https://nflcdns.nfl.com/liveupdate/gamecenter/58354/ARI_Gamebook.pdf


Offense


Defense


ST

Washington Football Team vs. Pittsburgh Steelers

After a long wait and plenty of questions about whether they'd be able to actually play, the Pittsburgh Steelers finally got in their Week 12 game against the Ravens on Wednesday afternoon. Five days later, they're set to play again, at home against the Washington Football Team.

Both teams were initially scheduled to play on Thanksgiving Day, but Pittsburgh's game was delayed because of a COVID-19 outbreak that left the Ravens without their starting quarterback, tight end, and two top running backs, among the more than 20 players who landed on the Reserve/COVID-19 list. Washington, meanwhile easily disposed of the Cowboys, who were missing plenty of key players — just due to injuries.

And this game was moved from Sunday to Monday because of the Week 12 schedule shuffling. Regardless of when it's played, the Steelers will have to put their undefeated record to the test once again. Washington will be the fourth losing team in five weeks Pittsburgh gets to play, but the team is in prime playoff position thanks to the quirk of playing in the NFC East. As far as their playoff odds go, the fact that they're tied with the Giants matters far more than their 4-7 record.

Can the Steelers move to 12-0, with just the Bills, Bengals, Colts, and Browns left on their schedule? Or will Washington build on its first winning streak of the season in a shocking road upset?

Washington at Pittsburgh

Kickoff: Monday, Nov. 7 at 5 p.m. ET
TV: FOX
Spread: Steelers -7

Three Things to Watch

1. How will the rest differential affect the teams?

The biggest thing that sticks out about this matchup is how drastically different the amount of time each team has had to prepare. Since 2018, the NFL has made a point to even out rest differential for teams' schedules, and Pittsburgh and Washington were both supposed to have 10 days of rest. But with the Steelers' game pushed back to Wednesday, there was no avoiding this scenario. It was just a matter of whether the rest differential would be 4-10 or 5-11 in terms of days.

There's been plenty of research showing how rest makes an impact. A 2018 Yale study showed that from 2011-15, home teams had a .568 winning percentage overall. However, when the home team was less rested, that winning percentage fell to .536. That was even more drastic in scenarios where the home team had less than a week’s worth of rest (.481 winning percentage with six days rest compared to seven for the road team).

With Pittsburgh on short rest and Washington on extra rest, the advantage should swing to the road team later in the game as players tire. Plus, Washington has more than double the time to game plan and scheme against a tough Steelers defense.

2. Can the Steelers slow down Antonio Gibson?

Washington is 29th in passing offense (218.6 ypg) and 27th in net yards per pass attempt (5.6). As exciting as second-year wide receiver Terry McLaurin is, this passing offense is nothing to brag about. The only thing keeping it going lately has been rookie running back Antonio Gibson.

Gibson is the league's 13th-leading rusher (645 yards) but is third with 11 rushing touchdowns. And he's been on absolute fire lately. In his last five games, Gibson has 402 rushing yards and eight touchdowns while adding 86 receiving yards on 13 receptions.

The Steelers could be one of Gibson's hardest tests yet, even with linebacker Bud Dupree becoming the second lost by Pittsburgh at the position (Devin Bush) due to a torn ACL. The team ranks eighth against the run (105.7 ypg), albeit just 18th on a per-carry basis (4.4 ypc). Washington had better hope its skill position players can find other ways to score, though, since the Steelers' six rushing touchdowns surrendered are the second-fewest in the league (Saints have given up five).

Gibson has had mixed results against top run defenses too; he had 49 yards on nine attempts against the Browns but 46 on 13 attempts against the Ravens, and 27 yards on 11 carries against the Rams. But all three games were early in the season, so perhaps he'll have a chance to show how he's adapted this season.

