FOXBOROUGH – The Patriots have four games left to leave a lasting impression.
On Sunday, they travel to Arizona where they’ll take on a Cardinals team that’s also in the midst of a rebuild. After finishing 4-13 last season, and ending up with the No. 4 pick, the Cardinals are 6-7 heading into this matchup.
The 3-10 Patriots would certainly like to get to that win total but it’s going to be a challenge. With four games left, Jerod Mayo’s team has two away games (Arizona and Buffalo) and then two home matchups against the Los Angeles Chargers and Bills. The Patriots will be underdogs for the remainder of the year.
The hope is that this team shows improvements before departing for the offseason.
- BETTING: Check out our MA sports betting guide, where you can learn basic terminology, definitions and how to read odds for those interested in learning how to bet in Massachusetts.
“I think the guys have been really focused and dialed in. The sense of urgency is definitely there,” Mayo said. “We had a padded practice this week, which was really good for us… The two things we need to improve on this week, and it’s about this week not about the next four weeks, is turnovers and we have to play better in the red area on both sides of the ball. At times, we’ve shown that but it comes down to consistency.”
Here are five things to watch when the Patriots take on the Cardinals:
Drake Maye
The Patriots have four more games to build up Drake Maye. So far, the No. 3 overall pick has been more than advertised. This week, Alex Van Pelt said he thought Maye played his best game against the Colts, where he completed 80% of his passes for 238 yards to go with a touchdown and interception.
The goal for Maye is to see the rookie play his best football over the last four weeks. That means cutting down on turnovers. The rookie is also still searching for his first 300-yard passing game.
Red zone offense
Ask anyone on the Patriots and they know what they need to do better – score touchdowns in the red zone.
The Patriots head into this matchup ranked 30th in red zone offense, scoring 44.4% of the time. Issues came to a boiling point in the team’s loss to the Colts where they scored two touchdowns on six trips inside the Indianapolis 20. Arizona has similar issues. They rank 24th in the NFL in red zone offense, converting 51.2% of the time.
The key for this game is simple – score touchdowns and make the most out of these red zone opportunities.
Rookie standouts
Patriots rookies have four weeks to make a final impression on the coaching staff and front office before the offseason. It would be nice to get more answers on this year’s draft class.
Rookie Layden Robinson is slated to start the final four games at left guard. It’s a big opportunity for him. The same goes for rookie receivers Ja’Lynn Polk and Javon Baker. At this point, the receiver position feels like a need for the Patriots. That could change if Polk and/or Baker show their potential. The Patriots also saw third-round pick Caedan Wallace return to practice this week after missing nine weeks with an ankle injury. The team needs to figure out if Wallace projects as a starting tackle.
Stop the run
The Cardinals have a talented quarterback, Kyler Murray, and talented pass catchers (tight end Trey McBride and receiver Marvin Harrison Jr.). The key to stopping Arizona, however, is with the Patriots run defense. James Connor leads the Cardinals with 863 rushing yards to go with five touchdowns. Murray has 444 rushing yards to go with four rushing touchdowns.
This season, Arizona has the sixth-best run game in the NFL, averaging 139.8 yards per game. They rank third in the NFL in rushing yards per attempt (5.15). Their pass game is ranked 22nd in the league, averaging 208.2 yards per game.
Special teams
The Cardinals have a significant weakness on special teams. They head into this week ranked last in the NFL in kickoff return average allowed (33.5) and 24th in the league in punt return average allowed (11.4). Considering the Patriots struggles on offense, big plays on special teams would go a long way to an upset on the road.
Punt returning hasn’t been an issue for the Patriots. Marcus Jones currently leads the NFL in yards per punt return (15.2). The Patriots could use a boost in kickoff returns. They rank 27th in the NFL in kickoff return average (25.1).
Prediction: Cardinals 23, Patriots 20
