Week 5 Preview: Buffalo Bills (4-0) vs. Arizona Cardinals (2-2)
By Scott Allen
When/Where: 1:00 PM, University of Phoenix Stadium
TV/Radio: CBS 5/KTAR-FM 92.3 Sirius Radio 123 (Arizona), 122 (Radio)
The undfeated Buffalo Bills come to Glendale today to face a Cardinals team that is coming off consecutive road losses and is still holding on to first place in the weak NFC West. This is only the second home game for the Cardinals this season, but it is the first of two straight weeks at home. Next week they will play Dallas at home.
Key matchup: Arizona offense, notably Kurt Warner and Steve Breaston, against the Buffalo secondary. Warner has a chance to redeem himself after throwing three interceptions and fumbling twice last week in New York. His second receiver today will be Steve Breaston, who is taking up the slot vacated by the injured Anquan Boldin. Breaston had a career high 9 catches for 122 yards last week in the loss to the Jets. The Bills secondary is beat up a little as well. It should be interesting to see if Warner will be able to find open receivers and put points on the board without giving some up to the BIlls by turning the ball over.
The game is a sellout, continuing the streak started when the move was made across town from Tempe to Glendale. So the fans should be out in full force and the Cardinals will need every one of them to get them back over .500. It’s a great week to take advantage and vault themselves back into first place on their own. Seattle is in the Meadowlands to play the Giants, although they will receive the services of both starting receivers Bobby Engram and Deion Branch for the first time this season. That will still be a tough place for them to win. San Francisco has an equally tough task, albeit at home, against the New England Patriots. St. Louis is off on a bye week, not that it matters anyways.
Prediction: Buffalo is still going to be tough and it’s going to be close. I’ve been swaying back and forth about which way I would go. I predicted a Cardinals victory earlier in the week and it wasn’t real popular with some, then I put my money down in my football pools on Buffalo. News came out Friday that Adrian Wilson and Bertrand Berry wouldn’t play. I thought Wilson would at least be able to go. I’m back on Buffalo taking this close game. Buffalo wins 30-27. However I still of course hope the Cards can take the Bills by the horn and find a way to win. Good teams find ways to win, not to lose.
Go Cards!
Scott Allen
AZScott