Cardinals Look to End Four-Game Skid Before Bye Week Against Packers
The Arizona Cardinals, 2-4, return home to the desert for a Week Seven matchup against the Green Bay Packers, 3-1-1, as Arizona looks to end its current four-game skid heading into its bye week in Week Eight. As if it wasn’t already a tough task ahead when trying to end their skid before, the Cardinals will yet again be faced with a tough foe as Green Bay comes into town with a winning record. However, if history proves to be right between these two teams, this game will likely be a competitive one, as each team has won five games apiece in the past 10 matchups. While the series remains competitive, it is worth noting that the Packers have won the past two matchups, including the most recent one last season, when they defeated Arizona 34-13 at Lambeau Field in Green Bay, Wisconsin.
In the Cardinals' most recent matchup, they traveled to Indianapolis to take on the Colts and ended up falling in a close 31-27 affair in Week Six. Heading into this matchup, it was widely expected that Indianapolis would cruise to another win at home, but Arizona put up quite a fight and forced the Colts to make a fourth-down stand to pull out the eventual win. Unlike every other Cardinals game this season, backup quarterback Jacoby Brissett got his first start with Arizona after starter Kyler Murray was ruled out with a foot injury. The now-10th-year journeyman quarterback kept the Cardinals in this game by throwing for 320 yards and two touchdowns. While Arizona lost this matchup, it did bring up the question of whether Brissett would be a better option for the Cardinals going forward, seeing as how Murray has performed up to this point. Brissett might get his second chance to try and get a win, as Murray is listed as questionable for Sunday’s contest after being a limited participant in practice all week. However, whether it be Brissett or Murray, it won’t be an easy task to pull out a win, as they prepare to face a Packers defense that is highlighted by star pass rusher Micah Parsons.
On the other side is Green Bay, which, while it has maintained a winning record, hasn’t been perfect so far. As depicted by their 3-1-1 record, the Packers have had games where they cruise to wins against teams like the Detroit Lions, Washington Commanders, and, most recently, the Cincinnati Bengals, but also showed signs of struggle in a loss to the Cleveland Browns and a tie against the Dallas Cowboys. Starting quarterback Jordan Love has been efficient for Green Bay through five games, as he holds a 70.1% completion percentage for 1,259 yards, nine touchdowns, and only two interceptions. On the ground, running back Josh Jacobs has also been a force with six rushing touchdowns on 359 rushing yards. Defensively, the aforementioned Parsons has been the name to watch, as he’s totaled 2.5 sacks so far. However, while Parsons draws attention from one side, the other name to watch is pass rusher Rashan Gary, who leads the Packers with 4.5 sacks. The matchup between Green Bay and Arizona will kick off at 4:25 p.m. EST Sunday from State Farm Stadium. The game will be televised on FOX.
