Intriguing Game- Week Ten
Buffalo Bills at Arizona Cardinals
Bills: I can appreciate a good statement. That’s exactly what they did on Sunday against the Seattle Seahawks. Look at the storylines. The front-runner for MVP is in town, one of the best offenses is coming to your stadium and he’ll outduel you. Sunday was the best I’ve seen the Buffalo Bills look all season long. Josh Allen got back to the basics and flung the ball up and down the field which isn’t difficult to do on the Seahawks. Most importantly, he was in complete control. While the offense was sharp, I like what I saw from the defense because they didn’t back down from the challenge of stopping Russell Wilson. They contained up and created turnovers. I understand they allowed 34 points, but they made life difficult for Russ. At 7-2, the Bills are still on top of the AFC East. They’ll be in Arizona next.
Cardinals: That was a tough game to lose. You fight to keep yourselves within the competition to fall short. One thing I have to say about Kyler Murray: He’s tough. When you think he’s down or contained, he finds a way to come back and make a play. He’s impactful from the pocket or as a runner. Also, he can make throws from a moving pocket which is scary. This entire Arizona Cardinals team has fight in them. They’ve been able to make the NFC West a three-team race with the Los Angeles Rams and Seattle Seahawks. As I said last week, the one thing that concerns me is the lack of a pass rush. That’s what I feel hurt them against the Dolphins in week nine. In the second half, Tua’s jersey was too clean for my liking. They’ll look to bounce back on Sunday at home.
Bills X-Factor: John Brown– He’s the hidden gem of this offense. When Josh’s first reads are locked up down the field, this is usually who he targets. Whether it’s underneath or down the field, he’s a threat to make a play each time the ball hits his hands.
Cardinals X-Factor: Christian Kirk– I like the chemistry he’s building with Kyler. The Dolphins took DeAndre away and he answered the call. I’m not expecting Christian to have the game he did on Sunday against Miami, but look for Kyler to target him when he can. The Bills secondary isn’t that great.
Final Analysis: It’s another battle of young quarterbacks. The Bills are looking to keep the ball rolling. They had one challenge in limiting Russ, now it’s another in Kyler Murray. For example, they kept Russ in front of them. Containing Kyler will be key for them. The Cardinals secondary will have their hands full with these Bills weapons. Keep everything underneath. Also, I’d push Josh to his left side of the pocket.
Prediction: Bills 28 Cardinals 21
