MORSE: Preview of Patriots’ Week 15 Opponent: Arizona Cardinals
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Coming off the bye week the Patriots travel West to play the 6-7 Arizona Cardinals. The Cards enter the game with the #12 ranked Overall Offense with 348 yards a game. Passing they rank 22nd with 208.2 yards a game and Rushing they are #6 with 139.8. In the Red Zone they convert at a 51.2% rate which is 24th in the league. On Third Down they convert at a 40.4% which is 11th in the league.
| QB | Kyler Murray | Clayton Tune | – | – |
| RB | James Conner | Trey Benson | Emari Demercado | DeeJay Dallas |
| WR | Marvin Harrison | Zay Jones | – | – |
| WR | Michael Wilson | Zach Pascal | – | – |
| WR | Greg Dortch | Xavier Weaver | – | – |
| TE | Trey McBride | Tip Reiman | Elijah Higgins | Travis Vokolek |
| LT | Paris Johnson | Christian Jones | – | – |
| LG | Evan Brown | Isaiah Adams | ||
| C | Hjalte Froholdt | Jon Gaines II | – | |
| RG | Trystan Colon | Will Hernandez IR | Carter O’Donnell IR | |
| RT | Jonah Williams | Kelvin Beachum | – |
Kyler Murray is the little engine that could. At just 5’10” and 207-pounds, The former two-sport star played baseball for the Harwich Mariners of the Cape League and was going to be drafted in the 2015 Major League Draft until he declared that he would be playing professional football exclusively. He started just one season at Oklahoma after transferring from Texas A&M. In 2018 he threw for over 4,000 yards and that was enough to make him the 2019 1st overall selection by Arizona. So far this season he has completed 271/396 passes (68.4%) for 2,863 yards, 14 TDs and 8 INTs. The elusive Murray has run 58 times for 444 yards (7.7 YPC) and 4 TDs. For the 2024 season Murray’s ESPN QB Rating is 5th in the league. His Pro Football Focus (PFF) ranking is 12th with a 79.7 rating. Clayton Tune is the backup and hasn’t taken a snap in 2024.
James Conner is the workhorse back leading the Cardinals with 863 yards rushing. The 29-year-old 6’1” 233-pound back from Pitt was drafted in 2017 draft, 3rd round (#105) by his hometown team the Pittsburgh Steelers. In 2021 he left as an Unrestricted Free Agent signing a one-year show me contract with Arizona. They liked what they saw and signed him to a 3-year extension. He has 4.3 Yards Per Carry, 5 TDs, 2 Fumbles, and 36 receptions on 46 targets for another 333 yards a TD and 2 more fumbles. Conner has an 85.7 rating from PFF good for 5th in the league. Backing up Conners is rookie Trey Benson. The 6’1” 223-pound back out of Florida State was taken in this year’s 3rd round (#66).
Marvin Harrison Jr. was the top receiver available in the draft this year. The son of NFL Hall of Famer Marvin Harrison, Junior played for Ohio State and was selected 4th overall, right after Drake Maye. The 6’4” 205-pound receiver has 45 receptions on 86 targets (14.6 YPC) for 655 yards and 7 TDs. His 77.5 PPF rating is good for 24th in the league. Michael Wilson is a 6’2” 213-pound receiver out of Standford. He was selected by Arizona in the 2023 draft 3rd round (#94). This year he has 39 receptions on 58 targets for 473 yards (12.1 YPC) and 4 TDs. His PFF rating is 65.1 good for 67th in the league. Greg Dortch is the slot receiver at 5’7” and 175-pounds. He went undrafted in the 2019 draft out of Wake Forest and he is not very fast only running a 4.59 40-yard dash. For the season he has 26 receptions on 38 targets for 198 yards and a TD. His PFF rating is 56.8 for a 93rd rank.
Trey McBride is a big time Tight End, perhaps the best in the league right now. The 6’4” 246-pound Tight End was a 2nd round draft pick (#55) in the 2022 draft out of Colorado State. For the season he leads the team in receptions with 80 on 105 targets. His YPC is 10.6 but he has zero TDs. His PFF rating is 86.6 ranked 2nd in the league. The backup TE is Tip Reiman a rookie out of Illinois. He was drafted in the 3rd round (#82). He stands 6’5” 277-pounds and is known more as a blocking TE with only 4 receptions this season.