3. Can Washington contain the Steelers' aerial attack?

One of the most pleasant surprises this season has been how well Ben Roethlisberger has played. Coming back from an elbow injury is never easy, especially at 38. But the veteran is looking capable once again, even if he's not close to leading the league in passing yards per game, as he did in 2014, '15, and '18.

The Steelers keep supplying him with good, young receivers, as rookie Chase Claypool and second-year wideout Diontae Johnson look like keepers. However, he's been more focused on making shorter, safer throws than going deep. His intended air yards per attempt are down from 7.8 in 2018 to 6.9 this season, and his yards per attempt are down from 7.6 to 6.5. On the bright side, his completion rate is up from 67.0 to 67.5, and his interception rate is down from 2.4 to 1.4 percent.

Washington's pass defense numbers (194.6 ypg, second only to the Steelers) are padded a bit by the fact that plenty of opponents have been able to run out the clock in the second half, but the team still has a solid secondary. Opponents have posted a 88.5 passer rating (seventh) on 6.9 yards per attempt (ninth). Their impressive pass rush (36 sacks, second only to the Steelers, again) will be crucial in slowing down the Steelers because Washington is not built to win a shootout.

Final Analysis

Short rest vs. extra rest will make a massive impact on this game, but these teams just aren't close enough in talent for Washington to pull this one out unless Pittsburgh lays a massive egg. And that's possible — they did barely edge the Broncos 26-21 in their only other game this season on short rest. Don't expect anything fancy from the Steelers since maintaining their health may be the biggest goal of this game, but they should be able to pull out a win based on the strength of their defense.

Prediction: Steelers 27, Washington 17

Monday Night Football: Buffalo Bills vs. San Francisco 49ers

True to how unusual this NFL season has been, "Monday Night Football" for Week 13 between the Buffalo Bills and San Francisco 49ers is not only the second game scheduled for that day (Washington vs. Pittsburgh is set to kick off earlier), it also takes place in State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona. The 49ers will be calling NFC West rival Arizona's home theirs for this game and next Sunday's date with Washington because of stricter COVID-19 regulations recently enacted in Santa Clara County.

Regardless of where this game is played, it's an important one for both teams, as each continues their push for a playoff spot. Buffalo is currently better positioned, with an 8-3 record and in first place in the AFC East. San Francisco is 5-6 but just a game behind the Cardinals for the last wild-card spot in the NFC.

The Bills are feeling good after a 27-17 win over the Chargers last week at home. It wasn't Josh Allen's best statistical day with just 157 passing yards, but the run game stepped up and the defense got the stops when it needed to against Justin Herbert. Gabriel Davis filled in nicely for an injured John Brown with 79 receiving yards, including a touchdown that he caught from fellow wideout Cole Beasley.

The 49ers also enter with momentum after their impressive 23-20 win in Los Angeles against the Rams thanks to a game-winning, 42-yard field goal by Robbie Gould as time expired. Nick Mullens was efficient and the offense got a boost with the return of wide receiver Deebo Samuel and running back Raheem Mostert. The defense also did its part by forcing four turnovers, including an interception returned for a touchdown by first-round pick Javon Kinlaw, and limiting Los Angeles to 308 total yards.

This will be Buffalo's first MNF appearance since the 2018 season when the Bills lost to New England 25-6 in Week 8. They are 0-3 in the coveted time slot since 2010. On the other hand, San Francisco is 11-3 on "Monday Night Football" in that same span although the 49ers lost in their most recent appearance, falling 27-24 in overtime to Seattle in Week 10 last season.

Monday Night Football: Buffalo at San Francisco

Kickoff: Monday, Dec. 7 at 8:15 p.m. ET
Where: State Farm Stadium (Glendale, Ariz.)
TV: ESPN
Spread: Bills -2.5

Three Things to Watch

1. Intangibles

Both of these squads had their bye Week 11 so they are relatively fresh. The Bills are beginning a stretch of three of their next four on the road and have a prime-time showdown on tap next week, hosting undefeated Pittsburgh for "Sunday Night Football." I don't think that makes this game a look-ahead situation, but something to watch early on. Meanwhile, San Francisco just finished a stretch of four of five on the road and now gets the Bills and then Washington at their home away from home in Arizona. We'll see how they handle being in somewhat unfamiliar surroundings for an extended period of time.

