Patriots – Cardinals Keys to the Game, Who Has the Razor’s Edge?
Follow us
Follow Us
🕑 Read Time: 7 minutes
Posted Under: Patriots Commentary
HOME > Patriots Blog > Patriots Commentary
Prediction:
This game and the first game of every season are always among the most difficult to predict because there are so many unknowns out there with no regular season film to watch. But when the schedule was released, this one was one we circled as it was going to be very difficult. Arizona is an early favorite to go to the Super Bowl, playing at home in front of a raucous crowd.
Coupled with the Patriots missing Tom Brady, Dion Lewis, and Rob Ninkovich and with Jimmy Garoppolo starting his first game in the NFL, the chances get slimmer for a New England win.
Nobody handles the blitz better than Tom Brady, but Jimmy G. is sailing into uncharted waters. Look for Arizona to blitz him relentlessly on every passing down to try to force him into making mistakes. He will most probably struggle in the red zone, as most young QBs do.
The Patriots can take this one if they turn the tables on defense and force a few turnovers themselves. Chris Long, Sheard, and Mingo could be keys to that. But I see the NE defense spending a lot of time on the field Sunday night and getting worn down in the end.
I had the chance on a podcast this week to interview Cards insider Alexian Balekian who does the Cardinals pregame and post-game shows. He said the prevailing attitude without any braggadocios banter was that being at home and facing a Patriots team without Brady, Lewis, and Ninkovich and having Garoppolo playing in his first start, was a cause for a blowout. He stated that if the Cardinals struggle to blow out the Pats on Sunday night that they’d have some soul searching to do in the mirror. While I don’t see a blowout, I do see an Arizona victory. Nevertheless, that was some interesting comments there.
Cardinals 24-13
Follow me on Twitter @SteveB7SFG or email me at [email protected]
Listen to our Patriots 4th and 2 podcasts on blog talk radio as the writers Russ Goldman, Derek Havens and I from PatsFans.com discuss the latest Patriots news Wednesdays at 12 noon.
From our archive - this week all-time:
April 21 - May 6 (Through 26yrs)
Join 2,000+ fans getting exclusive stats, analysis, and insights delivered straight to their inbox every week. Never miss a play.