The Offensive line is anchored by 2nd year player Paris Johnson at Left Tackle. The 6’6” 313-pound Johnson was the Cards 1st round pick (#6) in 2023 out of Ohio State. His PFF rating this season is 79.3 good for 12th amongst Tackles. Left Guard is journeyman Evan Brown. The 6’3” 320-pound lineman is playing for his 6th team since being an Undrafted Free Agent in the 2018 draft out of SMU. His PFF Rating is 66.7 good for 41st amongst Guards. Former Patriots 5th round selection (#118) in the 2019 draft, Hjalte Froholdt is the starting Center. The Pats gave up on the Arkansas Razorback as a Guard. He stands 6’ 3” 310 pounds. His PFF Rating is a robust 73.2 which is good for 10th.
Trystan Colon mans the Right Guard spot. The 6’4” 313 -pound guard was a 2020 Undrafted Free Agent out of Missouri. His PFF rating is 68.4 good for 37th. Arizona signed Jonah Williams, a 2024 Free Agent Tackle to play Right Tackle for them this season. The 6’5” 312-pound tackle out of Alabama was a 1st round (#11) selection by the Bengals in the 2019 draft. Williams has been a disappointment, as he was originally drafted as a Left Tackle but couldn’t perform there. His PFF rating is 67.8 good for 42nd amongst Tackles.
The Cardinals Defense ranks 29th Overall giving up 340.5 yards per game, just behind the Patriots. In Passing Defense they are ranked 19th giving up 218.7 yards per game and Rushing Defense are ranked 18th with 121.8 a game. Overall scoring they are tanked 12th giving up 22.2 points a game, in the Red Zone they are 5th toughest at 47.8% and on 3rd Down they are 30th at 46.3%.
| LDE | Zaven Collins | Dante Stills | Victor Dimukeje |
| LDT | Naquan Jones | Bilal Nichols IR | |
| RDT | Roy Lopez | Khyiris Tonga | – |
| RDE | L.J. Collier | Darius Robinson | Justin Jones IR |
| WLB | Mack Wilson | Jesse Luketa | Owen Pappoe |
| MLB | Kyzir White | Krys Barnes | – |
| SLB | Baron Browning | Xavier Thomas | Julian Okwara |
| LCB | Sean Murphy-Bunting | Kei’Trel Clark | – |
| SS | Jalen Thompson | Dadrion Taylor-Demerson | |
| FS | Budda Baker | Joey Blount | – |
| RCB | Starling Thomas | Max Melton | Elijah Jones IR |
| NB | Garrett Williams | ||
LDE Zaven Collins was a 1st round pick (#6) out of Tulsa where he won the Bronko Nagurski, Chuck Bednarik and Vince Lombardi Awards. The 6’4” 260-pound Edge player has been a disappointment in Arizona, and they declined the Fifth-Year option on his rookie contract making him am Unrestricted Free Agent next year. Collins ranks 5th in tackles with 46. His PFF Rating is 72.2 good for 37th. Pass Rusher BJ Ojulari is on IR. Naquan Jones is the LDT. The Michigan State product stands 6’2’ 313-pounds and has 19 tackles on the season. His PFF Rating is 65 good for 45th amongst DTs.
Roy Lopez is the RDT. The 6’2” 318-pound Nose Tackle played at New Mexico State and Arizona. He was a 2021 6th round (#195) draft pick by Houston. For the season he has 23 Tackles and his PFF Rating is 55.3 for a 108th rank. Right Defensive End is LJ Collier. The 6’2” 291 Edge player has 23 Tackles on the year. The former 1st round (#29) selection by Seattle has a PFF rating of 50.5 good for 144th.
Old friend Mack Wilson is the starting Weakside Linebacker. The former Patriot and Alabama product was drafted by Cleveland in the 2019 draft, 5th round (#155). The 6’1’ 246-pound backer is 3rd on the team in tackles with 67. His PFF rating is 59.8 good for 104th. Kyzir White plays Midde Linebacker. The 6’2” 234-pound backer played at West Virginia University and was drafted in 2019 by the Los Angelas Chargers in the 4th round (#119). White is 2nd on the team in Tackles with 99. His PFF rating is 52.4, ranking him 140th. SLB is Baron Browning, a 6’3” 230-pound backer out of Ohio State. He was selected in the 2021 draft 3rd Round (#119). This season, he has only played 4 games for Arizona with 7 Tackles. His PFF rating is 61.5 for a 102nd ranking.
