The NFL announced Friday that the Bengals-Cardinals game in Week 17 will be played Sunday, Dec. 28, at 1 p.m. ET on FOX.
The game was originally scheduled as a TBD/flex game.
It is one of several schedule changes the NFL announced for the final weeks of the season.
The Bengals hold a 7-6 all-time edge on the Cardinals, and it marks the first time the Cardinals will play in Cincinnati since 2019.
The Cardinals have been eliminated from playoff contention, while the Bengals are close to being eliminated.
Cardinals Clips
The Browns added a pair of players to their active roster on Wednesday.
They have signed running back Trayveon Williams off of the Chargers’ practice squad and tackle Jeremiah Byers off of the Cardinals’ practice squad. They did not need to make any corresponding moves after placing center Ethan Pocic and running back Jerome Ford on injured reserve on Tuesday.
Williams spent August with the team, but did not make the 53-man roster. He played in three games for the Chargers this season and appeared in 68 contests for the Bengals over the previous six seasons. He has 65 carries for 306 yards over the course of his career.
Byers was undrafted out of Florida State this year.
Cardinals head coach Jonathan Gannon provided an injury update for two key offensive players in his Wednesday press conference.
Left tackle Paris Johnson Jr. has been ruled out for Sunday’s game against the Texans after suffering a knee injury during the Week 14 loss to the Rams.
Additionally, running back Trey Benson will not be activated off of injured reserve after his practice window was opened. He will now miss the rest of the season with a knee injury.
Benson did not practice last week.
In his second season, Benson tallied 160 yards on 29 carries plus 13 catches for 64 yards in his four 2025 games.
It looks like the Cardinals will have to try to snap their five-game losing streak without the help of left tackle Paris Johnson.
Ian Rapoport of NFL Media reports that Johnson has been diagnosed with a sprained MCL. Johnson left Sunday’s loss to the Rams as a result of the injury.
Cardinals head coach Jonathan Gannon did not have an update on Johnson’s outlook at his Monday press conference, but, per the report, he is considered week-to-week and is expected to miss some time before he’s able to return to action.
Rookie Josh Fryar stepped in for Johnson against the Rams and is in line to get the start against the Texans this Sunday.
The NFL has announced eight finalists for this season’s Art Rooney Sportsmanship Award.
A panel made up of former NFL players Warrick Dunn, Larry Fitzgerald, Curtis Martin, and Leonard Wheeler chose the finalists after each team nominated one player for consideration. The award goes to the player that “best demonstrates the qualities of on-field sportsmanship, including fair play, respect for the game and opponents, an integrity in competition.”
Cardinals safety Budda Baker has been selected as a finalist for the third straight season. Buccaneers linebacker Lavonte David, Saints linebacker Demario Davis, and Vikings right tackle Brian O’Neill are the other finalists from the NFC.
The AFC finalists are Colts defensive tackle DeForest Buckner, Jets defensive tackle Harrison Phillips, Dolphins defensive tackle Zach Sieler, and Ravens linebacker Kyle Van Noy.
Current NFL players will cast their votes for one of the finalists and the winner will be announced at the NFL Honors event during Super Bowl week.
The Cardinals started 2-0. It didn’t stay that way.
Arizona has now lost 10 of 11 games. The most recent defeat came in the form of a 45-17 blowout at home to the Rams. It was Arizona’s worst loss of the season.
With four games to play, it’s time to keep an eye on whether owner Michael Bidwill will make a move as to coach Jonathan Gannon. It would give the Cardinals a head start on their search, at a time when two teams (the Titans and Giants) are already searching.
Gannon gets it. He was asked about his job security three weeks ago, after back-to-back blowout losses to the Seahawks and 49ers.
“Yeah, not a controllable for me,” Gannon said at the time. “I didn’t hire myself. I’m not gonna fire myself, so, seriously, no, I know it comes up. That’s the business we’re in. If you don’t want to be in that business, we laugh, we joke, go work somewhere else. I’m going to control the controllables for myself. You know, come to work and do the best job that I can and try to get our team in position and win a game.”
The Cardinals haven’t won a game since November 3, on a Monday night against the Cowboys. That’s their only win since Week 3.
At this point, it’s hard to envision Gannon returning for 2026. If Bidwill already knows that, there’s no reason to delay the implementation of the decision.
After falling to the Panthers on the road last week, the Rams got right in a big way against a divisional opponent with a 45-17 victory over the Cardinals.
Los Angeles held a 24-10 lead over Arizona at halftime and scored 21 straight points to go up 45-10 early in the fourth quarter to put the game out of reach.
Receiver Puka Nacua went off, catching seven passes for 167 yards with a pair of touchdowns. Nacua had 136 yards in the first half alone, displaying his dominance with several contested catches to get the Rams out ahead.
The L.A. run game was just as dominant, with Blake Corum and Kyren Williams creating a two-headed monster. The running backs combined for 212 yards on the ground and three touchdowns. Corum led the way with a career-high 128 yards on 12 carries with two TDs, including a 48-yard touchdown early in the fourth quarter. Williams took 13 carries for 84 yards with a 2-yard touchdown run in the second quarter.
