In Week 5 NFL Action, it’s the Cardinals vs Broncos Oct 5
By Ian Palmer
NFL Match Up: Arizona (1st – NFC West) at Denver (2nd – AFC West) at Sports Authority Field at Mile High KICK OFF – 4:05 PM ET
After enjoying a week off, the Arizona Cardinals and Denver Broncos return to NFL action on Sunday, October 5 when they meet at Sports Authority Field in Denver. Both teams have gotten off to fine starts this season and this should be one of the best week five NFL match ups.
NFL Betting Line from bet365:
Spread: Arizona (+7.5) at 20/23, Denver (-7.5) at 20/21
Over/Under: 47.5 points 10/11
To Win: Arizona 11/4, Denver 2/7
Head to Head: Over is 4-0 in the past four encounters
Match up Summary: The Broncos and Cardinals are back in action after a week off. Arizona’s 3-0 while Denver’s sitting at 2-1. Denver is 0-3 against the spread so far this season. They failed to cover as the 8.5-point favorite at home against the Colts and as 13-point favorites at home against Kansas City. Their offense has averaged just 25 points per game this season and could be in trouble against the Arizona secondary which is led by Patrick Peterson. Arizona QB Carson Palmer hopes to be able to play.
Arizona Cardinals
Overall Record: 3-0
Record Against the Spread (won-lost-push): 2-1-0
Home Record: 2-0
Away Record: 1-0
Over/Under Record: 0-3-0
Key Injuries:
Carson Palmer, QB – Questionable – shoulder – Day to day
Antonio Cromartie, DB – Questionable – knee – Day to day
Rob Housler, TE – Questionable – hip – Likely will not play
John Abraham, LB – I.R – concussion – Out for season
Jonathan Dwyer, RB – I.R – illness – Out for season
Frostee Rucker, DL – Questionable – calf – Status uncertain
Kevin Minter, LB – Probable – quadriceps – Likely will play
Darnell Dockett, DL – I.R – knee surgery – Out for season
Lyle Sendlein, C – Probable – ankle – Likely will play
Larry Foote, LB – Probable – shoulder – Likely will play
Daryl Washington, LB – Suspended – Return 2015?
Alex Okafor, LB – Out – thigh – Week to week
Eddie Whitley, DB – I.R
Dave Zastudil, P – Out – groin – Week to week
The Cardinals have surprised a lot of people by boasting a perfect 3-0 record to kick off the 2014 campaign, especially since the team is missing several key players due to injury or suspension. They also lost a few players to free agency during the off-season. Outside linebacker John Abraham is out for the season as is defensive end Darnell Docket. Linebacker Karlos Dansby took off and joined the Cleveland Browns as a free agent and linebacker Daryl Washington is sitting out with a suspension. Also, quarterback Carson Palmer sat out the last two games with a nerve problem, but he’s hoping to be back to face Denver.
The Cardinals have played well through the adversity though and backup quarterback Drew Stanton has done a pretty good job while filling in for Palmer. Defensively, Arizona was sixth-best in the league in yards allowed after week three even though they took on some good offenses in the San Francisco 49ers, the San Diego Chargers, and New York Giants. Stanton hasn’t stood on his head as his passing percentage is just 51.6, but he hasn’t been picked off in his two starts. If Palmer is able to play he should help boost the team’s passing attack since it’s averaging only 230 yards a game.
Wide receiver Michael Floyd is leading the way with 252 yards so far this year while rookie John Brown has 109 along with three touchdowns and Larry Fitzgerald has chipped in with 107 yards. Brown has been quite impressive in week three when he caught a pair of touchdown passes in the second half to help Arizona come from behind to beat San Francisco. On the ground, running back Andre Ellington has been averaging 4.5 yards on each carry.
Arizona’s secondary will need to have a good game in Denver if they hope to leave with a win. They’ve allowed an average of 245 yards against them in the air. However, they’ve also managed an interception in each of their three contests. Denver quarterback Peyton Manning has been picked off just once this season though.
Denver:
Denver Broncos
Overall Record: 2-1
Record Against the Spread (won-lost-push): 0-3-0
Home Record: 2-0
Away Record: 0-1
Over/Under Record: 1-2-0
Key Injuries:
Virgil Green, TE – Out – concussion
Matt Prater, K – Suspended – Return Week 6
Jordan Norwood, WR – I.R – knee surgery – Out for season
Danny Trevathan, LB – Questionable – leg – Likely will not play
John Youboty, DL – I.R – achilles – Out for season
Lerentee McCray, LB – Out – knee – Week to week
Manning brought his team back from the brink of defeat two weeks ago in a rematch of the 2014 Super Bowl against the Seattle Seahawks. The Broncos were down by eight points with 51 seconds to go in the game and didn’t have any timeouts left. Denver managed to tie the game, but were then beaten in overtime. However, it was a huge improvement over their embarrassing Super Bowl loss earlier this year. Manning has been on fire so far in 2014 with eight touchdown passes. Tight end Julian Thomas has been on the receiving end of five of them. Manning has also been throwing to wide receiver Emmanuel Sanders and they’ve combined for 338 yards in the team’s three games.
The passing defense is the weak spot on the Broncos though. They’re second-worst in the league when it comes to passing yards allowed at an average of 285.3 per game. The only team worse is the woeful Jacksonville Jaguars. If Palmer’s back in the lineup for Arizona the Broncos will definitely have to improve in this area.