2. QB play

This will be Mullens' sixth start this season for San Francisco as Jimmy Garoppolo has been injured, and the third-year quarterback has been good enough at times and the reason they've lost in others. In seven games, he's completing 68 percent of his attempts but has more interceptions (seven) than touchdowns. Last week, he was 24-of-35 for 252 yards with no touchdowns and a pick. He also was sacked twice. Teams have had success throwing on Buffalo (243.5 ypg, 18th in the NFL), so there should be some opportunities for Mullens on Monday, especially with Deebo Samuel back after missing three games because of a hamstring injury. Last week against the Rams, Samuel made an immediate impact with 11 catches for 133 yards.

For Buffalo, Josh Allen has put up nice numbers this season (3,208 yards, 22 TDs, 8 INTs), but he's been a little less careful with the football lately. He has three interceptions in the past two games. Allen also may need to try and use his legs to make something happen against the 49ers' fourth-ranked passing defense (206.5 ypg). Allen has six rushing touchdowns but has seen his attempts decline gradually since totaling 21 carries in back-to-back wins over the Jets and Patriots in Weeks 7 and 8.

3. Neutral site. Will it matter?

Home-field advantage does not mean as much this season because most stadiums have been empty save for small crowds and/or cardboard cutouts. Still, the 49ers REALLY won't have home-field advantage because this game is taking place in Arizona. Now, San Francisco plays one game a year there so it won't be completely unfamiliar surroundings, but how much will this affect them? For Buffalo, this was a long trip either way so it may not bother them as much, although the Bills don't exactly have fond memories of State Farm Stadium.

In Week 10, Buffalo was leading Arizona 23-9 with a little more than five minutes remaining in the third quarter before the Cardinals mounted a furious rally and retook the lead entering the fourth. A 21-yard touchdown pass from Allen to Stefon Diggs gave the Bills a 30-26 lead with just 34 seconds left, until Kyler Murray connected with DeAndre Hopkins on a 43-yard "Hail Murray" to win the game.

Final Analysis

I know that the Bills are favored in this game, but I don't agree with it. I know that they have the QB edge with Josh Allen over Nick Mullens, but I'm a huge fan of Kyle Shanahan and I think we are finally starting to see more of the 49ers team that made it to the Super Bowl last season.

Prediction: 49ers 24, Bills 20

Extending Jalen Ramsey.
AD is the best D player in the league and deserves every penny he gets. Jared is the QB and has to get paid but signing Jalen Ramsey changed this defense and this team.
He not only shuts down the other teams best receivers he completely shuts them down.
I love the looks of frustration on Stefon Diggs, DK Metcalf’s, deandre Hopkins faces half way through the game when they realize they’re getting schooled.

Figured I’d be opportunistic like the sky is fallingers

Finally made top spot.

God Bless our Rams.... and the NY Giants




Login to view embedded media View: https://media.giphy.com/media/WoTOZY1XCcRmZhOmt0/giphy.gif

Loving the win - but we need to reconfigure this unit.

Last time I checked he was averaging about 5 yards a punt return - which was hardly doable but then he fumbled today.

Holding penalities about every kick... jefferson not downing the ball against the 49ners might have cost us the game.

This shit really needs to change moving forward.

a new assistant for this week.

After watching the whole game, here are my final thoughts:



LET'S FUCKING GOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


it took me some Southern Comfort, and 9 Busch Lights, but that's what I came up with.

Login to view embedded media
There was a bit of a hiccup at the end, but WE - FUCKING - WON!!!

We're winning, Giants are beating the Hags and my ham and cheese is tasting great.

