The 5-7 Arizona Cardinals will look to rebound from a disappointing home loss to the Rams last weekend when they invite the 8-4 Tennessee Titans to town on Sunday afternoon.
Can the Cards get back on track? Here are a pair of predictions from the ABC15 sports team.
ABC15 sports anchor Jason Snavely
I’m expecting to see plenty of empty red seats at University of Phoenix Stadium Sunday as there’s really not a whole lot on the line as the Cardinals welcome the Tennessee Titans to Glendale. However, there are a few reasons I’ll be keeping a close eye on this game.
No. 1, I have to. It’s my job. No. 2, Larry Fitzgerald needs just 26 yards to surpass Randy Moss for the third most receiving yards of all time. Fitz grew up in Minneapolis idolizing Moss, so watching him pass one of his childhood heroes and mentors on the all-time list would be something special. No. 3, I’m interested to see the (likely) matchup between Cardinals safety Budda Baker and Titans tight end Delanie Walker. Baker’s been one of the Cardinals few bright spots in 2017; it’ll be fun to see how the rookie fairs in one of his toughest tasks of the season.
At the end of the day, Blaine Gabbert will play better than he did last week against the Rams, but the Cardinals will once again fall short in front of their home crowd.
Titans 24, Cardinals 21
ABC15.com sportswriter Shane Dale
The Cardinals’ playoff hopes are essentially toast, but they might find a way to win Sunday if Blaine Gabbert can play like he did two weeks ago against the NFL’s best pass defense. The Titans are NOT the league’s best pass defense, as they’ve allowed 22 passing touchdowns this season (only six teams have allowed more). Also, the Titans have lost three of their last five road games, with their only victories coming in close games against the lowly Browns and Colts.
The Cards will be without Adrian Peterson again Sunday, but Kerwynn Williams looked sharp against the Rams (97 rushing yards) last weekend. And the Cardinals have enough playmakers on defense to force quarterback Marcus Mariota, who has thrown 12 interceptions this year, into making some bad decisions.
Look for the Cards to do enough Sunday to get their second win during their three-game homestand and finish the season with a 3-1 record against the AFC South.
Cardinals 24, Titans 20
