{"id":7846,"date":"2016-09-09T05:00:34","date_gmt":"2016-09-09T09:00:34","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/?p=7846"},"modified":"2016-09-08T12:47:44","modified_gmt":"2016-09-08T16:47:44","slug":"patriots-cardinals-key-matchups-razors-edge","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/2016\/09\/09\/patriots-cardinals-key-matchups-razors-edge\/","title":{"rendered":"Patriots – Cardinals Keys to the Game, Who Has the Razor’s Edge?"},"content":{"rendered":"

The New England Patriots<\/strong><\/a> begin the 2016 season on the road with a Sunday Night Football appearance on NBC against the Arizona Cardinals. They\u2019ll 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.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

The Patriots<\/strong> (12-4) won the AFC East a year ago before losing to the Denver Broncos in the AFC Championship Game.<\/p>\n

The Cardinals<\/strong> (13-3) won the NFC West before losing to the Panthers in the NFC Championship Game.<\/p>\n

We here at\u00a0PatsFans.com<\/a>\u00a0are continuing our \u201cRazor\u2019s Edge\u201d\u00a0column in 2016 to give a quick\u00a0break down\u00a0on some of the key matchups of the game and what you can look for in how the game plays out.<\/p>\n

Series History:<\/strong>
\nThe Patriots and Cardinals have met very few times over the years. This will only be the 14th<\/sup> 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.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

Here is a look at some of the key matchups and who holds the Razor\u2019s Edge.<\/p>\n

First up is the Patriots offense:<\/p>\n

Patriots RBs vs Cardinals Front Seven –\u00a0<\/strong>Razor\u2019s Edge Arizona
\n<\/em><\/strong>The Patriots running game was mired in neutral for much of 2015. Injuries to Dion Lewis and LeGarrette Blount as well as to the offensive line hurt. They ended up rushing for only 87 yards per game a year ago, which was good for only 30th<\/sup> in the NFL.<\/p>\n

\"Blount

Blount has help the passing game but taking the pressure off of Jimmy G. Sunday<\/p><\/div>\n

Arizona was very stout against the run a year ago, allowing only 91 yards per game which was sixth in the NFL.\u00a0 NT Corey Peters and DE Calais Campbell anchor the \u2018Zona defense which is fast and athletic.<\/p>\n

The Patriots have Blount returning as well as FB James Develin who missed 2015 with a broken leg. Look for the Patriots to run at Chandler Jones\u2019 side utilizing the tight end matchups with Rob Gronkowski and Martellus Bennett. Jones has stated that he had this one circled since the spring and is going to be aggressive. He\u2019s always been inconsistent against the run and they\u2019ll try to take advantage of his aggressiveness. Will it be enough? They may give rookie D.J. Foster a few touches as well.<\/p>\n

Patriots WRs vs Arizona Secondary –\u00a0<\/strong>Razor\u2019s Edge Arizona
\n<\/em><\/strong>The Patriots passing game was outstanding for most of 2015 until injuries slowed them down the stretch. But now they\u2019re beginning the season without Tom Brady at the helm for the first time since 2001. Jimmy G. is making his first career start but has plenty of weapons around him.<\/p>\n

The two tight ends, Julian Edelman, Chris Hogan and James White out of the backfield, as well as Danny Amendola and rookie Malcolm Mitchell gives him plenty of targets in the passing game. Of course any talk about the Patriots passing game has to include the protection which was bad for much of the year, including down the stretch.<\/p>\n

The Arizona defense struggled a year ago to pressure the QB without blitzing which they did 40 percent of the time in 2015, more than any other team. They added Chandler Jones and Robert Nkemdiche this spring which should boost their pass rush. They like to blitz the undersized but versatile Deone Bucannon up the A-Gap which creates havoc. Look for DC James Bettcher to come after Garoppolo all night. The spark plug of the defense returns, Tyrann Mathieu, who tore an ACL in December.<\/p>\n

The weakness of the Cards defense is at corner. They have one of the best in Patrick Peterson but opposite him are question marks. Brandon Williams will get the start, the rookie third-round draft pick is talented but still raw. Three-time Pro Bowler Justin Bethel is still recovering from an injury and looked rusty in his preseason action. The Cards traded for backup corner Marcus Cooper in a trade with the Chiefs.<\/p>\n

This will be an area that the Patriots try to exploit. With Gronkowski and Edelman drawing plenty of attention from the defense, Hogan may be the go-to guy here this week. Look for James White to see plenty of attention from Garoppolo as well.<\/p>\n

It isn\u2019t crazy to think Garoppolo will struggle in his first start. I think he\u2019ll be able to move the ball between the 20-yard lines, but his lack of experience and a consistent running game will hurt him in the red zone.<\/p>\n