Please move Bros if I over posted. I'm just going crazyvass lol.

Im thinking players that you really liked but didn't stay more than 3-4 years. Even shorter.

I really liked Tommy Polly, Pisa Tinoisamoa and even Jarametrius Butler.

My favorite short term Ram tho....Kyle Turley! I fucking loved that attitude. A guy that will kick your ass on and off the field.

Just saying. They can't get along with anyone and we lost HBO, Cinemax and now we are losing Fox. How the fuck am I to watch Football today? I dont care to watch AFC games on CBS. Pisses me off.

Sunday Night Football: Denver Broncos vs. Kansas City Chiefs

"Sunday Night Football" features game two between the Kansas City Chiefs and Denver Broncos, with the scene shifting to Kansas City. Meeting one went to Kansas City 43-16 in Denver during a snowfall. Patrick Mahomes' numbers were not gaudy in the least mostly because the Chiefs got a touchdown from their defense and their special teams. The Broncos offense was stymied for the most part and couldn't get much going.

Denver predictably fell on its face once again when it didn't have a quarterback last week in a 31-3 loss to the Saints. Former Wake Forest quarterback-turned-wideout-turned-quarterback Kendall Hinton's performance — 1-for-9 for 11 yards and two interceptions — was admirable but expected. As it turns out, it's difficult to move the ball when all of your quarterbacks are in COVID contact tracing. The Broncos defense actually didn't play poorly, but it was on the field way too long, and there's only so much you can do while totaling 112 yards of offense.

The Chiefs are finally home after two straight on the road. They got off to a fast start in Tampa going up 27-10 entering the fourth quarter before holding on as the Bucs picked up two touchdowns and lost 27-24. Kansas City racked up 543 yards of offense with Mahomes throwing for 462 of those. The Chiefs' defense was rather porous, too, allowing 417 themselves. They have some things to clean up entering this matchup.

Sunday Night Football: Denver at Kansas City

Kickoff: Sun, Dec. 6 at 8:20 p.m. ET
TV: NBC
Spread: Chiefs -14

Three Things to Watch

1. Intangibles

The Broncos have lost three of their last four, and the playoffs are all but a small glimmer in the grand scheme of things. This team begins a stretch of three of their next four games on the road, and one has to wonder what their mindset is and if they pack it in after going down early. For the Chiefs, this is a brief respite, as they have their next two games on the road at Miami and New Orleans. It's a divisional game, so focus shouldn't be an issue, although coming off two straight emotional games, they could get off to a slow start.

2. Establish the run

Clyde Edwards-Helaire opened up the year with a 138-yard rushing effort against the Texans, and everyone went wild. Since then, he's rushed for over 100 yards just once with five efforts of 50 yards or less. The acquisition of Le'Veon Bell sounded good, but he hasn't made a huge impact either. I don't think KC minds having Mahomes drop back 50 times in a game, but some sort of balance would be nice, especially at the end of games when they want to play keep-away. Denver needs to establish the run with Philip Lindsay and Melvin Gordon III so they can take pressure off Drew Lock and give their defense a rest. Royce Freeman actually led the backfield with 50 rushing yards last week, but that was with odd circumstances. Whoever can get their ground game going will win this game.

3. Un-Lock Drew earlier

Lock's stats are pretty bad, but there are some interesting trends when you dig a little deeper. Lock has thrown seven touchdown passes this season, with one of those coming in the first quarter and the other six in the fourth quarter. In the other two quarters combined, he's been shutout and has thrown three interceptions while completing 53.7 percent of his passes. Even worse for the former Missouri signal-caller, he's thrown one touchdown pass when the team is either tied or in the lead. If Denver can bottle up what he does later and was able to see it earlier, his career and this season would be better.

Final Analysis

This won't be much of a contest. As I said above, we could see a slow start, but in the end, Denver just can't keep up. Lock will throw some garbage-time touchdowns, but this will be an easy win for the Chiefs, which keep pace with the Steelers.

