Arizona Cardinals vs New York Jets: Preview, prediction

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Oct 6, 2016; Santa Clara, CA, USA; Arizona Cardinals cornerback Marcus Cooper (41) carries the ball ahead of San Francisco 49ers tight end Garrett Celek (88) on a interception during the fourth quarter at Levi /

Keys to victory, Defense

The Arizona defense will be playing with some added motivation with former defensive coordinator Todd Bowles on the opposing sidelines. This motivation may not be needed because of the Jets’ struggles on offense.

Quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick has been hot and cold all season and leads the league in interceptions with 10. Moreover, if Arizona’s pass rush can put pressure on Fitzpatrick, it will give plenty of opportunities for the secondary to add to his interception total.

Furthermore, Jets receiver Eric Decker was placed on injured reserve earlier this week. To make matters worse for the “Amish Rifle,” Patrick Peterson will be shadowing Brandon Marshall for the game. Tyrann Mathieu will once again play in the nickel back role and should see much better results as he spends more time in that position.

Also, the front seven needs to put pressure on the Jets offensive line and force Fitzpatrick to rush his throws. Markus Golden is third in the league with 6 sacks and looks to add to this total. The Jets offensive line has only surrendered 9 sacks this season.

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