Top 5 matchups to watch in Week 17

In Week 2, the Rams started Tre’Davious White at cornerback and his performance against the Cardinals is one of the reasons he was benched. With Darious Williams available this time and Ahkello Witherspoon in the mix, the Rams are much better equipped to cover Harrison from the outside.

Witherspoon had an excellent performance against the 49ers two weeks ago and made some key plays against the Jets, which appears to have earned him a starting spot ahead of Cobie Durant. His size and length will give him an advantage over Harrison.

McBride was quiet in the Cardinals’ loss to Carolina last week, but he caught 30 passes in the last four games combined and has been a key part of the offense all year. Lake had a rough day against the Cardinals in Week 2, earning a 39.3 coverage grade from PFF, and McBride will pose some problems for him again on Saturday night.

The Rams desperately need Lake to shut down McBride, which will limit the offense’s overall output. Arizona is 1-2 when having three or fewer catches in a game.

Beachum fills in for Paris Johnson Jr., who is playing on injured reserve. He only allowed one pressure in Week 16 and played well against Carolina. Verse had just three pressures and missed four tackles in the Rams’ Week 2 loss to the Cardinals, which left him struggling a bit against Arizona’s entire offensive line.

What’s perhaps even more important than creating pressure is containing Kyler Murray, something Verse didn’t do particularly well in their first meeting.

Thomas is the Cardinals’ primary outside cornerback, so he will often be in coverage against Nacua, who did not play in their first meeting in Week 2. Nacua has been a nightmare for opposing cornerbacks to defend, especially because he is so often in motion at the snap. This gives him free clearance at the line and allows him to create separation quickly.

Thomas has allowed just 26 catches on 45 targets for 335 yards and two touchdowns this season.

Almost every talented Rams player will have to deal with Baker at some point in the game because he is seemingly everywhere on the field, but Williams will most often go head-to-head. Baker stays at the line of scrimmage and is often in the process of making a tackle against the run, so Williams will have to make him miss all night.

He is by far the Cardinals’ best defender and can have a big impact on the game.