Photo Courtesy: Erik Frost
By DaVince “Dino” Wright
Game Info
New England Patriots vs Arizona Cardinals
Monday – December 12 – 7:15 p.m.
TV: ESPN
State Farm Stadium – Glendale, AZ
Records Before the Game
New England Patriots (6-6, 3-3 Away)
Arizona Cardinals (4-8, 1-6 Home)
I have been secretly watching both of these teams all season and have loved what I’ve seen. I love to watch the Patriots figure out ways to win without having a dominant player while Arizona has struggled all season long. This game will be extremely important for both teams heading into the playoffs. The Cardinals won’t make the post season, but they can play spoiler for everyone else.
New England Patriots
Head coach Bill Belichick has proven from time to time that he takes a decent player and maximizes the player’s talents. The Patriots have lost their last couple of games to Buffalo and Minnesota by a combined 21 points. The Patriots offense is averaging 20.8 point per game while the defense is giving up 18.8. The Patriots will need to spy Cardinal quarterback Kylar Murray. He will be the catalyst for the Cardinals offense. I’m sure Belichick will have something in store for the Cardinals on the road.
Arizona Cardinals
The Cardinals are a mess! Last season this team was in the thick of things in the NFC. What happened? The Cardinals went through injuries, missed games by star players and in fighting in the locker room. The Kylar Murray and Kliff Kingsberry honeymoon maybe coming to an end in Glendale. Remember this team has wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins, J. J. Watt and James Conner on the roster and they are sitting at 4-8. The Cardinals will need to pull it together and get a win at home.
Prediction
ESPN has the Cardinals with 64.7% chance of winning at home this week. I’m not sure if the Patriots will be willing to head into Glendale and just lay down for the Cardinals. This game will be extremely close from start to finish. The winner of this game will be the team that creates turnovers at pivotal points of the game. I’m taking the Cardinals by 10 with a big score in the closing minutes of the game!
Final Score
Cardinals – 34
Patriots – 24
