The NFC West very well could be on the line Monday night.
The Rams travel to Arizona to take on the Cardinals at State Farm Stadium in Week 14's "Monday Night Football" tilt and even with Los Angeles missing several key players due to COVID-19 -- including cornerback Jalen Ramsey -- it's sure to be a good one.
Here are three things to look out for:
NFC West essentially could be won Monday
The 10-2 Cardinals currently hold the top spot in the division with the 8-4 Rams two games behind. If Los Angeles were to pull off the win over its division rival it then would sit just one game behind the Cardinals with four games remaining. If the Cardinals were to win, their division lead would extend to three games with only four left -- including a date with the 1-11-1 Detroit Lions -- so they pretty much would lock it up.
How will Rams respond to serious COVID-19 losses?
Los Angeles currently has five players set to miss the division clash after being placed on the NFL's Reserve/COVID-19 list. The Rams will miss cornerback Jalen Ramsey, running back Darrell Henderson Jr., tight end Tyler Higbee, offensive tackle Rob Havenstein and defensive back Dont'e Deayon on Monday night. The Rams are coming off a 37-7 win over the Jacksonville Jaguars, but with a tough schedule remaining if they aren't able things may get dicey with a loss and the COVID-19 cases certainly aren't helping.
Matthew Stafford vs. Kyler Murray
If you're looking to watch a solid quarterback battle, you should see just that Monday night. Both Stafford and Murray have been impressive this season -- although the Cardinals quarterback has missed time due to injury. This could have the makings of an old school shootout.
This should be one of the better "Monday Night Football" matchups of the season and when the regular season comes to a close, we may be able to tie some playoff implications directly to this game.
