The Patriots will head west and face off with the Arizona Cardinals Monday night for their last primetime appearance this season. The Patriots are on the verge of a playoff spot and need to turn it around in Arizona after two rough losses. The game will air on ESPN, as Joe Buck will handle play-by-play duties with Troy Aikman as the color analyst. Lisa Salters will provide analysis from the sidelines.
Quick hits
*The Patriots lead the series against the Cardinals with an 8-7 record. The Patriots are 5-4 in road games against the Cardinals.
*This will be New England’s second game at State Farm Stadium; they won the first appearance in 2016.
*Since 2000, the Patriots are 4-1 against the Cardinals.
*The Patriots drafted Cardinals coach Kliff Kingsbury in the 2003 draft, although he was injured during that duration.
*The Patriots haven’t turned the ball over in THREE games. The last time the Patriots went four straight games without a turnover was in 2018.
*Mac Jones leads the NFL with the most consecutive passes (156) without throwing an interception.
*Devin McCourty needs one more takeaway to tie Ty Law for third place with the most takeaways in Patriots history (40).
*The last time the Patriots had two players with 10+ sacks was in 2011. Josh Uche needs three more sacks to reach double digits sacks.
*Matthew Judon needs 5.5 sacks to tie Andre Tippett’s 18.5 sacks in one season, which leads franchise history.
*The Cardinals have committed 21 fumbles on offense this season (third highest in the NFL).
*The Cardinals have the best red zone defense; they have not allowed opposing offenses to score on 68.9% of red zone drives.
*The Cardinals’ defense has blitzed on 40% of their defense snaps this season (third in the NFL).
*If Tyquan Thornton has a rushing touchdown this week, he will become the first rookie wide receiver with two rushing touchdowns.
* CB Jalen Mills needs one interception this week to match his career-high (3).
Connections
Former Patriots
LB Kamu Grungier-Hill (Patriots player, 2016, Cardinals player, 2022-present)
QB Kliff Kingsbury (Patriots player, 2003, Cardinals head coach, 2019-present)
WR Shawn Jefferson (Patriots player, 1996-1999, Cardinals WR Coach 2021-present)
Former Cardinals
QB Brian Hoyer (Cardinals player, 2012, Patriots Player, 2020-present)
Who has the advantage?
When the Patriots run: Patriots
Lately, the Patriots have been having trouble running the football, as starter Damien Harris has been dealing with injuries, and it’s been the Rhamondre Stevenson show. Last week against Buffalo, Stevenson played all but one snap. However, the offensive line has also suffered injuries but should see its starters return for the first time in seven weeks. During the 2022 draft, Bill Belichick drafted two running backs: Pierre Strong Jr. in the fourth round and Kevin Harris in the sixth. However, both running backs have been having a redshirt year and have combined for 17 yards on 16 carries. Damien Harris has already been ruled out, which means another big offensive day for Stevenson is brewing. New England is 24th in the NFL, running for 104.9 yards a game. In short, the Patriots haven’t had a good run game since the beginning of the season, and Arizona won’t make it any easier. The Cardinals have been allowing 110.8 yards per game which is tenth in the league. Speedy linebackers Isaiah Simmons and Zeven Collins continuously make plays around the ball. The Patriots should be able to get back on track, with Stevenson rushing for 100+ yards with 50+ receiving yards.
When the Patriots pass: Cardinals
The Patriots passing attack looked alive on Thanksgiving night when the offense had its best performance, but it looked incapable of moving the ball against Buffalo in Week 13. The Cardinals like the blitz, as they bring pressure on 48% of defensive snaps, which is third in the NFL. Mac Jones has struggled under pressure, but that’s also due to the lack of consistency on the offensive line. This week should see the starters of the offensive line return if Trent Brown and Yodny Cajuste are active after being listed as questionable. J.J. Watt leads the Cardinals with 6.5 sacks. The Patriots should be able to turn around their offensive struggles as they face a Cardinals secondary that is 24th in the league, allowing 245.5 yards per game. However, Mac Jones’s most reliable weapon, Jakboi Meyers, will be inactive due to suffering a concussion last week against Buffalo. Look for DeVante Parker to take charge as the number one receiver, with rookie Tyquan Thornton also seeing more snaps. New England hasn’t scored a touchdown in nine red zone possessions and has the second-worst red zone offense in the NFL. However, they’re facing the top red zone defense in the NFL, in Arizona, which has only allowed opposing offenses to score on 42% of possessions. This contest should be a low-scoring affair, but Mac Jones needs to find a way to score touchdowns.
