Week Two Preview: Arizona vs. Jacksonville
By Scott Allen
Week two. First road game for the Arizona Cardinals as they take on the Jacksonville Jaguars. Both the Cards and Jags will be looking to avenge week one losses. The Cards will once agin be fighting the notion thay they can’t win on the east coast. Something will give on Sunday and one of these teams will pull even at 1-1.
Match-up to watch: Jags running back Maurice Jones-Drew vs. Arizona front four. The Jags become very one dimensional if the Cards defensive front four can stop Jones-Drew. The only way that the Jacksonville offense will be able to open up is if Jones-Drew is allowed to run free. The Cards did a great job of stopping the 49’ers Frank Gore last week in the opener.
The M*A*S*H unit: That’s exactly what the Cards receivers have become, a mobile hospital. Both Anquan Boldin and Steve Breaston will be less than 100% on Sunday. Breaston practiced fully on Friday, but will still be a gameday decision. Boldin may be in the same predicament. We may not know who will line up at receiver for the Cards until game time, so beware fantasy owners, which I guess includes myself since I have Breaston. As of right now, I’ve placed Breaston on my bench until I know he is for sure going to play.
The stats: Loser of this game take note, as only 14% of teams that fall to 0-2 go ahead to the playoffs since 1992. If Jacksonville goes to 0-2 though, only those in attendance will have to endure the pain. The game has been blacked out in Jacksonville and will only be seen by people in Arizona and parts of southern California.
Scott Allen