The Kansas City Chiefs and the Arizona Cardinals look to get their respective campaigns back on track. Both teams have lost twice after looking strong earlier in the year. With the postseason drawing ever closer, this game will be a critical opportunity for both sides to right the ship.
In this battle between playoff hopefuls, which team will emerge victorious? Read on for a complete preview of this matchup and while you’re at it, you can check out our previews of Cowboys vs. Bears and Falcons vs. Packers.
[sc:Football ]Kansas City Chiefs vs. Arizona Cardinals Betting Preview
When: Sunday, December 7, 4:05 PM ET
Where: University of Phoenix Stadium, Phoenix
Line: Kansas City Chiefs (+1.5) at Arizona Cardinals (-1.5); total: 40.5 – view all NFL lines
Betting on the Kansas City Chiefs
When Kansas City edged past defending champion Seattle two weeks ago to grab a share of the AFC West lead, it seemed like the Chiefs were finally poised to win their first division title since 2010. They were on a five-game winning streak and all the momentum was on their side heading into their clash with the still winless Oakland Raiders.
[sc:NFL240banner ]What can possibly go wrong? Well, the unthinkable happened as Oakland finally snapped its 16-game losing rut with a shock 24-20 win over the Chiefs. To compound matters even further, the Chiefs once again lost on Sunday, this time to division rivals Denver.
For the Chiefs to avoid a three-game losing rut, they will need Jamaal Charles to step up his game.
Charles has been a non-factor for the Chiefs the last two games, rushing for a total of 115 yards with no touchdowns. Charles’ troubles were evident Sunday against the Broncos as he finished the game with just 35 rushing yards. Remember that this is a guy who rushed for an average of 99.4 yards during the Chiefs’ five-game winning run and also collected a total of eight touchdowns during that stretch.
It certainly won’t be that easy for Charles to find his way against Arizona, though, as the Cardinals are sixth in the NFL in rushing defense, allowing just 89.2 yards per game this season. If their ground attack fails to get going just like in their last game against Denver (41 rushing yards) , the onus will be on Alex Smith to beat Arizona with their passing game.
The Chiefs, though, are just 31st in the NFL in passing this season, averaging 182.9 yards per game via the aerial route this season. In their game against Denver, they recorded a measly 110 passing yards. However, Smith will fancy his chances of finding success against an Arizona secondary that is sixth-worst in the NFL in passing defense this season allowing 263.2 YPG.
For Smith to execute properly though against Arizona, the Chiefs’ offensive line needs to do a much better job in protecting their quarterback. Smith was sacked a total of six times in their game against the Broncos and that contributed to the Chiefs having a paltry 151 yards in total offense last night.
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Betting on the Arizona Cardinals
The Arizona Cardinals may still own the league’s best record (9-3) but there is growing concern about their ability to sustain their advantage until the very end after a spate of injuries have threatened to derail their once-unstoppable campaign. First, it was their quarterback Carson Palmer who succumbed to the injury bug after suffering a torn ACL in their Week 10 meeting with the St. Louis Rams.
Then their star wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald joined the injured list, spraining his MCL in their Week 11 showdown with the Detroit Lions. To make matters worse, more players joined the walking wounded as running back Andre Ellington, Paul Fanaika and Tyrann Matheiu left the game against Atlanta with various injuries.
Losing Ellington to a hip pointer injury was the hardest blow for the Cardinals Sunday as they lost another guy who was instrumental to their offensive sets this season. Before his injury, Ellington accounted for 29 percent of the Cardinals’ offense. It’s no surprise then that the Cardinals once again struggled on the offensive end against the Falcons even though Atlanta entered the week with the league’s worst total defense (409.9 yards per game), worst passing defense (284.1 YPG) and third-worst third-down defense (47 percent conversion rate allowed).
The good news for Arizona, though, is that help is already on its way. Fitzgerald is expected to return this coming weekend as he vows to boost an offense that has managed to put up just 21 points in the past 11 quarters. Fitzgerald is 25th in receiving this season, averaging 65.8 receiving yards per game this season. He will have his hands full, though, against a Chiefs secondary that is best in the NFL in passing defense, allowing just 196.8 YPG via the aerial route this season.
The Cardinals, though, will have no other option than to go with their passing game especially if Ellington fails to suit up in their next outing. The onus then is on Drew Stanton to orchestrate the offense much better. He has struggled the last two games, throwing for an average of 221.5 yards with just one touchdown and three interceptions.
Writer’s Prediction
The Chiefs (+1.5) edge past the Cardinals to snap their two-game losing skid.
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