For the Baltimore Ravens, this game represents a way to pretend they’ll still be a factor in the AFC playoff race. For the Arizona Cardinals, it’s the chance to add a few more marks to that paper champions moniker they earned with a bad loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers last week.
Scroll on down for the live blog. Read on for some preview information.
First up, here’s my pick from my Friday Afternoon Quarterback column.
Monday Night
Baltimore at Arizona (-8)
Good God, when does the flex scheduling start? The Cardinals proved they were paper champions last week with a pathetic loss to the Ben Roethlisberger-less Steelers. The Ravens did even worse, losing to the 49ers and making Colin Kaepernick look like he didn’t accidentally stumble out onto the field after being discovered in the melting ice fields of the Arctic and accidentally unfrozen by scientists. Bruce Arians will do his damndest to make this one ugly, fast. Cardinals 44, Ravens 27
Here are the two entries from my NFL Power Rankings on each team.
8. Arizona Cardinals – (4-2) The loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers (on their third quarterback no less) exposed the Cardinals as the pretenders they are. The NFC West is a wide open race now and if the Cards are looking older by the second. It’s like they picked the wrong grail. Last week: No. 6
31. Baltimore Ravens – (1-5) The Ravens right now are a Michael Vick one-yard run (and multiple Josh Scobee kicks) away from being 0-6. I picked them to go the Super Bowl. I am getting paid for this. Last week: No. 21
And here’s the Get More Sports preview for the game.
Two of the league’s early-season leaders will be on display, as Justin Forsett and the Baltimore Ravens (1-5) visit University of Phoenix Stadium to meet Carson Palmer and the Arizona Cardinals (4-2). The game will begin Monday, Oct 26 at 8:30 p.m. ET and can be seen on ESPN.
Arizona lost to the Steelers 25-13 last week. John Brown had an outstanding performance in the loss, totaling 10 catches for 196 yards. Carson Palmer also had a big day, contributing 421 yards and a TD through the air. Baltimore came up short as well, getting beat by the 49ers 25-20. Steve Smith Sr. had a big game for the Ravens, totaling seven catches for 137 yards and one TD.
Arizona is a considerable seven-point favorite in this game and the Over/Under (O/U) is set at 49 points.
The Cardinals enter the game with a current record of 4-2 Straight Up (SU) and Against The Spread (ATS) this season. They rank second in the league with 33.3 points per game at home. The Cardinals passing game will face below-average pass coverage. The Ravens currently rank 27th in the NFL with 286.2 passing yards allowed per game. Transitioning to the Arizona defense, there are some factors that could impact the outcome. The Ravens will be matching up against a skilled Arizona pass defense, which allowed 198.2 passing yards over their last five matchups. The Ravens need to watch out for Arizona’s fiery pass coverage, which averages the most interceptions with 1.8 per game. Arizona starts games swiftly, averaging 7.5 points in the first quarter. Arizona has only earned an average of 6.3 penalties per game on the season, making them one of the least penalized teams in the league (fourth).
As for their opponent, the Ravens have a record of 0-5-1 ATS and 1-5 SU. The Ravens try to throw often. On average, they pass 41.3 times per game. Lately, the Ravens’s rush defense has made improvements. They’re allowing only 99.6 rushing YPG over their last five matchups.
Predictions: SU Winner – Ari, ATS Winner – Ari, O/U – Over
The game is on ESPN at 8:25 p.m. Watch it with me. I’ll do my best to be more entertaining than what looks to be a pretty bad game.
