Cardinals-Patriots early look: What to know about the Pats’ Week 11 loss
The Arizona Cardinals’ Week 12 opponent are the New England Patriots. The Pats are coming off a 27-20 loss to the lowly Houston Texans. What is there we can learn from the loss about the Cardinals’ matchup this coming weekend?
Deshaun Watson had a big game
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How well might Kyler Murray do in the passing game against the Patriots? Based on what Watson did, Murray could have a huge game. Watson completed 28-of-37 passes for 344 yards and a pair of touchdowns, good for a passer rating of 121.9. He also rushed for 36 yards and a touchdown. As Murray has had many games with both passing and rushing touchdowns, it looks like he could have similar success.
The Pats had little pass rush
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Watson had been sacked 26 times in nine games this season entering the Texans' game against the Patriots. Getting to him hasn't been a problem. The Pats barely touched him. They had no sacks and only hit him twice. The Cardinals had a bad game against the Seahawks last week but have been great about protecting Murray. He should have time to throw if Sunday's game teaches us anything.
Multiple receivers hurt the Pats
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It wasn't just one receiver who had a big game against New England. Houston had four different receivers with at least four receptions and 80 yards. Perhaps we see three different Arizona receivers put up good numbers.
Cam Newton was pressured
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The Cardinals will want to get pressure on Cam Newton. The Texans were able to on Sunday. Newton was saved twice and hit eight times. Left tackle Isaiah Wynn got hurt on Sunday so New England might have to do some shuffling on the offensive line, which will benefit the Cardinals.
Cardinals D-linemen need to get ther hands up
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J.J. Watt batted down four passes on Sunday. He is one of the best at it but that does give the Cardinals' defensive linemen something to consider. They should be able to get their hands on the ball.
Watch out for Damiere Byrd?
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Cardinals fans will recognize Byrd, who played for Arizona last season. No one will mistake him for a big-time player, but he had a career game against the Texans. He caught 6 passes for 132 yards and a touchdown. He also added an 11-yard run.
The Pats moved the ball
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Despite the loss, the Pats were still able to move the ball. They piled up 435 yards of offense against the Texans. The Cardinals have been giving up more yards than in some previous weeks, so it is something to watch. Listen to the latest from Cards Wire's Jess Root on his podcast, Rise Up, See Red. Subscribe on Apple podcasts or Spotify. Latest show:
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