The New England Patriots (3-10) will take on the Arizona Cardinals (6-7) on Sunday at State Farm Stadium in Glendale. Arizona will try to snap a three-game losing streak and get back into the race for winning the NFC West which just a few weeks ago they were leading by multiple games. The Pats have a three-game losing streak of their own but are already mathematically eliminated from playoff contention, making them the team with far less to lose. Arizona currently stands as a five-and-a-half point favorite for this matchup, with the over-under set at 46.5, which raises the question of whether or not the Patriots are motivated to play spoiler for the Cards’ playoff hopes.
Can the Patriots Upset the Cardinals?
About the Cardinals
The Cardinals have not won a game since their 31-6 home victory over the New York Jets, since then they had their bye week followed by three consecutive losses. Two of those losses came to the Seattle Seahawks who now lead their division, and the Minnesota Vikings who are 11-2. Though the losses have proven costly, it isn’t like Arizona has flopped against mediocre competition. Sunday will be a massive game for the Cardinals, which means the Patriots will be in for a motivated team to face on Sunday.
A matchup to watch will be Christian Gonzalez facing rookie receiver Marvin Harrison Jr., who has seven touchdown receptions on the season which ranks sixth in the league. While Harrison hasn’t been lighting the world on fire with his play in recent weeks, his talent and projected upside alone make him a threat in the Cardinals’ passing game. Tight end Trey McBride will also be a weapon for the Patriots’ defense to key in on as he ranks sixth in the league in receptions amongst tight ends, and has shown he can go off any given Sunday if he and Quarterback Kyler Murray get into a rhythm.
Catching Up With the Pats
Meanwhile, the Pats are coming off their bye week and again, have officially been eliminated from the postseason after their 25-24 loss to the Colts two weeks ago. It was a loss that had more to do with inopportune errors by New England than Anthony Richardson seizing the day. Regardless, the Patriots’ draft position was boosted from the fourth to the third after the Jacksonville Jaguars beat Tennessee last Sunday.
If the Patriots decide to try and win games for the rest of the season, it will mainly be for pride as doing so risks hurting their draft position. The thing is, if the Patriots clean up their costly red zone turnovers and defensive lapses that were seen in their last matchup, they are capable of winning a game or two down the stretch this year.
The Pats head into Sunday’s matchup with a 9-7 record against their opponent. New England ran for 200 yards against the Indianapolis Colts and will need to keep that trend going if they desire to show improvement and get a few wins before the season ends. Regardless of how the season goes, Jerod Mayo is expected to remain the Patriots head coach in 2025, meaning playing for a higher draft position won’t necessarily put his job in jeopardy. However, if he wants to keep that job security he currently has then his team can’t be getting dominated every game, they need to show signs of competitiveness and grit which would be a reflection of good leadership from Mayo.
What to Expect
At this point, Arizona appears to be the much superior team in this matchup despite their recent struggles. They should be expected to win but it wouldn’t be surprising to see the Pats keeping the game close and showing a competitive fervor that gives Arizona a bit of a scare.
Murray will likely hit some big plays with both his arm and his legs as he has 444 yards on the ground this season. But, Murray has had a propensity to turn over the ball in recent weeks throwing four total interceptions in the last two weeks against the Seahawks and Vikings, and a pick-six in week ten in their first matchup against the Seahawks which ended up being costly in that game.
The Patriot’s secondary is certainly capable of taking advantage of some risky throws that Kyler tends to make at certain points in the game. Richardson saw two of his passes intercepted by the Pats and arguably should have cost the Colts the game two weeks ago. Those types of plays along with Drake Maye being effective with his arm and his legs yet again will be key to keeping this game close and giving the Pats a chance at the end of the day. All of that said, expect a somewhat tight affair on Sunday between these two teams with Arizona ultimately coming out on top by two scores, but not in a blowout fashion.
Main Image: Brian Fluharty-Imagn Images