Prediction: Chiefs 34, Broncos 17

Sunday, December 6

LATE

Los Angeles Rams at Arizona Cardinals, 4:05 p.m. on Fox

New York Giants at Seattle Seahawks, 4:05 p.m. on Fox

Philadelphia Eagles at Green Bay Packers, 4:25 p.m. on CBS

New England Patriots at Los Angeles Chargers, 4:25 p.m. on CBS

SNF

Denver Broncos at Kansas City Chiefs, 8:20 p.m. on NBC

PLAYED EARLY

New Orleans Saints at Atlanta Falcons, 1:00 p.m. on Fox

Detroit Lions at Chicago Bears, 1:00 p.m. on Fox

Cleveland Browns at Tennessee Titans, 1:00 p.m. on CBS

Cincinnati Bengals at Miami Dolphins, 1:00 p.m. on CBS

Jacksonville Jaguars at Minnesota Vikings, 1:00 p.m. on CBS

Las Vegas Raiders at New York Jets, 1:00 p.m. on CBS

Indianapolis Colts at Houston Texans, 1:00 p.m. on CBS


Monday, December 7

The Washington Football Team at Pittsburgh Steelers, 5:00 p.m.

Buffalo Bills at San Francisco 49ers, 8:15 p.m. on ESPN/ABC


Tuesday, December 8

Dallas Cowboys at Baltimore Ravens, 8:05 p.m. on Fox/NFL Network


TV MAPS

Sunday, December 6

EARLY

New Orleans Saints at Atlanta Falcons, 1:00 p.m. on Fox

Detroit Lions at Chicago Bears, 1:00 p.m. on Fox

Cleveland Browns at Tennessee Titans, 1:00 p.m. on CBS

Cincinnati Bengals at Miami Dolphins, 1:00 p.m. on CBS

Jacksonville Jaguars at Minnesota Vikings, 1:00 p.m. on CBS

Las Vegas Raiders at New York Jets, 1:00 p.m. on CBS

Indianapolis Colts at Houston Texans, 1:00 p.m. on CBS


LATE

Los Angeles Rams at Arizona Cardinals, 4:05 p.m. on Fox

New York Giants at Seattle Seahawks, 4:05 p.m. on Fox

Philadelphia Eagles at Green Bay Packers, 4:25 p.m. on CBS

New England Patriots at Los Angeles Chargers, 4:25 p.m. on CBS

SNF

Denver Broncos at Kansas City Chiefs, 8:20 p.m. on NBC


Monday, December 7

The Washington Football Team at Pittsburgh Steelers, 5:00 p.m.

Buffalo Bills at San Francisco 49ers, 8:15 p.m. on ESPN/ABC


Tuesday, December 8

Dallas Cowboys at Baltimore Ravens, 8:05 p.m. on Fox/NFL Network


TV MAPS

Game Day Thread

The GDT is a live thread tradition here at ROD.

While we all get fired up watching the game, please remember our core principles;we always show respect for our team and each other.

Despite the emotional highs and lows watching a game, we will moderate this thread with that in mind, however please refrain from name calling. This applies to players, the Rams organization, and others.

This is the core rule of the GDT. Moderators are tasked to issue thread bans, at a minimum, to maintain this standard.

This is our team. Win or lose. Good days and bad. We are here for FUN, not to be dragged down.

A more loosely moderated atmosphere can be found in the chat room.

Go Rams!

———

ROD Chat Room;

Game Day Room

.

Starting this extra early this weekend.

My birthday was earlier this week (unfortunately had to suffer through it the day after that horrible loss to the niners). My wife found these flat top grills that go right on top of your stove. https://steelmadeusa.com/

It came Thursday. I've only cooked on it once thus far but I love it.

With the new grill top we are planning on making fish tacos. I'm sure she'll make a home made slaw to go with them.

We also got a sour dough starter from a friend and may try making a loaf of sour dough.