After three giveaways last week, quarterback Matthew Stafford got back to his MVP pace in Week 14. Stafford finished the contest 22-of-31 passing for 281 yards with three touchdowns and no interceptions. Jimmy Garoppolo was inserted into the game early in the fourth quarter for mop-up duty.
Running back Ronnie Rivers also came in for mop-up duty in the fourth quarter, finishing the contest with 41 yards on eight carries.
In all, L.A. finished with 530 total yards, with 249 coming on the ground. It would have been over 250 if Garoppolo hadn’t taken three kneel downs to end the game. Los Angeles faced just one third down in the first half, with the Rams efficiently moving down the field to score on each of their four possessions in the first two quarters.
It was a historic offensive day for the Rams, who had three passing touchdowns and three rushing touchdowns. According to the FOX broadcast, it was the first time the Rams had done so in a road game since a 42-34 victory over the 49ers all the way back in 1954. ESPN noted it was generally the first time the Rams had done that since the heyday of the Greatest Show on Turf in 2001.
For the Cardinals, Jacoby Brissett finished the contest 25-of-44 for 271 yards with two touchdowns and an interception. Receiver Michael Wilson had a big game, finishing with 11 catches for 142 yards with a pair of TDs.
Tight end Trey McBride also had five catches for 58 yards. According to the FOX broadcast, McBride tied the longest all-time streak for a tight end with his 15th consecutive game with at least five catches.
Now at 10-3, the Rams have regained the NFC’s No. 1 seed with Chicago’s loss to Green Bay. Los Angeles will be at home to face Detroit for a significant conference matchup next Sunday.
The Cardinals are now 3-10 and playing out the string. They’ll face the Texans on the road in Week 15.
The Cardinals’ defense finally managed to force the Rams’ offense into a third down for just the second time all game.
But unfortunately for Arizona, the club couldn’t get a stop.
It’s turned into a blowout in the desert, as Matthew Stafford connected with tight end Colby Parkinson to cap Los Angeles’ opening possession of the second half with a 6-yard touchdown.
L.A. now leads 31-10.
The Rams got down the field with a 10-play, 74-yard drive. Running back Blake Corum continued to run the ball effectively, gaining 17 yards to put the Rams deeper into Arizona territory.
While Stafford had incompletions on first- and second-and-goal, he was able to find Parkinson over the middle for a 6-yard score to give the Rams a 21-point lead.
Stafford is now 19-of-25 for 233 yards with two touchdowns on the day, getting back to his MVP pace after multiple turnovers in last week’s loss to Carolina.
On the injury front, Arizona defensive lineman Bilal Nichols (knee) has been downgraded to out
Puka Nacua is putting on a show in the desert and the Rams, powering Los Angeles to a 24-10 halftime lead over Arizona.
Nacua caught six passes on seven targets for 136 yards — including a 28-yard touchdown with 12 seconds left in the half.
It seemed like each one of Nacua’s receptions was particularly impressive, with the third-year wideout making contested catches over the middle and on the sideline to help L.A. continue to move the chains.
With an efficient attack, the Rams faced just one first down in the first half, which the club did not convert on its first possession. L.A. got a field goal to cap its first drive, but otherwise has gone right down the field to score touchdowns. The club is averaging 9.6 yards per play, racking up 17 first downs and 306 total yards.
Matthew Stafford has completed 14-of-19 for 197 yards with one TD. Kyren Williams and Blake Corum have combined for 109 rushing yards, with Williams taking eight carries for 61 yards with a TD. Corum has six carries for 48 yards with a score.
On the other side, Jacoby Brissett led the Cardinals to a quick touchdown on Arizona’s first drive, connecting with Marco Wilson for a 19-yard TD. But the Cardinals have not been as effective for the rest of the half, with Brissett finishing the first 30 minutes 13-of-18 for 154 yards with a TD. He’s also the team’s leading rusher with 20 yards on three carries.
On the injury front, Cardinals defensive lineman Bilal Nichols (knee) is questionable to return.
The Rams will receive the second-half kickoff.
Blake Corum has scored a touchdown for the second game in a row and the Rams are on top of the Cardinals.
Corum’s 2-yard touchdown has Los Angeles up 10-7 late in the first quarter against Arizona.
After the Cardinals quickly scored a touchdown with a five-play drive to open the game, the Rams ran it effectively to get down to the red zone in response. But three consecutive incompletions on first-, second-, and third-and-goal led the club to settle for a 26-yard field goal.
But it didn’t take too long for L.A. to get back in the lead. Matthew Stafford connected with Puka Nacua on passes of 18 and 32 yards to put the Rams in Arizona territory.
Then Corum ran it three consecutive times, with his final attempt there being a 2-yard touchdown.
Through two drivers, Corum has six carries for 48 yards with Kyren Williams has three carries for 30 yards.
