Arizona Cardinals (1-5) vs. Baltimore Ravens (4-2)
Time/Date: 1:00 PM EST, October 30, 2011
Venue: M&T Bank Stadium
Broadcast: FOX
Cardinals vs. Ravens Gambling Odds from Bookmaker
Spread: Ravens -12.5
Moneyline: Ravens (-800) Cardinals (+600)
Over/Under: 43.5
The Arizona Cardinals started the season with a win, but they have lost five straight since then. Baltimore is 4-2, but they are coming off an embarrassing loss at Jacksonville in front of a national television audience. The Ravens are heavily favored to get back on track in this one. Can Arizona make a game of this one or will it be a Ravens rout?
Kevin Kolb was brought in over the offseason to be the starter at quarterback for Arizona. Kolb has struggled with inconsistency thus far in 2011. He has seven touchdowns and seven interceptions, and he is only completing 57.8% of his passes. Larry Fitzgerald is one of the league’s best wide receivers, but Kolb and Fitzgerald have yet to get the level of chemistry needed. Beanie Wells is having a breakout season at the running back, but he is listed as doubtful for Sunday’s game due to a knee injury. The team no longer has Tim Hightower, and Alphonso Smith will likely get most of the carries this week.
Arizona’s defense has been disappointing this season. Patrick Peterson is an extremely talented rookie cornerback, but this secondary has really struggled against good quarterbacks. It certainly doesn’t help that the front seven has struggled to get pressure on the quarterback without bringing a blitz. Can this unit improve their play and keep the Cardinals in this game?
Baltimore’s defense is currently ranked number one in the NFL in total defense. While Ray Lewis might get the most attention, I believe Haloti Ngata and Terrance Cody in the middle of the defensive line are the anchors of this defense. It is really difficult to find a weakness on this defense now that they have improved depth in the secondary. This team has speed at the linebacker spots, and they certainly have strength and size on the line. Baltimore’s defense is first in the NFL in third down defense. [soliloquy id=”82219″]
Opponents are converting on just 29.9% of their third down conversion attempts. This is a dominant defense that should keep the Ravens in just about every game they play this year.
The Baltimore offense has plenty of talent, but they can be extremely confusing at times. The Ravens ran Ray Rice just eight times this past Monday, while Joe Flacco threw 38 passes. Rice is clearly one of the best runners in the NFL, and he definitely needs to touch the ball more often. This talented Baltimore offense finished with less than 175 yards of total offense against a lowly Jacksonville team. The knock on Joe Flacco has been that he isn’t consistent enough at the quarterback spot. Flacco is completing only 52% of his passes in 2011. Ray Rice and Anquan Boldin are both having better seasons than last year, but they need to get the ball a little more often.
Arizona’s offense will really miss Beanie Wells, and this Baltimore defense is extremely good. I’m not sure the Cardinals score much at all here.
Free NFL Pick: Cardinals/Ravens under 43.5
