Madden was wrong by a long shot with the score last week, but correct in predicting a Cardinals win over the St. Louis Rams and we're hoping that this weeks prediction holds true as well.
The updated rosters have Jim Dray and Jake Ballard as the starting TEs with an ailing Rob Housler listed as Doubtful and it ended the day with both Dray and Ballard seeing a lot of action for short yards. With Housler not in the picture Palmer used his TE weapons to relieve the pressure he was experiencing on the left side.
With the pressure that the Titans have been generating on quarterbacks the way to beat them is through the run game and luckily this week Madden used Mendenhall and Andre Ellington to carve up the defense for a combined 112 yards, which may not seem impressive to sum, but following Madden's predictions for running success to date has not been more than 100 yards all season.
For quarterbacks this week we'll start with Arizona, Palmer's success against the Rams carried over this week and when he did throw he picked the Titans apart like a surgeon. Ryan Fitzpatrick could not say the same and ended up giving up a pick when desperately forcing the ball into a swarming Arizona secondary who played inspired football without Tyrann Mathieu.
The one worry about this week was ensuring the Cardinals contained Chris Johnson, and I'd say 60 yards on 18 attempts and no score is a good day considering his ability to break out in space.
The top receivers, Mr. Fitzgerald, but no surprise there. Madden loves the connection between Palmer and Fitz and consistently pads these stats.
The outcome of this game is all about the Cardinals defense holding the Titans to field goals and the Cardinals running the ball and throwing tight clean throws when necessary.
Top Performers:
Cardinals:
QB: Carson Palmer 25/31 (80%) 255 yards, 1 TD, 0 INT, 111.6 Rating
WR: Larry Fitzgerald 8 rec, 103 yards, 1 TD, 12.8 avg
RB: Rashard Mendenhall 18 att, 55 yards, 3.05 avg, 1 TD
D/ST: Daryl Washington 9 solo tackles, 1 TFL, 1 sack
Titans:
QB: Ryan Fitzpatrick 17/36 (55%) 218 yards, 0 TD, 1 INT, 55.9 Rating
WR: Justin Hunter 7 rec, 82 yards, 0 TD, 11.7 avg
RB: Chris Johnson 18 att, 60 yards , 3.33 avg
D/ST: Akeem Ayers 9 solo tackles, 2 TFL
Box Score |
1st |
2nd |
3rd |
4th |
Final |
Titans |
3 |
3 |
7 |
3 |
16 |
Cardinals |
7 |
7 |
3 |
7 |
24 |
Teams |
Titans |
Cardinals |
Total Off. |
280 |
367 |
Rushing |
62 |
112 |
Passing |
218 |
255 |
First |
11 |
13 |
PR |
15 |
25 |
KR |
35 |
27 |
3rd Conv% |
5-13(38%) |
9-18(50%) |
4th Conv% |
1-2(50%) |
1-1(100%) |
2-Point Conv |
0-0(0%) |
0-0(0%) |
Red Zone |
4-4(100%) |
4-4(100%) |
Turnover |
0(0) |
0(0) |
The Cardinals win this week keeps their playoff hopes alive. Palmer got one through the air and the RBs split carries to keep a consistent rushing attack. If the team plays balanced football it looks like they'll keep winning.
What do you think, how close is Madden to the outcome this week?