When the Cardinals run: Patriots
The Cardinals’ run game has been inconsistent and largely consists of Kyler Murray’s legs. However, the Cardinals have dialed up fewer quarterback runs this season, and Murray is running the ball less. Veteran James Conner leads the running backs with 476 rushing yards and four touchdowns, averaging 3.9 yards per carry. Arizona ranks 21st in the league averaging 114.9 rushing yards per contest and has struggled to move the ball on the ground. Murray has rushed the ball 66 times for 415 yards and three touchdowns. The Patriots struggle to contain mobile quarterbacks and should face a challenge this week with Murray. The Patriots front had trouble with Lamar Jackson, Justin Fields, and Josh Allen earlier in the season. However, the Patriots’ numbers are in the middle of the pack. They rank 12th in the league allowing 111.4 yards on the ground per game. This should be a good matchup for the Patriots, and they should be able to contain the ground game in Glendale.
When the Cardinals pass: Cardinals
The Cardinals’ passing attack has regressed in recent years, as Kyler Murray isn’t looking like himself, which has led the Cardinals to a 4-8 record. Murray has thrown for 2,359 yards, completing 66.3% of his passes, while tossing 14 touchdowns against seven interceptions. Arizona ranks 17th in the league, averaging 219.8 passing yards per game. Murray has missed two games this season due to a hamstring injury, while tight end Zach Ertz suffered an ACL injury a few weeks back. The Cardinals got back star wideout DeAndre Hopkins in Week 8. However, Hopkins was serving a suspension. Both Hollywood Brown and Hopkins have 49 receptions and three touchdowns. Receiver Rondale Moore will be inactive due to injury, leading to increased snaps for receiver Robbie Andreson. On the flip side, the Patriots’ secondary has been productive against below-average quarterbacks like Sam Ehlinger, Zach Wilson, Mike White, Mitch Trubisky, and Jared Goff but has struggled against top-tier quarterbacks like Josh Allen and Tua Tagiovilla. The Patriots’ secondary has allowed 200.6 yards through the air, which is eighth in the league. Meanwhile, cornerback Jalen Mills will be inactive for the Patriots as he is fighting a groin injury. Hopkins and Brown should be able to bring the Cardinals’ offense to life, and the Patriots should have a tall task in facing the Cardinals passing attack.
Special teams: Patriots
The Patriots’ special teams unit has been a roller coaster this season. It started with Nick Folk’s ability to constantly connect on field goals, but he’s missed three field goals over the last three weeks. Folk is now 25 for 30 on the season. Matt Prater handles kicking duties for Arizona, hitting 10 of 11, despite battling injuries this season. The Patriots started with veteran Jake Bailey punting, but Bailey had a poor performance to start the season and then landed on the injured reserve with an ankle injury. Michael Palardy took over for Bailey with a strong debut against the Jets but is now coming off back-to-back poor performances. Arizona’s Andy Lee punts for the Cardinals, averaging 46.9 yards, with four touchbacks and ten kicks inside the 20-yard line. Marcus Jones is the return man for the Patriots, who continues to excel, as he now leads the NFL with 14.7 yards per punt return. Jones helps the Patriots win the field position battle and boosts their offense. Greg Dortch returns for Arizona, as he averages 19.5 yards per kick return.
Senior coaching staff
New England:
Head Coach – Bill Belichick
Senior football advisor/offensive line – Matt Patricia
Offensive assistant/quarterbacks – Joe Judge
Running backs – Vinnie Sunseri
Wide receivers – Troy Brown
Offensive line – Billy Yates
Linebackers – Steve Belichick
Linebackers – Jerod Mayo
Cornerbacks – Mike Pellegrino
Special teams coordinator – Cam Achord
Arizona:
Head coach – Kliff Kingsbury
Co-Pass Game coordinator/QBS – Cam Turner
Wide receivers – Shawn Jefferson
Tight ends – Steve Heiden
Defensive coordinator – Vance Joseph
Defensive line – Vance Joseph
Linebackers – Bill Davis
Cornerbacks – Greg Williams
Defensive backs – Marcus Robertson
Special teams coordinator – Jeff Rodgers
Injury Report
Patriots:
OUT
WR Jakobi Meyers, Concussion
CB Jalen Mills, Groin
OL Isaiah Wynn, Foot
DOUBTFUL
RB Damien Harris, Thigh
QUESTIONABLE
T Trent Brown, Illness
T Yodny Cajuste, Calf/Back
Cardinals:
Cardinals:
OUT
OL Rashaad Coward, Chest
WR Rondale Moore, Groin
CB Byron Murphy Jr., Back
QUESTIONABLE
DL Zach Allen, Illness
DL Jonathan Ledbetter, Back
S Charles Washington, Chest
Latest Patriots transactions
Patriots Sign DB Quandre Mosely to the Practice Squad
Game Officials
Head Referee – Shawn Smith (8th season in the NFL and 4th as head official)
Weather Forcast
Showers in the evening, then partly cloudy overnight. Low around 40F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 40%.
