Cardinals-Patriots prediction roundup
I had a bet with a friend of mine two seasons ago that the Arizona Cardinals would win 10 games. Of course, that was the season Dennis Green went around shouting about how well he knows everybody, and I was out a few bucks.
I thought about making the same wager before this season, but held off, wanting to throw some weight toward the Rams instead. That didn’t work so well either.
As for the Cardinals, they’re in the playoffs, and I still might have been out some cash.
I don’t know what they’re putting in the water, but boy, is the football bad out there. Arizona is 8-6, and clinched its division weeks ago. The Cardinals could finish the season 8-8. Remember when that might have been good enough to sneak in as a wild card? Denver too, could finish 8-8, while the Patriots may finish 11-5 and not make the dance.
AFC West teams have a total of 19 wins on the season. NFC West teams: 18. For comparison’s sake, here are the other divisions: AFC East: 33, South: 34, North: 26. NFC East: 35, South: 36. Even the North, which includes winless Detroit, can boast 22 wins.
Heck, New Orleans might finish the season 9-7, and in last place in the NFC South.
But, as so often does in sports sooner or later, it appears history might repeat itself. If the Patriots do miss the playoffs with an 11-5 record, they will be the first team since 1985 not to play a playoff game with that mark. Then, it was the 11-5 Denver Broncos who missed out, a game behind the LA Raiders in the West. The Cleveland Browns, that same season, remain the last team to win a division with an 8-8 record.
Both could happen again.
Of course, the Patriots also went on a Super Bowl run that postseason too, so as long as we’re looking at a repeat of history . . .
Who they’re picking
Our roundup of pundit picks for Sunday’s Cardinals-Patriots showdown:
- Jim
McBride, Boston Globe: Patriots. “It looks like the Snow Miser is going to make a weekend visit to Foxborough. That’s not good news for the Heat Miser (he’s too much) and his friends from the desert.” - Globe staff: Three of five pick the Patriots to cover.
- Kent Somers, Arizona Republic: Patriots 28, Cardinals 24. “If the Patriots didn’t need a victory to stay in playoff contention, the Cardinals might have a shot. New England’s defense has been rocked by injuries, and the Cardinals, when they’re clicking, can score. But the Patriots will be motivated, while the Cardinals are desperately searching for the momentum they lost a few weeks ago. It’s hard to see the Patriots losing this one.”
- Peter King, Sports Illustrated: Patriots 29, Cardinals 10. “Cards have lost three East Coast games by an average of 22 points, and I will join A-Rod at Kabbalah classes if the Pats don’t make it 0-4. Forecast for Sunday, 1 p.m. in Foxboro: 33 degrees, 17-mph winds, 60 percent chance of flurries.”
- ESPN.com staff: Patriots across the board (of those who have picked).
- Pete Prisco, CBS Sports: Patriots 33, Cardinals 28. “The Cardinals are coming off a disaster last week in losing to the Vikings. They looked terrible and now must come to the East Coast, where they’ve struggled in a big way. The Patriots need this to stay in the playoff hunt, while the Cardinals are in. New England takes a high-scoring game.”
- CBS Sports staff: Four of six pick the Patriots to cover.
- Cold, Hard, Football Facts: Patriots 31, Cardinals 21. “In their last two games against Quality Opponents, the Cardinals have lost by 28 (at Philadelphia) and 21 (vs. Minnesota), and the Patriots are much better suited for inclement weather.”
- Vinnie Iyer, Sporting News: Patriots 34, Cardinals 17. “Although there is a good chance the Patriots do about two-thirds of the scoring here, both teams won’t shy away from passing, no matter the conditions in Foxborough on Sunday. New England should keep letting Matt Cassel loose to find wide receivers Randy Moss and Wes Walker against an Arizona defense that has yielded 31 TD passes, worst in the league. Arizona’s best offensive advantage comes from wide receivers Larry Fitzgerald and Anquan Boldin working on New England’s overmatched corners.The difference here is, the Patriots have the better line to protect Cassel and help set him up with some semblance of the run. Bill Belichick has called the right defense to keep Kurt Warner in check before, and you can bet his blitz and coverage schemes will do enough to give the Pats a comfortable cushion.”
- USA Today staff: Six of eight pick the Patriots.
- Yahoo! staff: Patriots across the board.
- Peter Schrager, FOXSports.com: Patriots 30, Cardinals 19. “Arizona is 0-3 on trips to the East Coast this year and after running a celebratory victory lap around the University of Phoenix two weeks ago, fell behind 28-0 and got smacked around by a hungry Vikings team in their own building on Sunday. The 2008 Arizona Cardinals: The best of a bunch of bad teams in the NFC West.”
- Sam Farmer, LA Times: Patriots. “The Cardinals won the NFC West, yes, but somebody should tell them they have not crossed the finish line. Backpedaling into the postseason with three losses in four games is a bad sign. Even with the Patriots banged up, winning at New England in December is still one of the toughest tasks in sports.”
- Greg Cote, Miami Herald Patriots 34, Cardinals 17. Fading Cardbirds already have clinched the weakling NFC West and might rest Anquan Boldin, and victory is essential to Pats’ teetering playoff hopes. ‘Zona was last in New England in ’96 and will wish it wasn’t this time. Gray Hoodies have won 10 straight in December and 14 in a row vs. NFC.
- Our pick: Patriots 35, Cardinals 30. The bad news is that Kurt Warner is going to have a field day against the Patriots secondary (allowing 211.8 passing yards per game), even in the snow. The good news is the Cardinals’ 211.9 passing yards allowed per game isn’t exactly rosy either. It’s a shootout, with the home team on top, and the playoffs alive.
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