What do you guys have cooking for this weekends game? I assume some of you will have bird on the menu.

Former Ram’s coach, Gregg Williams, sees the “next Aaron Donald” on Jets roster

Los Angeles Rams superstar Aaron Donald is one of the top defenders in the NFL today. His two Defensive Player of the Year awards serve as a testament to this. For New York Jets coach Gregg Williams, who served as Donald’s defensive coordinator during their stint together with the St. Louis Rams some years ago, he believes that he may have already unearthed the second coming of Donald.

Williams told Peter Botte of the New York Times that he sees Quinnen Williams possibly emerging as the next Aaron Donald:

“Quinnen is way ahead of Aaron in a lot of different categories. He’s ahead of him, and I love teasing Aaron about that every once in a while when we have our chats. They’re different players, they play the same position, but they’re different athletes on how they go about doing their responsibility.”

Based on what Quinnen has done so far, his coach does not appear to be off on his assessment. Quinnen may not be on the same level as Donald right now, but there’s no denying that the 22-year-old could be well on his way.

Williams then could not help but take a quick stroll down memory lane as he heaped praise on Donald. He also clapped back at critics who called him out for selecting the former Pittsburgh standout as the 13th overall pick in 2014.

“Quinnen is a big man. But Aaron can still get after it with making you believe you’re going to be blocking air, because he’s gonna jump you, he’s gonna spin you, he’s gonna do a lot of different things that way. The other thing, too, I laugh, I smile, and I haven’t forgotten, there was a lot of criticism that came my way when we drafted this short guy, Aaron Donald, as high as we did. But he’s turned out to be a pretty good player.”

Williams clearly has some experience when it comes to untapping the potential of his players. Only time will tell if Quinnen can live up to the lofty expectations.

Is Morgan Fox the Rams most underrated 2021 free agent?

Morgan Fox played 30 snaps against the San Francisco 49ers in Week 12, the most he’s had this season. But even if it is the most, Fox’s 42% snaps is only a hair above his season average of 38% and he has consistently been a presence on the LA Rams’ defensive line since Week 1.

In fact, since Week 1 of the 2019 season.

After missing all of 2018, Fox has played in the last 27 games for the Rams and he had three tackles, one sack and one fumble recovery in LA’s loss to the 49ers on Sunday. As the Rams have turned over so many defensive positions in the last three years, only Aaron Donald, Michael Brockers, John Johnson, Samson Ebukam and Fox remain as regulars from the 2017 defense. Donald and Brockers are signed next season, but Johnson is likely to be too expensive to retain and LA drafted two safeties in 2020 to prepare for his departure.

The team may have options to retain either Ebukam or Fox, and while I’ve observed little support to bring back the former, there hasn’t even been a discussion about the latter.

Is it possible that Morgan Fox will be seen as an underrated free agent signing for some team other than the Rams?

Fox had knee surgery in 2018 but returned last season to record 18 tackles, two sacks and three tackles for a loss under Wade Phillips. He has had a career-year under Brandon Staley, recording 19 tackles, three sacks and five QB hits in 11 games. His numbers are not going to jump out at anyone reading the leaderboards and some teams may be skeptical of how he will play when not next to Donald, but Fox is only 26 and other GMs may be attracted to the fact that the former undrafted free agent has spent five seasons with the NFL’s best defensive player.

Donald has not hesitated to endorse Fox either.

The Rams re-signed Fox to a one-year deal in 2020 for under $1 million but this season could pay off for him by proving to be an adequate 3-4 defensive end. Consider players like Danny Shelton, who entered free agency last year after four underwhelming seasons before having a career-season with the New England Patriots: 61 tackles, three sacks, six QB hits and he was roughly the same age as Fox.

Shelton signed with the Detroit Lions for two years and $8 million.

