Arizona Cardinals vs. New York Giants
Two teams trending in opposite directions collide at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J., Sunday when the 1-0 Arizona Cardinals visit the 0-1 New York Giants. Both teams are coming in on a short week, with the Cardinals beating the San Diego Chargers 18-17 at University of Phoenix Stadium Monday night, while the Giants were blown out at the Detroit Lions 35-14 under the prime-time lights on Monday. There was a bit of controversy in Arizona after All-Pro wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald was only targeted four times, catching one pass for 22 yards, while quarterback Eli Manning has now thrown 29 interceptions against 19 touchdowns in his last 17 starts.
Details for Sunday’s game are below:
Date: Sunday, Sept. 13
Start Time: 1 p.m. EDT
Location: East Rutherford, N.J.
Stadium: MetLife Stadium
TV Info: FOX
Live Stream: NFL Sunday Ticket
Radio: Sirius XM Radio
Ticket information: For Giants ticket info click here. For Arizona ticket info click here.
Keys to Victory
The Cardinals appear to have every edge coming into this one, having held San Diego to 52 yards on the ground last week, while the Giants managed just 53 in the loss at Detroit. Carson Palmer threw for 304 yards and two scores, while the Giants were victimized repeatedly by Calvin Johnson and Matthew Stafford on Monday night.
One factor Arizona will have to overcome is the abrupt departure of linebacker John Abraham, who left the team Wednesday and is considering retiring after sustaining a concussion in the win over San Diego.
For the Giants, it can only get better from here—they hope. The new-look offense produced just 197 total yards and wide receiver Victor Cruz is already complaining about targets after having six balls thrown his way (he caught two).
The offensive line has to be better for New York as well. While Manning was only sacked twice, he was on the run most of the night, and the running game was stymied as well, as the front five failed to open many running lanes.
Betting Odds
Point Spread: Arizona minus-2.5, N.Y. Giants plus-2.5
Moneyline: Arizona minus-142, N.Y. Giants plus-122
O/U: 43
Prediction
The Giants are in disarray and going home may not help that—MetLife Stadium hasn’t provided them with a consistent home-field advantage since they moved in. Even with the whole West Coast team starting early in the East thing, I like the Cardinals …
Final Score: Arizona 23, N.Y. Giants 19