What experts are predicting for Monday’s Patriots-Cardinals game
The Patriots are slight favorites to win Monday's game but many experts view the primetime matchup as a toss-up.
Five games remain for the New England Patriots in the 2022 NFL season. Conceivably, they need to win three of their final five games (two at an absolute minimum) to make the postseason for a second-straight season.
It’s not like it’s an impossible hill to climb. At 6-6, the Patriots are only one game out of the wild card hunt, chasing the New York Jets whom they’ve beaten, head-to-head, twice this season. The Chargers, Browns, and Steelers are the only other teams breathing down their necks.
When you put the Patriots in that kind of company, how could they not make the postseason?
However, in case you hadn’t noticed, it’s not like New England is a smoothly-running machine these days. In order to make the postseason a reality, it will have to win back-to-back games on the road, in Arizona and Vegas, before closing out the season against the Bengals, Dolphins, and Bills, one of whom might prove themselves good enough to make it to the Super Bowl.
With the logjam and dominance over the Jets in their back pockets, the Patriots could, possibly, make the dance with only nine wins. But do you trust your team to go even 2-3 down the stretch to back their way in?
It’s probably over. But if you’re in the mood for a curb-stomping against the Chiefs or Bills come January, keep the hope alive.
This week’s predictions:
Jeremy Cluff, Arizona Republic: Cardinals 27, Patriots 20. “The Cardinals are just 1-6 at home this season. We think they’ll be 2-6 after this one. The Patriots’ offense just has to many issues to keep up with Arizona.”
Globe staff: Everybody loves New England (-1.5).
Tony Massarotti, 98.5 The Sports Hub: Arizona. “The Patriots looked like a college team last week against the Bills, who won the most deceiving 24-10 game in history last week in Foxboro. Are the Cardinals the Bills? Of course not – which is why I actually like the Pats this week. But The Anvil and The Cinder Block refuse to budge off of the Cardinals, who currently feel like the most dysfunctional outfit in the entire NFL. If the Pats lose this game, they might not win another. Remaining games: at Vegas, vs. Cincinnati, vs. Miami, at Buffalo.”
Pete Prisco, CBS Sports: Patriots 24, Cardinals 21. “The Cardinals are coming off a bye, while the Patriots are coming off a terrible showing last Thursday against the Bills. The offense was lifeless. That will change here. They will move the ball against the Arizona defense and limit Kyler Murray. The Patriots win it.”
CBS Sports staff: Six of eight like the Patriots (-1).
ESPN staff: Four of seven pick New England.
Michael Hurley, CBS Boston: Arizona (+1.5). “Just from a standings and record perspective, the Patriots should probably win. But I kind of feel as though they won’t.”
Jimmy Kempski, PhillyVoice: New England (-1.5). “When the Patri*ts have played bad quarterbacks this season — like Mitch Trubisky, Jared Goff, Jacoby Brissett, Zach Wilson x2, and Sam Ehlinger — they win. When they face anyone decent — like Tua Tagovailoa, Lamar Jackson, Aaron Rodgers, Justin Fields, Kirk Cousins, and Josh Allen — they lose.”
Frank Schwab, Yahoo! Sports: Patriots (-1.5). “Look, are you going to take Kliff Kingsbury over Bill Belichick?”
Sheil Kapadia, The Ringer: Patriots (-1.5). “Bill Belichick’s Matt Patricia–Joe Judge experiment has been a disaster. The Patriots offense ranks 27th in EPA per drive and 28th in success rate. Mac Jones ranks 30th of 33 quarterbacks in EPA per pass play. Having said that, I’m not taking Kliff Kingsbury’s offense against Belichick’s defense. The Patriots are mediocre. The Cardinals are dysfunctional.”
Vinnie Iyer, The Sporting News: Cardinals 24, Patriots 23. “The Patriots’ defense can have trouble with dual threat QBs such as Kyler Murray and between DeAndre Hopkins and Marquise Brown, there are matchup problems downfield vs. the pass. Arizona, like New England, contains the run well and can make it tough on Mac Jones up front as its cornerbacks won’t be exposed as much. The bye helps Kliff Kingsbury, who was drafted by Bill Belichick and the Patriots in 2003, gets the most out of his team needing a prime-time home win to save what’s left of his job.”
Bill Bender, The Sporting News: Patriots 23, Cardinals 19. “The Cardinals lost four of five games before the bye week, and this is the proverbial last shot if they want to have any hope for the playoffs. The Patriots are 3-2 S/U on the road, and their low-risk offense hasn’t committed a turnover in three games. Mac Jones is right about the running game, though. The Patriots have averaged just 68 rushing yards the last three weeks. That nearly bites them on the road.”
Mike Florio, Pro Football Talk: Patriots 27, Cardinals 17. “Bill Belichick had 11 days to get ready for this one, and his team has something to play for.”
Michael David Smith, Pro Football Talk: Patriots 24, Cardinals 20. “The Patriots look like long shots to make the playoffs, but the Cardinals look like no-shots to make the playoffs.”
FiveThirtyEight: Cardinals, 54 percent (-1).
Gregg Rosenthal, NFL.com: Patriots 23, Cardinals 20. “The Patriots’ defenses flummoxes bad quarterbacks and unsound schemes. The Patriots’ defense struggles with mobile quarterbacks who can break down their fundamentals. So, which trend wins out here? With New England receiving extra rest after hosting Thursday Night Football last week, I trust Bill Belichick to find the holes in Arizona’s offensive line. However, I don’t trust this Pats offense to be cohesive enough to make it a comfortable win.”
NFL Pickwatch: Sixty-six percent, Patriots (-125).
It says here: Cardinals 27, Patriots 20. The delirious among us can officially call off the playoff talk after this one.
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