The More I look into this AZ Game...

[BUFFALOTONE]

Hightower has also been great in the backfield this year. Boldin will not play this week. We have to pressure Kurt into throwing when he doesn't want to. He rarely throws to the receiver rather he throws to a spot that he should be. If we can press their WR and disrupt this timing we can win the turnover battle and make some big plays.

 

The match up is going to be Fitz against Greer or McKelvin. I doubt they put the rook on him but it will be a great learning experience.

[The Big Cat]

I'm at the point where I don't care if the other team is playing desperate, to save the coach, to get off the snide or to get a win before a perceived tougher opponet arrives on the schedule. So far, this team has proven that they'll overcome all of those obstacles and get the "W."

 

I don't think Arizona has a snowball's chance in the desert of winning against the Bills.

 

You know, at the beginning of the year, when this game was still just on the radar, I made the point that the 08 Cardinals, while improving, aren't there yet. Don't get me wrong, the 08 Bills who are ALSO improving, are ALSO not there yet. The difference being how far each team has progressed. IMO, having to play NE 2 x's a year and having one of the "hardest schedules in the league" in 06 and 07, and the 2007 injury parade have all greatly accelerated this team's progression.

 

If I had to quantify AZ's progression, I'd put them as far along as the Bills were in the second half of 06.

[Kelly the Dog]

The Cards are a team that you just cannot trust to do anything, good or bad. Just when you think they suck, they're good. Just when you think they're good, they suck. They are, however, much, much better at home than on the road. This will be a very tough game for the Bills. Losing Boldin will really hurt them if he cannot play. I would take the Boldin for McGee out for a game trade any day, even though McGee is good.

 

I think the Cards are going to find a way to win but I really don't feel strongly either way. The Bills could blow them out, too, if thing start to go bad for them. I'm not sold on Wisenhunt at all. And these are the Cardinals, after all. They could lose to the Bills and then beat the Cowboys.

[Captain Hindsight]

one advantage we have is that AZ will have no clips of how we will defend a pass happy team. All of our opponents thus far have featured a running attack which we have always shut down. Seattle may be their only tape that could tell them how we are going to play

 

We already know what they are going to do, that gives us a big advantage

[Astrobot]

The more confident I feel.

 

The roof will be closed (as confirmed by CB's blog on bb.com). Crowd noise will be the only deterrent in this game, and frankly I'm not really worried about crowd noise. Trent has been known to peform best under idealic weather conditions, advantage Bills.

 

Arizona has beaten the Niners and the Dolphins. They've lost to the Redskins and the Jets. IMO, Jax, Seattle, and Oakland are all better than SF/Dolphins. I believe Jax is better than the Jets, I think the Jets are even with Seattle and Oakland. We've done better against better opponents, advantage Bills.

 

Believe it or not, this could be a trap game for AZ. Coming off two straight losses, their next two opponents are us/Dallas. Dropping four in a row to finish week 6 does not bode well for a team trying to contend. Even though they can't afford to lose this game, they DEFINITELY can't afford to drop two in a row, and it's not going to get any easier when the Cowgirls come to town.

 

Buffalo is currently one of the highest ranked teams in the NFL when it comes to defending the pass. Allowing only 168 yards a game (147 if you subtract the 84 yard fluke- a subtraction which moves our league ranking from 6th to 3rd), Buffalo imposes a threat to Arizona's greatest asset (they avg 290 yds a game through the air- good for 4th in the NFL). Combine those numbers with an AZ's abismal running attack (just 87 ypg) and the success we've shown stopping the run, I don't think this one goes the way of a shootout--

 

And that's too bad for Arizona considering the amount of points they've relinqueshed so far, giving up a 27th ranked 25.8 ppg. Compare that to Buffalo's 6th ranked 15.8 ppg, and it's going to be an uphill battle for a team used to exchanging blows.

 

I keep hearing how "dangerous" this Arizona team is, but I think a lot of this hype is fueled by the Boldin/Fitz duo (which may be in jeopardy). I remember people saying really early on that Arizona "has a defense now" but I'm just not seeing it. They can't run the ball, they're losing games to questionable opponents (NYJ), and they're simply not as well balanced through ALL three phases of the game.

 

Barring an orgy of turnovers and mental mistakes, Buffalo wins this one 28-17.

 

**I admit that the Jets game skews AZ's stats just a bit. But seriously, it was the friggin Jets.

 

I have to agree with you. Also, the Cards are vulnerable to the deep pass (as Favre found out). Evans has to be licking his chops.

[Zona]

I agree with Boatdrinks and others who stated that it comes down to our defense putting pressure on Warner. When he feels the heat, he makes the damndest decisions I have ever seen. Oh, and he turns the ball over VERY easily. I was hoping the Bills would be the beneficiaries of the 7 turnover game Warner has in him. He still may,since he seems to have bad stretches each season. But i want to see our defense get after Warner like we did against Seattle. stopping the run is secondary this week. Edgerin is not a homerun threat. He might break free for 15, but he wont take it the distance. We need to pin back our ears and chase the rabbit, he will cough it up...

 

our offense will not torch the Cards defense like the jets did, simply because we are to conservative. We wont throw 30 times, we will run 30. Cards are decent against the run. We should win, but we must force turnovers and get in Warners face all day long.