There’s no such thing as a must-win game in Week 7 for playoff purposes, but this certainly feels like it.
Last week, the Arizona Cardinals’ offense scored three points against the league’s 31st-ranked defense in Seattle. It was a miserable showing for a team that is supposed to be one of the league’s top offenses, supplemented by the least expensive (by cap) defenses in the NFL.
Of course, Thursday marks the return of All-Pro wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins. He’ll surely make the team much better, but Kliff Kingsbury and Kyler Murray must correct the mistakes of the season so far.
Let’s dive into it.
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Arizona's offense vs. New Orleans' defense
Prior to last week’s showing in Seattle, this would seem like a home-run matchup for the Cardinals.
New Orleans’ secondary was absolutely torched by Joe Burrow and the Bengals last week. They are going to be without four-time Pro Bowl cornerback Marshon Lattimore for the second straight game, which bodes well for DeAndre Hopkins to get back to a fast start.
The Saints still have a very good pass rush, which kept them in the game with the Bengals until the very end. The offensive line for the Cards will once again be without center Rodney Hudson and guard Justin Pugh.
The pass protection was abysmal against a very mediocre Seahawks pass rush, so that will have to be buttoned up for the Cardinals to have any success moving forward.
The Cardinals acquired wide receiver Robbie Anderson on Monday with the news that Marquise Brown will miss at least a month with a foot injury. It’s a low-risk, high-reward move and Anderson figures to see some action come Thursday.
For the Cardinals to have success, they must hold up long enough in pass protection early on. Kyler Murray was under duress all day against Seattle and the unit will need to prevent that from carrying over, particularly early in the game.
If they can do that, the matchup of DeAndre Hopkins against Bradley Roby is very favorable for Arizona. Roby gave up a huge outing to Ja’Marr chase last week, who had 132 receiving yards and two touchdowns overall last week.
New Orleans' offense vs. Arizona's defense
The Saints have yet to name a starting quarterback for this week and won’t until Thursday. Jameis Winston is cleared to return from injury, but veteran Andy Dalton has looked very good in his last two starts, so there is a decision to be made there.
Last week, the Saints had a very effective rushing day from Alvin Kamara and Mark Ingram, which led to them scoring 26 points. It was impressive, especially considering they were down their top three wideouts in Michael Thomas, Chris Olave and Jarvis Landry.
Thomas and Landry will miss this game, but Olave is set to return. The rookie has been fantastic this season and poses a tough task for cornerback Byron Murphy.
Arizona’s defense has been very good, as a number of young players have stepped up and made an impact. They’ve held their last four opponents to 20 points or less, and unfortunately for them, the team is 1-3 in that stretch.
If the Cardinals can shut down the run, which they did well up until last week, they’ll once again put their offense in a fantastic position to win the game. Without Thomas and Landry, the Saints’ passing offense will be limited against what’s been a good cornerback group for the Cardinals.
There’s always the wild card in Taysom Hill to watch out for as well.
Injuries
Cardinals:
- WR Marquise Brown (OUT)
- OLB Dennis Gardeck (OUT)
- C Rodney Hudson (OUT)
- LG Justin Pugh (OUT)
- RB Darrel Williams (OUT)
- RB James Conner (Questionable)
- K Matt Prater (Questionable)
- S Jalen Thompson (Questionable)
Saints:
- WR Michael Thomas (OUT)
- WR Jarvis Landry (OUT)
- G Andreas Peat (OUT)
- TE Adam Trauman (OUT)
- CB Marshon Lattimore (OUT)
