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Players In The Spotlight: Wild Card Playoff Week

Against Los Angeles, Murray, Wilson, Jones, Humphries, Green ones to watch

Players to watch hump thumb

The Cardinals enter the 2021 playoffs as the fifth seed in the NFC and travel to SoFi Stadium for a "Monday Night Football" matchup with the Rams.

Ahead of the third matchup between the teams this season, here are five Cardinals to watch for in this week's spotlight.

Kyler Murray

Murray enters his first playoff game against a familiar division opponent. The quarterback looks to pick up his second career victory against the Rams, the first came early this season in Week 4. Murray has a passer rating of 81.8 with 1,399 yards, seven touchdowns, and six interceptions in six career games against the Rams. One key for Murray to succeed will be his ability to evade the Rams' elite front seven.

Marco Wilson

Wilson should return Monday, which is excellent news for the Cardinals' injured secondary. If Wilson is active, he will have his chances to cover Rams wideouts Odell Beckham Jr. and Cooper Kupp. Both are tough assignments. Kupp led the NFL in several categories this season, including receptions (145), yards (1,947), touchdowns (16) and yards per game (114.5). Beckham has 305 yards on 27 receptions and five touchdowns since joining the team in November.

Chandler Jones

Jones set the tone last week against Seattle by constantly putting pressure on Russell Wilson. The linebacker must do the same against Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford to help the Cardinals advance to the divisional round. Jones has sacked Stafford three times in his career.

D.J. Humphries

The Cardinals' ability to hold off the Rams' front seven will undoubtedly factor in the game's outcome. Humphries has been the Cardinals' most consistent offensive lineman with a 67.8 Pro Football Grade this season. The team will need their left tackle at his best when facing the Rams, who have Aaron Donald and Von Miller, two elite pass-rushers that rank top five for the most sacks since 2015.

A.J. Green

For the season's most important game, the Cardinals will need more production from Green after a tough showing last week in the regular-season finale. With DeAndre Hopkins out for the season with a knee injury, Green could spend time lining up against Pro Bowl cornerback Jalen Ramsey. Green has 24 catches for 345 yards and three touchdowns in four career games against the Rams.

Images of the top Cardinals in the spotlight against the Rams: WR A.J. Green, OLB Chandler Jones, QB Kyler Murray, LT D.J. Humphries and CB Marco Wilson

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