In week one there weren’t many teams that looked as bad as the Arizona Cardinals. Well, buckle up Bird Gang because the “experts” don’t think it’s going to get any better this weekend. The Arizona Cardinals will head to the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum to take on the Rams this Sunday. At this moment, the Cardinals are 13 point underdogs, and rightfully so. In a 24-6 loss against the Washington Redskins at home in week one, the Cardinals couldn’t do anything. If they couldn’t do anything – or stop anything – against the Redskins, what’s the Bird’s flight plan to pull off a win against a team many feel will be in this year’s Super Bowl? Let’s take a look.
- Plan 1 – Forget about last week. Do not let the disappointment in week one affect you mentally in week two. You’re facing a division rival who wants to make a statement about who currently runs the NFC West. If you come in soft, the game will be over before halftime. With leaders like Larry Fitzgerald in the locker room, this shouldn’t be an issue. In fact, when asked by the media if as a leader he needed to talk to his teammates about putting week one behind them, Larry and his pearly whites simply responded, “what happened last week?”
- Plan 2 – Hold the ball. Yes, when facing a defensive front that includes monsters such as Aaron Donald and Ndamukong Suh that is easier said than done but the Cardinals found out last week just how important controlling the clock really is. In week one the Redskins had the ball nearly 17 minutes longer than the Cardinals – that’s more than an entire quarter. As great as they are, you can’t depend on Patrick Peterson or Budda Baker to score points for you. Head Coach Steve Wilks will need to do whatever he has to do to move the chains and chew up the clock to prevent the Rams from controlling the game. You do this by using your superstar running back, David Johnson.
- Plan 3 – Throw everything you’ve got at Todd Gurley. The Rams have a handful of weapons on offense and Head Coach Sean McVay does an excellent job of utilizing them, but Gurley is the heart of that offense. If there was one bright spot for the Cardinals in week one, it was that the Cardinals secondary prevented Redskins receivers from doing any damage. Outside of running backs and tight ends, Jamison Crowder was Washington’s leading receiver with only three catches for 32 yards. Make quarterback Jared Goff be the one that has to beat you in week 2.
- Plan 4 – Do everything you can to keep Josh Rosen off the field. In fact, deactivate Rosen this week so that regardless of what happens he isn’t able to come on to the field. This clearly isn’t a key to winning this week, but it’s a key to winning for the next decade. Should the score get out of hand or Bradford suffers injury, Mike Glennon should be QB2 this week. You don’t throw your rookie in against a vicious defense like the Rams, especially on the road.
Even with a perfectly executed game plan, the Los Angeles Rams will be tough to beat. If the offense can’t muster up any help for the defense, the Cardinals flight plan is going to experience a lot of turbulence in L.A. Kickoff is scheduled for 1:05pm, Pacific Time.
