The Arizona Cardinals are 6-0 and preparing for a home matchup against the Houston Texans in Week 7.
The Arizona Cardinals have an unblemished record, and the Houston Texans have been among the NFL’s worst since their Week 1 victory against the Jaguars. But, these are the kinds of games the Cardinals routinely struggle with. Even as heavy favorites, the Cardinals have let teams currently at or below .500 hang with them.
Ironically, you can’t say the same about those with winning records, like the Los Angeles Rams, Tennessee Titans, and Cleveland Browns. All of whom they have beaten handily over the season’s first six weeks, and all of whom were playoff teams in 2020.
Today, we’re talking about three bold predictions regarding Arizona and their matchup against the Texans. And yes, we will talk a bit about how the Cardinals like to play down to weaker opponents, though with Houston, we may witness an outlier.
Let’s discover what can possibly happen in this larger-than-advertised matchup.
Watt and Hopkins will score
You can’t call this one a homecoming, exactly, since it’s taking place on the west coast. However, J.J. Watt and DeAndre Hopkins will be facing the Texans for the first time in their careers. They traded Hopkins to the Cardinals in a lopsided trade during the 2020 offseason for the ailing David Johnson. Then Watt signed with the Cardinals in 2021, surprising the entire league.
Not every future Hall of Famer or former franchise cornerstone has played well as a member of the Cardinals in the past. Emmitt Smith had a nightmare of a performance against his former team back in 2003, and he’s one of a few you can place here.
But Hopkins remains in the middle of his prime and is Kyler Murray‘s most reliable target. Watt is past his prime, but he’s still one of the league’s best. Coming into the game, he ranks 12th among 122 qualifying defensive linemen, with a 77.3 grade on Pro Football Focus.
Look for the duo to make a statement against their former team, with Hopkins bringing in one through the air and Watt taking a fumble to the house. The Cardinals have evolved into one of the league’s best teams, and Watt and Hopkins have played a substantial role.
Pass rush gets to Mills
The Cardinals turned Baker Mayfield’s outing into a nightmare last week in Cleveland. Mayfield, playing with an injured shoulder, was also playing without his offensive tackles, Jedrick Wills and Jack Conklin. Mills is in a similar situation, playing without Laremy Tunsil and Marcus Cannon.
With a patchwork line, plus the return of Chandler Jones this week, look for the Cardinals’ pass rush to seek out Mills often. Mills, who has been up and down so far in 2020, isn’t just facing the unfortunate event of having lost his best tackles; he’s still adjusting to the NFL after playing in just a handful of college games.
Not a good combination, especially with the Cardinals pass rush shining as one of the best in football. Mills also has a pedestrian backfield behind him. We mentioned Johnson earlier, but they also have an aging Mark Ingram and an underperforming Phillip Lindsay. That said, look for the Cardinals to force the Texans to pass early, and Mills will find himself on the run all afternoon.
Cardinals win by three touchdowns
This shouldn’t be a bold prediction. But considering the fact the Cardinals love squeaking out victories against weaker teams means that an “easy win” prediction is a rather bold heading into Sunday. Look for the Cardinals to win this one by at least three touchdowns and put the Texans away early.
The Cardinals, who have averaged 32.3 points per game heading into this week’s contest, should clear the 35-point barrier. The Texans have scored 92 points all season, with 58 of them coming during the first two weeks of the season before Tyrod Taylor landed on IR.
The Texans have scored just 8.5 points per game over Mills’s first four starts. And with the Cardinals’ defense allowing just 33 points over the past three weeks (11.3 points per game), this one will get ugly early. Even for the Cardinals, who, again, love playing down to their opponents. It won’t happen in this one simply because the Texans are having issues all over the field, as their points per game indicate.
As for their points allowed per game since Mills took over? 120 points, or 30 points allowed per game. And three of those games have come against teams either at .500 or with losing records.