Arizona Cardinals won’t get chance to be first to beat Bengals

The Arizona Cardinals will face the Cincinnati Bengals with one loss under their belt

If Monday night was an indication, the Arizona Cardinals might not have as much of a problem against the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday Night Football next week as first thought.  The Bengals took their first loss of the season on Monday Night Football to the Houston Texans, 10-6.

It would have been nice to see the Bengals come in undefeated, however it still resonates as a huge game for both teams.  It might be even bigger for the Bengals now.

Cincinnati quarterback Andy Dalton had a rough night against Houston.  He went 22-38 for 197 yards but threw one interception and did not throw a touchdown.  The Bengals running game was shut down too.  They managed 73 yards on the ground Monday night.

So what does this mean for the Cardinals?  It might mean having to be even more focused now that Cincinnati has the undefeated monkey off their back.  The pressure might be off a bit and they will be looking to get quickly back on track.  I believe though the Cardinals defense will be up to the task.

The Cardinals defense remains number three in the NFL, giving up 316.1 yards-per-game this season.  The trouble may not be on defense for the Cardinals but the offense.

Despite the Cardinals leading the NFL now in offense at 421.1 yards-per-game, the Bengals defense still had a good night against Houston.  Houston managed just 256 yards against the Bengals defense.

For a moment in the fourth quarter of Monday night’s game I was kind of half-wondering if the NFL could un-flex this game.  Then I thought this would actually be a great chance for the Cardinals to dominate if the Bengals are going to play this lackluster.

I don’t expect the Bengals to come out on Sunday night like they did tonight though.  They will be ready to play.  Anything less would be disappointing.  The Cardinals need to continue receiving challenges from their opposition.