NFL Arizona CardinalsAtlanta Falcons

Predicting the Final Score of Arizona Cardinals vs. Atlanta Falcons

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By @Kramerica100

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The Arizona Cardinals travel to take on the Atlanta Falcons in a battle of division leaders. That means this should be a big game between two pretty even teams. That is, unless, one of the teams plays in the NFC South. Atlanta would be five games back and in last place if they were in the same division as Arizona.

These teams couldn’t be any more dissimilar from one another. Arizona has won games because of their defense while Atlanta’s defense ranks dead last in the league. On average, the Falcons give up 70 more yards per game than the Cardinals.

The other side of the ball would figure to favor Atlanta since they have Matt Ryan, Julio Jones and Roddy White. The problem of course, is that you need an offensive line to allow those players to do anything. So, while the Falcons have outgained the Cardinals on offense, they haven’t outscored them by much. Arizona’s defense will not be a welcoming sight to the much-maligned Falcons offensive line. The Cardinals have brought pressure as much as any team in the league, and you’d figure that trend will continue even more so this week.

However, Atlanta does have a chance to exploit the blitz-heavy Cardinals with Ryan under center. He has been one of the most accurate quarterbacks on blitzing plays throughout his career. A few plays to Jones in open space could be a difference maker for Atlanta.

The biggest question mark for Arizona is of course Drew Stanton. He has yet to throw a touchdown pass in his three previous road starts this season. Also, his completion rate is under 50 percent in those games. Getting Larry Fitzgerald back for this game would be a big help, but it doesn’t appear that he will be ready to go on Sunday.

The Cardinals need to find a way to get Andre Ellington and their running game going. Only the Oakland Raiders are averaging less rushing yards per game than the Cardinals this year. Playing against the Falcons’ run defense will certainly be a good opportunity to get the ground game on track.

Most signs point to the Cardinals winning this game rather easily, but it’s never easy to pick against the better quarterback at home. However, it’s equally difficult to pick Mike Smith to win any game, especially against one of the NFL‘s best coaches in Bruce Arians. I think that the Falcons’ home crowd will help keep the game close, but then each team will revert to their winning and losing ways.

Score Prediction: Cardinals 20, Falcons 17

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