The Arizona Cardinals will face the Jacksonville Jaguars at 2:05 p.m. at State Farm Stadium on Sunday. The Cardinals enter the game losing seven of their last eight games and two straight divisional games by an average of more than 20 points.
The Jaguars come in after blowing out the Los Angeles Chargers last week, but Jacksonville lost three of its previous four games before Week 11’s win.
What Major Injuries Will Affect Cardinals vs. Jaguars?
Both sides have some key injuries for Sunday’s matchup. The Cardinals will be without linebacker Mack Wilson Sr. for the third straight game, and the Jaguars will be without defensive end Travon Walker.
Both sides will also be without their top receivers, Marvin Harrison Jr. for Arizona, and Brian Thomas Jr. for Jacksonville.
The Cardinals will also be without two other defensive starters and two running backs, making them very thin in those areas, but the Jaguars come in almost just as beat up.
All these injuries mean other guys will need to step up. The Cardinals will need receiver Michael Wilson and tight end Trey McBride to step up in the passing game and Bam Knight to carry the load in the backfield.
It’ll be rookie linebacker Cody Simon wearing the green dot on defense, once again. The Cardinals are hopeful Will Johnon and Garrett Williams will play, who are both questionable.
The Jaguars will need Parker Washington, Brenton Strange, and Jakobi Meyers to step up in the passing game with Thomas and Travis Hunter out, and Jacksonville should lean on Travis Etienne in the run game.
Cardinals Will Win If They Don’t Turn the Ball Over
The Cardinals and Jaguars are about as evenly matched on the offensive side of the ball as it comes, especially with both teams missing a couple of key weapons.
The main difference is the Cardinals’ turnovers. The Jaguars are good at not turning the ball over, but they’re even better at forcing turnovers.
Jacksonville is ranked No. 3 in turnover percentage and turnovers forced in the NFL, according to PFSN’s Defense Impact.
Arizona had been good about that this season until the last couple of weeks. The Cardinals now rank No. 22 in turnover percentage and No. 19 in straight turnovers, according to PFSN’s Offense Impact, and they’ve had three turnovers each of the last two weeks.
Thirteen of the Jaguars’ 18 turnovers forced this season have been interceptions. Brissett will need to play smart on Sunday and not force throws for Arizona to win.
Another big category to watch is third and fourth-down conversions. The Cardinals rank No. 7 in the NFL in converting third- and fourth-down plays (44.7%), while the Jaguars’ defense allows those conversions at the ninth-highest rate in the league (43.5%).
The Cardinals Will Lose If They Fall Behind Early
This has become the Cardinals’ narrative the last two weeks. Arizona has dug itself a hole too big to climb out of early on.
Arizona fell 35-0 against the Seattle Seahawks in Week 10 and then 25-10 against the San Francisco 49ers in Week 11. The Cardinals need to start fast in Week 12.
The Jaguars have the second-worst sack rate in the NFL, according to PFSN’s Defense Impact. The Cardinals should be able to give Brissett some solid protection as long as Arizona’s not in drop-back mode every play.
But if the Cardinals fall into an early hole, that’s when Brissett would start pressing and forcing throws and play right in Jacksonville’s hands.
The Cardinals have lost seven of their last eight games, but there seemed to be a slight increase in confidence around the facility this week. Arizona has shown the ability to do things worthy of winning football games, but it’s just gotten in its own way with penalties and turnovers.
The Cardinals can’t get behind schedule straight out of the gate on Sunday, or all the doubts, worries, and pressure will seep in again, and that’s when it all goes awry.
Prediction: Cardinals Win, 27-24
Both teams have had very odd seasons. The Jaguars have been hard to read because one week they’ll beat the Kansas City Chiefs in prime time, but then they’ll barely beat the Las Vegas Raiders and give up 26 unanswered points to a Houston Texans team without their starting quarterback. However, Jacksonville responded with a blowout over an AFC playoff team last week.
On the other side, the Cardinals had the lead in the fourth quarter in six of their first seven games, but sat at 2-7. Now, they’ve lost back-to-back blowouts, but the team seems slyly confident heading into this week.
Arizona has shown the ability to move the ball with Wilson stepping up and McBride being his normal outstanding self. The defense hasn’t really had a chance to play well, even with all of its injuries, because of all the short fields it’s had to handle.
The Jaguars’ season has been up and down, and I feel the roller coaster continuing after last week’s big win.
If Will Johnson, Darius Robinson, and Garrett Williams suit up, I think the Cardinals’ defense could have a big afternoon. It would be the healthiest they’ve been since rookie Walter Nolen III made his NFL debut.
That was against the Dallas Cowboys, and it was Arizona’s best defensive performance of the season, according to PFSN’s Defense Impact.
Quarterback Trevor Lawrence has limited options, and Simon is only getting better with every game. I think, as long as Brissett takes care of the football, the Cardinals can win a close match.
The Cardinals will get their third win of the season with a 27-24 win over the Jaguars on Sunday.
