams have really been struggling and face an Arizona defense allowing just 18.7 points per game. The Los Angeles defense led by Aaron Donald will harass Kyler Murray all night, and he threw for just 123 yards in his return from an ankle injury last week. The Under has hit in the past eight Monday night games featuring the Cardinals. The model is projecting 48 total points, with the Under hitting in 61 percent of its simulations.

The slumping Rams took care of business last week, ending a three-game losing streak by beating up on the Jaguars. But how much can we read into a win against an awful team? The Cardinals went into the elements at Soldier Field and put together a convincing win, but most importantly, Kyler Murray looked healthy despite only attempting 15 passes. Murray had a big day in the first Cardinals-Rams game this year while Arizona ran the ball all over the Rams defense. Right now, I think there's no question the Cardinals are the better team, and I love being able to lay less than a field goal with them.

Early movement is suggesting that the Rams deserve to be rated higher. The Cardinals beat them 37-20 in Los Angeles on Oct. 3. But the Rams have lost three of their last four, with quarterback Matthew Stafford playing a critical role in the failure. Losing WR Robert Woods was a big deal. I think the spread should be closer to Cardinals -4. Take the Cardinals to win.