*Please note this video was recorded before the Adrian Peterson trade.
Arizona Cardinals vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The Cardinals are now 2-3 and up next they take on the 2-2 Buccaneers in their own nest.
They will need to win against Tampa Bay to get back to .500.
Offense
For the Cardinals’ Offense, it comes down to one name, Carson Palmer. CP3 is the offense. Even though he has been sacked a whopping 19 times and hit close to 50, Palmer is still on pace for 726.4 passing attempts. The NFL record for a single season is 727 by Matt Stafford in 2012. Palmer is second in the league for passing yards with 1,573. However, the offensive line continues to be a disaster, the rushing game is non-existent and clearly we are missing RB David Johnson. Johnson not only got the job done, he did so when it mattered.
The Cardinals traded for running back Adrian Peterson from the Saints in return for a conditional draft pick. Peterson has just 81 yards on 27 rushes this season. In 2016, Peterson had 37 carries for 72 yards and zero TDs. I am not sure AP is the answer to the Cardinals offensive struggles, but any move is better than no move at this point.
Arizona Cardinals vs. Philadelphia Eagles
Against the Eagles last week, the Cardinals could only turn 4-of-14 third downs into first downs. The redbirds’ offense failed at getting the job done when it mattered most. Arizona is last in the league in rushing, averaging 2.6 yards per carry. The RedBirds need a miracle and since the Bucs are 31st in passing defense this just might end in our favor!
As Bucs head coach, and former ASU football head Coach, Dirk Koetter and Company roll into Arizona they will be doing so off extra rest after a close loss to the Patriots on Thursday Night Football. I’m going to highlight RB Doug Martin for the Tampa Bay offense. Martin, after serving a four game suspension, made his 2017 debut on Thursday and man if rust looks good on anybody, it’s him. The running back had 13 carries, 74 yards and a TD. He certainly takes a lot of pressure off QB Jameis Winston. Winston has seven TDs, three interceptions and 1,198 yards on the year, so far.
Keys to the Arizona defense will be Rookie LB Hasaan Reddick and S Tyvonn Branch, who can limit the Bucs TE play and Doug Martin’s productivity. Branch leads the league in total tackles with 49.
Now to the Bucs, I was going to highlight their Kicker Nick Folk, since the former University of Arizona Kicker missed all three of his field goals in his last game against the Patriots, but the Bucs were quick to address that issue by cutting Folk and signed Patrick Murray earlier this week. So, instead I am going to highlight defensive tackle Gerald McCoy. McCoy has one sack and ten tackles on the year.
Game Prediction
Tampa stops the run well, but not the pass. They don’t pressure the QB well, so I am hopeful we can use those weaknesses to our advantage. So, I am going Cardinals with the win. 27-21.
[NFL-Cardinals-footer] [NFL-Crucial-Catch]Photo Credits:
- Arizona Cardinals on Wikimedia Commons by Moe Epsilon
- Carson Palmer on flickr by FF Swami
- Carson Palmer Huddle on Flickr by FF Swami
- Doug Martin, Mike Evans on flickr by Keith Allison
- Jameis Winston on flickr by Keith Allison
- Gerald McCoy on Wikimedia Commons by Jeffrey Beall
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