The Cardinals and Patriots meet in Arizona tonight to wrap up Week 14 in the NFL. New England is currently a 2.5-point favorite and the over/under is 43.5 points.
The Teams
For the Patriots, every game for the rest of the year will be a big one. At 6-6 in a highly competitive conference, the team simply cannot afford to lose many more games, especially given the fact that they’ll go up against the Bengals, Dolphins and Bills in their last three weeks. Tonight, they’ll be looking to avoid their third straight loss against a disjointed Cardinals team that has once again failed to meet expectations. With Damien Harris and Jakobi Meyers out, Rhamondre Stevenson will be playing a huge role for the Pats. Even with just sixteen touches last week, Stevenson was the clear lead back against Buffalo and was on the field for every offensive snap except one. The Cardinals certainly aren’t pushovers defensively, but Stevenson should have more opportunity to shine tonight.
The Cardinals come into tonight hoping to avoid their fifth loss in six games. Things have not gone well in Arizona this season for a multitude of reasons, but they do have a chance to at least win some games as an easier part of their schedules comes up late in the season. The team will also get to see Marquise Brown and DeAndre Hopkins in the same game for just the second time this year. The first was two weeks ago in a one-point loss to the Chargers where Brown and Hopkins accounted for 10 of Arizona’s 13 receptions made by receivers. For the Cardinals to succeed tonight, they’ll need Kyler Murray to be able to escape the pressure from New England’s front seven and get his offensive weapons involved. If Brown, Hopkins and James Connor see a lot of the ball, Arizona’s offence could be tough to stop.
Cardinals and Patriots – The Pick
For tonight’s pick, we’ll take the Cardinals to cover the spread. They’re coming off a bye and should be fresh for tonight at home. Arizona hasn’t been a consistent team this season, but if they can play the way they did two weeks ago against the Chargers, we like their chances tonight.
CARDINALS +2.5
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