In a primetime matchup, the New England Patriots, missing some of their luster, travel to the desert. They battle the Arizona Cardinals in an inter-conference matchup Sunday night. The game kicks off from the University of Phoenix Stadium at 8:30 pm ET. National television coverage for the game is provided by NBC. The latest line from Vegas has Arizona as a 7 point favorite with the over/under set at 44.5 points.
New England reeled off a seventh straight division title last season, finishing 12-4 in the regular season. The Patriots defeated the Chiefs 27-20 in the divisional round and lost to the Broncos 20-18 in the AFC Championship. Arizona won the NFC West last season, finishing 13-3. They defeated Green Bay 26-20 in overtime in the divisional round before a 49-15 rout by Carolina in the NFC Championship ended their season. This is the 14th all-time meeting between the franchises. Arizona holds a 7-6 advantage between the teams. The Cardinals took the last meeting, 20-18, on September 16, 2012.
Tom Brady completed 402 of 624 passes for 4,770 yards with 36 touchdowns and seven interceptions. He was sacked 38 times. It won’t be Brady under center as he finally serves his four game suspension for the Deflategate scandal from two years ago. That mean Jimmy Garoppalo runs the offense for the next month. He’s thrown 31 passes in regular season action in his career. Garoppalo may surpass that number in this game alone. LeGarrette Blount is the team’s leading rusher with 165 carries for 703 yards and six scores. Dion Lewis contributed 234 yards plus two scores on 49 carries before going down for the year with a knee injury. Lewis is still recovering from his knee injury and won’t be back until at least week 7. James White and Brandon Bolden are in the mix with Blount.
Julian Edelman grabbed 61 receptions for 692 yards plus seven touchdowns but missed the last seven weeks with a broken foot. Tight end Rob Gronkowski had 72 receptions for 1,176 yards plus 11 touchdowns but he’s out here with a hamstring issue. Danny Amendola had 63 receptions for 631 yards and three scores. Chris Hogan was signed from Buffalo as a depth option. Tight end Martellus Bennett came over from the Bears in free agency and should step right in for the injured Gronkowski. The defense has to contend with the four game suspension of Rob Ninkovich. Stephen Gostkowski is one of the best kickers in the league. He booted all 52 extra points and 33 of 36 field goal attempts with a long of 57 yards.
Veteran QB Carson Palmer completed 342 of 537 passes for 4,671 yards with 35 touchdowns and 11 interceptions. He was only sacked 25 times. Chris Johnson was terrific as a low cost free agent signing. He led the team with 196 carries for 814 yards and three scores. He fractured his tibia in November and missed the rest of the season. He’ll slot in as a valuable backup in the run game as will Andre Ellington. David Johnson (125 carries, 581 yards, 8 TD), who was explosive down the stretch, is the starter at running back this year.
Larry Fitzgerald caught a team high 109 passes for 1,215 yards and nine scores last season. John Brown (65 grabs, 1003 yards, 7 TD) and Michael Floyd (52 catches, 849 yards, 6 TD) are another formidable duo of receiving threats. David Johnson grabbed 36 passes out of the backfield for 457 yards and four scores. Chandler Catanzaro kicked 53 of 58 extra points and 28 of 31 field goal attempts last year with a long of 47 yards.
This game looked a lot prettier on paper before Brady took his suspension. Throw in Gronkowski injured, Ninkovich suspended and Sebastian Vollmer likely out for the year and there’s some major star power missing from the visitor’s sideline. Arizona has a ton of weapons and a quarterback that knows how to pull the trigger. The Cardinals have a stout defense with excellent corners as well. Look for the Cardinals to batter and confuse Garoppolo as they get the win at home. Take a look at our other free NFL picks for week 1!
Arizona is 5-0 ATS in their last five in September and 5-1 ATS in their last six in Week 1. New England is 3-12 ATS in their last 15 on grass and 1-6 ATS in their last seven on the road.