MNF: Cardinals vs Patriots Prediction and Game Thread

The Arizona Cardinals host the New England Patriots on Monday Night Football

Monday Night Football, Week 14. Tonight we have the Arizona Cardinals hosting the New England Patriots in a game the Patriots desperately need to keep pace in the AFC wild card race.

The 4-8 Arizona Cardinals come into this game losers of four of their last five and six of their last eight games. It has not been pretty, as the Cardinals’ defense has completely collapsed, allowing more points per game than any NFL team. The Cardinals have a brutal 1-6 record at home this season, a result, in part, of a brutal home schedule featuring five playoff contenders and three of the four or five best teams in the NFL. This is a Cardinals team that can run the ball and pass the ball a little bit, but is not truly good at anything. With little to play for, as the playoffs are a distant fantasy at this point, it is possible the Cardinals will fold down the stretch.

The 6-6 New England Patriots come into this game losers of two straight games. The Patriots do nothing on offense particularly well, as they have struggled all season moving the ball on the ground and through the air. The Patriots’ calling card has been their defense, which was formidable before giving up 57 points over the last two games. A bad Cardinals team might be just what the doctor ordered for a Patriots team that needs a win to keep pace in the wild card race. However, the Patriots have not been a particularly good road team in recent years, and running quarterbacks have given Bill Belichick’s man coverage defense fits. Lamar Jackson and Josh Allen have owned the Patriots recently. Kyler Murray is not in the same class, but his outstanding running ability is difficult to deal with when cornerbacks in man coverage turn their backs on the offense. This game could be more of a challenge for the Patriots than most think.

The Patriots have won four of the last five meetings between these two teams. The Patriots are favored to keep that success going, but it’s not easy going cross country, the Cardinals are coming off their bye and have had two weeks to prepare, the Patriots are missing their best receiver in Jakobi Myers, and Kyler Murray’s legs just might be the difference here. I’m taking the Cardinals to pull off the upset here. I have submitted my pick using the widget from our partners at Tallysight. You can follow all my picks throughout the season, as I prove for another season how I’m not made to be a gambler. Seriously, I cannot stress enough how bad an idea it would be to bet real money based on my picks. Don’t do it. Don’t even consider it. Make your own picks, and good luck. And if you do bet, consider using our friends at DraftKings Sportsbook.