It is possible that the Lions overpaid because they’re the Lions and Shelton is a former first round pick, but the Atlanta Falcons also extended defensive lineman Tyeler Davison to a three-year, $12 million contract and he has roughly the same pedigree and a similar career to Fox.

It would not surprise me to see Fox land a deal in the $4 million per year range and even if that isn’t relatively expensive (not in the top-50 for interior defensive linemen), it could be too rich for the Rams. The team has locked in Donald, Brockers and A’Shawn Robinson, while Greg Gaines continues to gain experience alongside them.

Fox deserved no less than his own post acknowledging his efforts and season.

PRE-GAME THREAD

• Tweets about the game, leading up to the game, players, writers, etc.
• Stats, tidbits
• Game specific insights, Rams and opposing team.
• Weather conditions
• Pregame stuff, quips, articles, previews, prediction stuff (some times there seems more than normal of this type of stuff)
• “Things on the web” that don’t feel they stand alone, but maybe fit here
• Excited about something with the game, maybe you want to shout it here
• Trash talking, general smack
• Unsure where to put something game related, maybe try here
• Going to the game? Tell us! (at least in the future)

ROD Sportsbook

To Be Posted

After long sleepless nights and tireless research I have figured out the secret sauce for winning out the regular season. And the beauty is the Rams only needs one new ingredient to complete the secret sauce. DONT TURN THE BALL OVER MORE THAN ONCE A GAME!!! That’s it!!! They do that and i am 99.9999999999% sure they win their 5 remaining games. We found our kicker. We have a top 3 defense. We have enough offensive weapons to compete with anyone remaining on our schedule.

McVay I hope your watching. Goff I hope you are sleeping with a ball glued to your hands instead of all over your hot girlfriend. Make it happen and you will ride high into the playoffs and carry late season momentum that we have yet to see under McVay.

Yeah.... the stench of that FUCKING 49’ers loss is gone now!



LETS GO RAMS!

first off congrats to ABSOLUTELY NOBODY . Not a single person picked the 9er's to win last week.


With that being said, I will bump up the prizes for this weeks contest instead of doing it next week. Now you have the golden opportunity to win up to 40k Rod Sportsbook Credits. Closest to the final score will win 20k or an exact guess nets a cool 40k.


Good Luck and Happy Bowling

Rivalry renewed: Get popcorn ready for Cardinals' DeAndre Hopkins vs. Rams' Jalen Ramsey

We haven’t heard or seen much of DeAndre Hopkins since the Cardinals wide receiver out-jumped three Bills defenders in the end zone and came down with that game-winning, 43-yard “Hail Murray” reception three weeks ago.

Since then, he’s been quiet. Too quiet, really.

Hopkins, in fact, is coming off his worst two-game stretch, statistically, in five years. He caught five passes for 51 yards and no touchdowns in a 28-21 loss at the Seahawks and followed that up this past Sunday with five receptions for 55 yards and no touchdowns in a 20-17 loss at the Patriots. He hasn’t experienced any type of back-to-back performances such as that since a below-average, four-game stretch in 2016.

And now as fate would have it, Hopkins is about to meet up with his arch rival, Rams cornerback Jalen Ramsey, when the two superstars square off in a showdown this Sunday at State Farm Stadium. They tangled against each other for nearly four seasons as division opponents in the AFC South when Hopkins played with the Texans and Ramsey was still with the Jaguars.

Six of the previous seven meetings were basically a wash, with Ramsey limiting Hopkins to an average of 5.8 receptions and 61.3 receiving yards with four total touchdowns and Ramsey collecting 27 tackles with one interception and 12 passes defensed. Hopkins dominated him at least once, though, snatching 12 catches for 147 yards in a 20-3 win by the Texans in the 2018 regular-season finale.

“Those two have tremendous respect for one another,” Rams coach Sean McVay said Wednesday during a conference call with Arizona reporters. “They’re two of the best in the world at what they do. That’s what you love about the NFL, is getting these five-star matchups between these two types of players on Sundays.”

