Arizona Cardinals at New York Giants (-7, 46)
Odds provided by BetUS.com.
Still No. 1
Drew Brees and the Saints blitzed the Giants No. 1 pass defense last week for 369 yards and four touchdowns and yet the G-Men remain No. 1 in defense. While that shows how dominant the Giants pass defense was through the first five games, they now face the league’s No. 6 passer in Kurt Warner in an intriguing matchup of the last two NFC champions.
Warner was 32-of-41 for 276 yards and two touchdowns in the Cardinals 27-3 dismantling of the Seahawks last week. All-Pro wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald had a breakout performance as well, with 13 catches for 100 yards. Warner this season -- like Brees last week -- has done an excellent job using all the weapons at his disposal.
“Kurt Warner is having a real good year,” Giants coach Tom Coughlin told the Associated Press. “He is throwing the ball very well. All four receivers are involved. The tight end is involved. The backs – Tim Hightower is the third-leading receiver. They have excellent distribution. The numbers are spread around real good.”
The Giants defense will have to rebound from last week’s debacle in which they gave up 34 points in the first half and 493 yards for the game. A major culprit was the lack of a pass rush. The Giants did not record a sack after getting 15 during their 5-0 start.
“We just made some mistakes that we can’t make, especially when you’re playing a team of that caliber,” cornerback Corey Webster said. “So we take the film, we take the whipping that they issued out, and we go back to start working hard and compete.”
The Arizona aerial attack could be hindered this week as wide receiver Anquan Boldin is listed as questionable because of an ankle injury. If he does not play, Steve Breaston would into the No. 2 receiver spot.
Gaining ground
The Cardinals lead the league in rushing defense with 59.6 yards a game, but are dead last in pass defense with 273.2 yards a game.
The Giants are unquestionably a run-first offense and it will be interesting to see if the Cardinals lofty rush rating is simply a mirage. Consider that four of the five Cardinals’ opponents rank 22nd or worse in rushing offense and two of those teams are 28th or worse.
If the Cardinals run defense holds up, Eli Manning and No. 1 receiver Steve Smith will be expected to do the heavy lifting. Smith is tied for the league lead with 41 receptions and has 525 yards to top the NFC.
“We’re going to put him in some different spots and do different things with him,” Manning said about Smith. “He is doing a good job of everywhere he goes, running routes, catching the ball and getting open. We just have to keep doing that with him and all the receivers.”
Injuries
In addition to Boldin, the only other significant injury news for the Cardinals is running back Chris “Beanie” Wells being listed as questionable with a hip injury. As for the Giants, defensive tackle Chris Canty (calf), cornerback Aaron Ross (hamstring) and linebacker Michael Boley (knee) have all been ruled out. Right tackle Kareem McKenzie is questionable because of a groin injury.
Line Movement
The Giants opened as 6.5-point favorites and the line has been moved to -7 virtually everywhere. The total opened at 46.5 and has been moved to 46 at most betting shops.
Weather
The forecast for East Rutherford calls for partly cloudy skies and a low of 42 degrees. Winds will be coming out of the northwest at 10 miles per hour.
Head-to-Head
Manning threw for 240 yards and three touchdowns in the Giants’ 37-29 win as 3-point road favorites vs. the Cardinals last November. The Cardinals, which historically have struggled when traveling east, have lost seven of their last eight road games against the Giants.
Trends
The under is 6-2 in the last eight head-to-head meeting…Arizona is 8-2 ATS in their last 10 games overall…The Cardinals are 5-0 ATS in their last five games as underdogs…New York is 6-2-1 ATS in their last nine home games.