Defensive Backfield starts with Sean Murphy-Bunting at LCB. The 6’ 195-pound DB from Central Michigan was selected in the 2019 draft in the 2nd round (#39) by Tampa Bay. He has 40 tackles and an INT. His PFF rating is 60.2 good for a ranking of 121st. Jalen Thompson is the Strong Safety. He was selected by Arizona in the 2019 draft’s 5th round and played collegiately at Washington State. For the year he has 66 tackles and a PFF rating of 58.2. putting him at 106th.
Budda Baker is the best player in the secondary. The Free Safety leads the team in tackles with 132. Yes, that is correct … those are Middle Linebacker numbers. The 28-year-old stands 5’10” 195-pounds and played at Washington. He was a 2017 2nd round selection (#39) by the Cards. Baker is a two time All Pro and named to the Pro Bowl 6 times. His PFF rating is 80 and he is ranked as the #11 Free Safety.
Starling Thomas is the RCB. The 6’ 190-pound back is out of the University of Alabama – Birmingham. He went undrafted in the 2023 draft and signed by Detroit, cut and signed by Arizona. On the season he has 39 tackles and his PFF Rating is 59.5 good for 126th. The Nickle Back is Garrett Wiliams. Arizona selected Williams in the 2023 draft in the 3rd round (#72) out of Syracuse. The 5’10” 192-pound back has 42 tackles on the year. His PFF rating of 74.9 is excellent and good for 22nd in the league.
| PK | Chad Ryland | Matt Prater IR |
| P | Blake Gillikin Q | – |
| H | Blake Gillikin Q | – |
| PR | Greg Dortch | DeeJay Dallas |
| KR | DeeJay Dallas | Greg Dortch |
| LS | Aaron Brewer | – |
Patriots’ castoff Chad Ryland is now the kicker in Arizona. He has done very well replacing Matt Prater. In fact, Ryland won Special Teams Player of the Month for October, with 3 Game Winning Kicks. He has been perfect on extra points (15/15) and made 19 of 23 FG. The Cards have a problem with their Punter Blake Gillikin. He injured his foot in last week’s Seattle game and hasn’t participated in practice all week. Arizona signed former Patriots punter Michael Parlady to the Practice Squad, and I expect that he will be elevated for the game Sunday. Greg Dortch is nowhere near the leaders in Punt Returns and not much of a threat. As a team, Arizona averages less than 10 yards per return. On Kickoffs Deejay Dallas is the primary returner. He averages over 30 yards a return which was boosted by a Kickoff Return for a TD.
The Patriots have been busy during the Bye Week and leading up to the game in Arizona. The big noise was the activation of Cole Strange from the PUP list and the consequential release of WR KJ Osborn. Strange has been trying to learn the Center position, and quite honestly can’t do much worse than Ben Brown has done. Brown is the 2nd worst Center in the league according to PFF. BTW, the worst Center was Mick Leverett. Osborn was not in the teams plans and hasn’t been active for the last two games.
On the Practice Squad the team has been shuffling players. They signed Linebacker Andrew Parker from Appalachian State. He had an outstanding 2023 season with 114 tackles from his Inside Linebacker position. Parker stands just 6’ and weighs 236-pounds. He ran a 4.66 at his Pro Day. He had a Vertical Jump of 38.5” and ran a 3-cone drill at 6.98 (better than all of our Wide Receivers).
Truman s from Harvard was also added as an Edge player. He stands 6’4” 25-pounds. The team had him in for a pre-season visit from local players.
The final addition to the Practice Squad is Kicker John Parker-Romo. The former West Virginia Mountaineer was signed last year for an injury replacement by Minnesota and made all 4 of his Field Goals in a game won by the Vikings 12-7. His signing shows the teams displeasure with Joey Slye, whom I would have cut immediately after the game versus Indy.
Cut from the PS was Joe Giles-Harris a 6-year veteran LB, Michael Jordan a G that started for the Pats and had 3 call ups to start as well as LB Keshawn Banks who used up his 3 eligible call ups as a special teams contributor and was subsequently waived.
Caeden Wallace started his 21-day window to be activated and began practicing. Look for a possible activation before the game.
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