Noteworthy quotes
Patriots:
On managing Rhamondre’s Stevenson workload
“Well, we didn’t really have the ball very much in the first half. I mean 20 something plays or whatever it was. So yeah, I mean look, we’ll manage the game the best we can with all of our players. If somebody isn’t playing much then somebody else is playing a lot. If somebody’s playing a lot then somebody else isn’t playing a bunch. Whether it’s offense, defense, or a certain player, a certain position, or whatever it is. So, that’s always going to fluctuate a little bit from game to game, but we’ll try to manage it throughout the game with whoever that involves. It could be, again, a side of the ball, or a certain position, or a certain guy.”
-Head Coach Bill Belichick
On Josh Uche’s development
“I think the biggest thing for Josh this year has just really been his availability. Josh is a good athlete. He has good speed off the edge and good pass rush techniques. But you build that through timing, consistency and running games with your teammates and so forth. He’s done that since he’s been here, but this year he’s been able to do it on a more consistent basis in practice, in training camp, and really build that continuity – as opposed to kind of being in and out of things. Sometimes not fully being available for some of the roles that this year he’s really been available for really almost on a daily basis. So I think that’s helped him as much as anything, just his consistency and the continuity he’s been able to establish on the practice field which has carried over into the games, which has carried over into higher production and more opportunities.”
-Head Coach Bill Belichick
On how far Marcus Jones has come
“Well, we were a little short at corner compared to where we usually were with Jalen Mills inactive, so I’d say that’s certainly the answer to part of the question. Again, the big thing for Marcus [Jones] was his availability and ability to practice and work on his fundamentals and techniques and improve. and He didn’t have a lot of that opportunity in the spring and then was a couple weeks delayed getting back into that into training camp. I’d say at that point there were some other people that were ahead of him. Not necessarily because he was deficient, he just hadn’t had a lot of opportunity to even be out there. Overall, our cornerback depth has been pretty competitive. Jack [Jones] had a good training camp and has made some solid plays for us in that area and so, again, it’s just how many of those guys can you get on the field, Myles [Bryant], Jalen, Jon Jones, Jack and so forth. Not to mention the competition at safety with our four players there that have a lot of playing time. Again, Marcus has continued to work hard, continued to improve, his fundamentals have gotten better, his communication, experience, anticipation, all those things. But just having a chance to do it has been a big, big plus for him and as he’s gotten more opportunity, he’s gotten better, he’s gotten more comfortable with his teammates, they’ve gotten more comfortable with him, communication, recognizing things, making adjustments, it’s that type of thing. It’s been a combination of all of those, but just having him out there on a daily basis and him getting the opportunity to do it has been beneficial to him and certainly the rest of the secondary.”
-Head Coach Bill Belichick
Cardinals:
per Patriots.com
On facing the Patriots
“A hard fighting team. They’re going to fight to the last whistle. We’ve got to come out there and we’ve got to throw the first blows. We’ve got to out-physical them.” – Cardinals Wide Receiver Hollywood Brown
“It’s fun. You’ve got to love playing against the Patriots. They’re definitely going to have some stuff in their hat they haven’t pulled out against you.” – Cardinals Wide Receiver DeAndre Hopkins
“You never really know what to expect. They could do one thing one week and switch it up the next depending on who they’re playing. Tons of respect for what they do. At the end of the day we have to focus on us and go out there and execute.” – Cardinals Quarterback Kyler Murray
“Week to week they’re so creative in what they do defensively and offensively. They’re going to attack your weaknesses and they’re going to find mismatches and go from there.” – Cardinals Head Coach Kliff Kingsbury
Broadcast information
From patriots.com
TELEVISION: This week’s game will be broadcast by ESPN and can be seen locally on WBZ-TV Channel 4. Joe Buck will handle play-by-play duties with Troy Aikman as the color analyst. Lisa Salters will provide analysis from the sidelines. The game will be produced by Phil Dean and directed by Jimmy Platt.
NATIONAL RADIO: Monday’s game will be broadcast to a national audience on Westwood One Sports. Kevin Harlan will call the game with Kurt Warner providing analysis.
LOCAL RADIO: 98.5 The Sports Hub is the flagship station for the Patriots Radio Network. Play-by-play broadcaster Bob Socci will call the action along with former Patriots quarterback Scott Zolak, who will provide color analysis. The games are produced by Marc Cappello.
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My name is Ben Belford-Peltzman and I am the creator and writer of The Patriots Beat. I am a 17-year kid who is an optimistic pessimist about the City of Champions. I started The Patriots Beat in August of 2022 and never expected to grow so much but here we are. Feel free to email Thepatriotsbeat@gmail.com with any inquires.
