The Arizona Cardinals will be on the road this Sunday for a Week 17 battle against the Atlanta Falcons.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!Both teams will be playing with backup quarterbacks, David Blough for Arizona, and Desmond Ridder for Atlanta.
These two quarterbacks have a combined starting record of 0-7, meaning one is due for that first official NFL win.
Additionally, neither team has any hopes of making the playoffs; on the one hand, the Cardinals are in the midst of a five-game losing streak, and on the other, the Falcons are currently riding a four-game losing streak.
Injuries
Along with missing their starting and backup quarterbacks, the Cardinals will be without their top wide receiver in DeAndre Hopkins.
This is Hopkins’ first game out this season since coming off his sixth week suspension. As a result, Arizona has brought up Andre Baccellia from the practice squad, who has played in six games this year.
Also, CB Antonio Hamilton will miss his fifth game of the season, and DL Zach Allen is out with a hand injury; it will be his second straight game on the sidelines.
For Atlanta, G Chuma Edoga, TE Feleipe Franks, and S Jovante Moffatt are all unavailable due to injuries.
The entire injury report can be found below.Â
Cardinals @ Falcons odds, over/under, ML
- Spread: -6 Falcons (-110), +6 Cardinals (-110)
- Over/under: 41
- ML: Falcons (-260), Cardinals (+220),
- Time & channel: 11:00 AM Arizona time, Fox Sports
All odds via DraftKings Sportsbook
Prediction: Falcons 17, Cardinals 13
A high scoring game would be absolutely shocking given the situation at quarterback on both sides.
While it is difficult to predict how David Blough will do for the Cardinals, having not started a game since 2019, one can expect he will be a bit rusty.
Desmond Ridder did not exactly play badly during Week 16, as he threw for 218 yards and no interceptions, however, his offensive weapons are completely limited.
The Cardinals’ defense has begun to improve late this year, which was showcased last week against Tom Brady and the Buccaneers.
This defense may be Arizona’s only hope of pulling off an upset in a game where touchdowns will already be hard to come by.
Expect both teams to focus on the running game and maybe some trickery from the head coaches playing with nothing to lose.
