New England Patriots vs. Arizona Cardinals
The New England Patriots are without Tom Brady and have quite the battle on their hands for four games. On Sunday night, the Patriots will lean on Jimmy Garoppolo on the road against the Arizona Cardinals. The Cardinals have some believing they are the best team in the league and it should be a great battle between the two teams on NBC.
For those that want to watch the game on NBC on Sunday night, it can also be seen online via a live stream. The live stream is NBC Sports Live Extra. Here is everything you need to know about watching the Patriots and Cardinals, including TV info, live stream info and more. Details for Sunday night are below.
Date: Sunday, September 11, 2016
Start Time: 8:30 p.m. ET
Location: Glendale, AZ
Venue: University of Phoenix Stadium
TV Info: NBC
Live Stream: NBC Sports Live Extra
Keys to Victory
For the New England Patriots to have a chance on Sunday, they are going to have to bring it on both sides of the ball. They’re going to have cut off the deep throws from Carson Palmer to his receivers and force him into making mistakes. That also means trying to shut down David Johnson, which is no easy task.
Johnson can break open a game in a hurry with his legs and if the Patriots can’t contain him, it will be a long night. Offensively, they’re going to have to give Garoppolo time to throw the ball. That means that they’re going to have to hold off an improved pass rush of the Cardinals. Garoppolo is also going against a secondary that features two All-Pros in Patrick Peterson and Tyrann Mathieu. He can’t make mistakes.
For the Cardinals to win, Palmer has to be better than he was in the preseason. That means not making poor decisions and finding the open man. Bruce Arians is going to let it all fly against New England, but Palmer is ultimately the key to win on offense for the Cardinals.
On the defensive side of the ball, the Cardinals have to stop Rob Gronkowski. This defense has struggled for several years trying to stop a tight end and now they will go up against the best in the league. If they can limit him, they’ll be in a great position at home.
Betting Odds
The Cardinals are six-point favorites at home. This is actually a fairly safe bet to make. Under Bruce Arians, the Cardinals are 15-0 at home against non-NFC West opponents. That mean that any team that isn’t the Rams, 49ers or Seahawks has lost every game to the Cardinals in Glendale with Arians at the helm.
Prediction
The Cardinals are out to prove that they are contenders. They showed last year that they played great under the spotlight and they have the veteran leadership to do it again this year. They’re going to try to bring the house against Garoppolo early and are hoping Chandler Jones can bring the pain against his old team. The Cardinals get a comfortable win at home to begin the season against a banged up Patriots team.
Pick: Cardinals 34, Patriots 21