Hopkins and Ramsey have each said it before, that the other is the best they’ve ever encountered on the football field. And in this particular matchup, the consequences of the outcome could be immense. The winning team will have a leg up on the other in the NFC playoff hunt. The loser could find itself just hanging on and needing help from elsewhere to get in.

The game won’t be determined strictly by whatever happens between Hopkins and Ramsey, of course, but it figures to be such terrific theater that Cardinals cornerback Patrick Peterson is completely antsy to watch how it all plays out.

“It’s going to be a great matchup. I can’t wait to watch it from the sideline,” Peterson said Thursday. “Like you alluded to, those guys had battles when they were in the AFC South and those guys seem like they can’t get away from each other. But that’s what the game is all about, when the best of the best are competing against each other, trying to make each other better, and also get the best of that guy as well.

“I’m expecting it to be an extremely challenging matchup between both guys and I definitely will have my popcorn out watching it from the sideline, for sure.”

When the Jaguars dealt Ramsey to the Rams for two first-round draft picks and a fourth-rounder to boot, the Cardinals’ hearts sank. The same thing happened to Ramsey and the Rams when the Cardinals pulled off their blockbuster trade for Hopkins in March. Then, in back-to-back days in early September, each franchise locked up their new star playmaker with record-setting contract extensions.

On Sept.8, Hopkins negotiated his own deal that, in part, pays him $29 million this year to make him the highest-paid wide receiver in NFL history. A day later, the Rams made Ramsey the highest-paid defensive back ever, signing him to a deal that pays him $26.2 million in 2020. Hopkins’ deal runs through 2024. Ramsey’s takes him through the 2025 season.

That means they could be knocking heads at least nine more times after Sunday’s game. They meet again in four weeks in the regular-season finale at SoFi Stadium. Imagine the epic battle should they ever meet in the playoffs. Every time they lock horns, though, it’s always must-see TV.

“He had a 99 overall rating on Madden, so that’s damn near un-guardable on Madden, right? It’s pretty much like that in real life, too. It’s tough,” Ramsey told reporters before the last time he faced Hopkins, back in September of 2019. “It’s one of the toughest battles I have each year, year-in, year-out.”

Typically, Ramsey doesn’t dole out very many compliments, so you know his appreciation for Hopkins is real.

“DeAndre has certainly established himself as one of the premier players in the NFL, let alone a receiver,” Rams defensive coordinator Branden Staley told reporters Wednesday, adding of the matchup with Ramsey, “Those guys have a great sense for who each other is. Much like a few weeks ago when Jalen was going head-to-head with (the Seahawks’ DK (Metcalf) and then (the Buccaneers’) Mike Evans and Antonio (Brown) and all those guys, that’s what makes the NFL special.

“Certainly, these guys have had a history together, so that kind of adds to the intrigue. But DeAndre has really fit in well with that offense. I think Kliff is doing a really good job getting him the football, and he’s a really dangerous player. He can really challenge you in the deep part of the field. He’s physical. He can run the route tree inside and out. He’s really good after the catch, he catches it short, he can break tackles.

“It’s going to be a fun matchup for fans, for sure.”

Hopkins, who ranks third in the league with 77 receptions and fourth with 967 yards, hasn’t met with reporters since he hauled in his famous touchdown grab against the Bills. He’s always spoken highly of Ramsey, though, and before they met in Houston in Week 2 last season, he raved about him.

“He’s my favorite corner to play against,” Hopkins told reporters at the time. “He’s the one corner who actually follows me wherever I go, so you’ve got to respect that. … He’s not the average corner. He’s long, physical, has the size. He’s everything you want from a football player.”

Likewise, Sunday’s matchup is everything you want in a one-on-one duel.

“This matchup is definitely evenly matched and it’s going to be fun to watch,” Peterson said. “I had the opportunity to watch them when they were going up against each other back in the day, and it’s going to be another clash of the titans.”