Patriots – Cardinals Keys to the Game, Who Has the Razor’s Edge?

Steve Balestrieri Senior Writer · PatsFans.com since 2011

Sep 9, 2016 at 5:00 am ET 7 min read 2.5k views

7 min read Patriots Commentary

The New England Patriots begin the 2016 season on the road with a Sunday Night Football appearance on NBC against the Arizona Cardinals. They’ll be starting the season with a QB other than Tom Brady for the first time since 2002. Jimmy Garoppolo makes his first NFL start against a team that many are picking to go to the Super Bowl.

The game will be televised by NBC with their top announcing crew of Al Michaels and Cris Collinsworth handling the play-by-play and analysis duties. The game will also be on the Patriots flagship radio station 98.5 The SportsHub with Bob Socci and Scott Zolak on the call.

The Patriots (12-4) won the AFC East a year ago before losing to the Denver Broncos in the AFC Championship Game.

The Cardinals (13-3) won the NFC West before losing to the Panthers in the NFC Championship Game.

We here at PatsFans.com are continuing our “Razor’s Edge” column in 2016 to give a quick break down on some of the key matchups of the game and what you can look for in how the game plays out.

Series History:
The Patriots and Cardinals have met very few times over the years. This will only be the 14^th meeting between the two teams with the Patriots holding a 7-6 advantage overall. The teams have split the previous eight games in Arizona but the stakes between the two teams has never been higher than this week.

The last meeting in Foxboro in 2012 was a great matchup. The Cardinals under then-QB Kevin Kolb defeated the Patriots 20-18 as their defense was outstanding on that afternoon. The Patriots missed a two-point conversion to tie the game and had a chance to steal a victory with a last minute Stephen Gostkowski field goal. But his kick was well off the mark and the Cardinals held on.

Here is a look at some of the key matchups and who holds the Razor’s Edge.

First up is the Patriots offense:

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About Steve Balestrieri

A former US Army Special Forces NCO and Officer, Steve has been following the Patriots since their days at Fenway Park. Steve has worked in the film industry and wrote as an Military Editor at SpecialOperations.com, 1945.com as a reporter for the Millbury Daily Voice, Millbury-Sutton Chronicle, and the Grafton News. He's also a member of the Pro Football Writers of America (PFWA)

View all posts by Steve Balestrieri