Next up the Arizona offense:<\/strong><\/p>\n

Cardinals RBs vs NE Front Seven –\u00a0<\/strong>Razor\u2019s Edge push
\n<\/em><\/strong>The Cardinals are justifiably very confident in the emergence of 2nd<\/sup>-year running back David Johnson this season. After Chris Johnson showed a nice resurgence in his career he suffered a broken leg in Week 12. Since then Johnson\u00a0has taken the league by storm. The big 6\u20191, 225-pound running back had 581 yards rushing and added in 36 receptions for 457 more yards out of the backfield. He scored 13 touchdowns (8 rushing, 4 receiving and 1KR), a year ago. He\u2019s being touted as a legitimate MVP candidate this year. Stopping him will be priority #1 for the Patriots.<\/p>\n

The Patriots front seven is much deeper than a year ago. Between edge players Jabaal Sheard and Chris Long who set the edge extremely well, they have 2nd<\/sup>-year player Malcom Brown and Alan Branch inside who will be able to anchor the line at the point of attack. Jamie Collins and Dont\u2019a Hightower are outstanding in run support. They are instinctive, physical and fill the gaps extremely well.<\/p>\n

\"Hightower

Hightower blows it up on the goalline<\/p><\/div>\n

The key from a New England point of view is not allowing Johnson to get going and putting the Cardinals in easy 3rd<\/sup> down situations. There their vertical passing game will be much more effective. Johnson will get his yards but they should be able to limit his effectiveness.<\/p>\n

Cardinals WRs vs NE Secondary-\u00a0<\/strong>Razor\u2019s Edge Arizona
\n<\/em><\/strong>Carson Palmer had arguably his best season year ago, throwing 35 TD passes, 4671 yards and a gaudy 8.7 yards per pass attempt, all career highs. He has a plethora of weapons in the passing game including the ageless Larry Fitzgerald, Michael Floyd, Jon Brown, and JJ Nelson as well as Johnson out of the backfield.<\/p>\n

The Patriots secondary was solid a year ago and they\u2019ve been upgraded by rookies Cyrus and Jonathan Jones as well as the recently traded for Eric Rowe who came over from the Eagles this week. He\u2019s the biggest of the NE corners at 6\u20191, 205 and although his participation will probably be somewhat limited this week, he should see some reps, using his size to combat the Cardinals size and speed.<\/p>\n

One area that where Patriots should be improved in 2016, is their pass rush. Wait, you say? With no Jones? Yes. With the additions of Long, Shea McClellin and Barkevious Mingo and the additional maturation of Trey Flowers, they\u2019re more than able to make up for his absence. With players who are versatile and can drop into coverage or rush the passer from various positions or angles, the pass rush should be a position of strength.<\/p>\n

The Cardinals have issues of their own at the OL. 2nd<\/sup>year player D.J. Humphries will be the starting right tackle and facing\u00a0the versatile Sheard if he\u2019s ready to go. This is an area that the Patriots should be able to utilize to bring pressure on the immobile Palmer. Long is primed also for a comeback type of season.<\/p>\n

The Cardinals get the edge here with their weapons and the fact that Johnson may put them in easier positions to throw. But if New England is to pull the upset, they\u2019ll have to find a way to generate some turnovers, something that has plagued Arizona all preseason.<\/p>\n

Special Teams-<\/strong>\u00a0Razor\u2019s Edge New England
\n<\/em>The Patriots special teams get the edge in the kicking game, where Stephen Gostkowski is the best, most reliable kicker in the NFL. While most people remember his missed PAT in Denver during the AFCCG, he was on a streak of 10 years without a miss. He\u2019s consistently over 90 percent on his field goal attempts making 33 of 36 a year ago. Ryan Allen has been very adept at pinning opponents inside the 20-yard line, hitting on 36 of those a year ago. With the exception of the Eagles game, the coverage units and protection were solid.<\/p>\n

Arizona\u2019s Chandler Catanzaro did make 28 of his 31 FG attempts but missed both attempts from 50+ yards. He also missed 5 PATs. If the game came down to a final kick, New England with the steady Gostkowski would have the edge. Punter Drew Butler had 22 of his punts placed inside the 20-yard line a year ago and consistently has great hang time on his punts.<\/p>\n

Both teams are looking to a big boost in the return game in 2016. Johnson returned a kickoff for a TD a year ago and is looking for more of the same. The Patriots Cyrus Jones looks to be a dynamic returner during the preseason. He returned four for TDs a year ago at Alabama.<\/p>\n

Next up, who wins and why\u2026<\/p>\n

Prediction:
\n<\/strong>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.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

\"Photo-Jimmy-Garoppolo-oLE5u-250x250\"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.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

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\u00a0being 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. \u00a0While I don’t see a blowout, I do see an Arizona victory. Nevertheless, that was some interesting comments there.<\/p>\n

Cardinals 24-13<\/strong><\/p>\n

Follow me on Twitter\u00a0<\/em>@SteveB7SFG<\/em><\/a>\u00a0or email me at\u00a0<\/em>stevebpatsfans@gmail.com<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n

Listen to our\u00a0<\/em>Patriots 4th<\/sup>\u00a0and 2<\/em><\/a>\u00a0podcasts on blog talk radio as the writers Russ Goldman, Derek Havens and I from\u00a0<\/em>PatsFans.com<\/em><\/a>\u00a0discuss the latest Patriots news Wednesdays at 12 noon.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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