The good news: The Arizona Cardinals are coming off their second win of the season, and will be well-rested after having last weekend off.
The bad news: They're about to go on the road to face the NFL's most prolific offense.
On Sunday, the 2-6 Cards will travel to Kansas City, one of the league's loudest stadiums, to face an incredibly dynamic Chiefs team that has an AFC-best 8-1 record. Do the Cards have a prayer? Here are a pair of predictions from the ABC15 sports team.
ABC15 sports director Craig Fouhy
Kansas City has one of the most prolific offenses in the NFL. Quarterback Patrick Mahomes is playing at an extremely high level and he has so many weapons at his disposal. This will certainly be a huge test for the Cards' defense.
On the flip side, the Cardinals' offense is the lowest-scoring team in the NFC, and their only two wins are over the Lowly San Francisco 49ers. The oddsmakers in Las Vegas have the Cardinals as 16 1/2-point underdogs, which makes Sunday’s game one of the biggest mismatches this year.
The hope for the Cardinals is that the Chiefs are: 1. looking at the odds and the Cardinals' record and ultimately thinking this will be an easy win, or 2. looking ahead to their game in Mexico next week against the NFC-leading Rams. If either one is the case, this could end up being a trap game for the Chiefs -- but I doubt it. My prediction: Chiefs run-away with it. Chiefs 42, Cardinals 14
ABC15.com sportswriter Shane Dale
If you have Kareem Hunt on your fantasy team, you're probably going to be a very happy individual Sunday. The Chiefs running back is one of the NFL's best, both on the ground and through the air, and the Cardinals are among the league's worst teams against the run this year.
The Chiefs give up a fair amount of points, however, so rookie QB Josh Rosen may have a decent amount of success in Kansas City -- and with the Cardinals likely to fall behind early, Rosen will probably be throwing often Sunday. Rosen has begun to build a rapport with Larry Fitzgerald and speedy rookie wideout Christian Kirk, and new offensive coordinator Byron Leftwich seems intent on being slightly more creative than his predecessor in utilizing running back David Johnson.
With that said, it's nearly impossible to see a path to victory for Arizona on Sunday. Cardinals fans should look at this game more as an opportunity for Rosen to continue grow into a quality QB, and guide Arizona to a touchdown drive or two in one of the NFL's most hostile environments. Chiefs 38, Cardinals 17
