Pats Cast Episode 21: Patriots Welcome Kyler Murray and the Cardinals

Containing Kyler Murray and the prolific Arizona offense could be a challenge for the New England Patriots. (Photo: Michael Hickey/Getty Images)

First of all, hopefully everyone had a happy and healthy Thanksgiving!

I teased the Patriots' upcoming matchup with the Cardinals in my last podcast episode, but let's provide some more details now.

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As always, injuries will play a major role this week. And once again, the Patriots are comparatively at a disadvantage.

Photo: azcardinals.com

The Cardinals will be without wide receivers Larry Fitzgerald and Trent Sherfield and safety Deionte Thompson, all of whom have been placed on the Reserve/COVID-19 list. Fitzgerald and Thompson are starters for Arizona.

Cardinals Defense

The stars on this side of the ball are Patrick Peterson and Budda Baker, but first-round rookie Isaiah Simmons is ascending, and overall depth is strong.

Vance Joseph uses a fairly innovative defensive scheme. On paper, it's a 3-4 defense, but he likes to capitalize by using versatile players.

Most of his linebackers have the ability to play inside or outside. Nowhere is that more evident than with Simmons, who can play nearly any defensive position.

Baker is also solid as a slot cornerback, in the box, or as a deep safety.

One unconventional wrinkle you'll see from Joseph's defensive is what's known as a "0-6-5" alignment. In other words, he'll drop all of his defensive linemen in favor of six linebackers and five defensive backs.

This allows Joseph to disguise his pass rushes in ways that other teams can't. Again, he loves versatility.

Above all else, the Patriots' ability to dissect the 0-6-5 and similar alignments may determine how much success the offense will have, although there's also a good chance Joseph will simply stack the box and focus on stopping their rushing attack. After all, the Seahawks (referenced above) have a uniquely lethal passing game.

Cardinals Offense

It's an impressive unit, and somewhat similar to the defense in some respect. It's essentially a combination of numerous collegiate schemes.

By nature, Kliff Kingsbury is an air raid coach. He generally runs a pass-heavy offense out of a shotgun formation with extra receivers and a short passing game that functions as a running game.

However, the insertion of Kyler Murray has allowed him to implement a healthy share of zone read looks. That allows Kyler to consistently use his arm and his legs, while also enabling him to serve as a decoy to help the otherwise lackluster rushing attack.

You'll primarily see Kenyan Drake in the backfield, but the Cardinals will sprinkle in Chase Edmonds, who serves as more of a dual-threat running back.

Out wide, DeAndre Hopkins is by far the primary receiver. With Fitzgerald out of the picture on Sunday, Christian Kirk and Andy Isabella will be in line for more targets, and there's a good chance that former Patriots running back D.J. Foster will be promoted from the practice squad for some slot reps – they don't use him as a running back anymore. KeeSean Johnson should also make an appearance, as well.

Matchups

Aside from what's already been stated about the Cardinals' frequent alignments, I'd expect to see them load up to stop the Patriots running game and attack the second level of New England's defense. That's a fairly standard formula that all teams use against the Patriots, but the Cardinals have the personnel to do it pretty efficiently.

In terms of coverage assignments, you'll see a lot of Stephon Gilmore on DeAndre Hopkins, J.C. Jackson on Christian Kirk, and Jonathan Jones on Andy Isabella on one side of the ball, with Jakobi Meyers facing Byron Murphy, Damiere Byrd lined up against Patrick Peterson, and N'Keal Harry battling Dre Kirkpatrick on the other side. Peterson will see Meyers at times when he plays outside in two-receiver formations, but Josh McDaniels may stick with three wideouts more frequently in order to buy a more favorable matchup for his top receiver.

The two biggest factors in this game will likely be the true health of Kyler Murray and whether New England can contain him comparably to how they limited Lamar Jackson two weeks ago. If they don't and Murray's shoulder is fine, this could look like Deshaun Watson's performance last week, with a better defense to compliment it. But if the Patriots get the job done, they'll have a chance at winning the game.

Game Details

Kickoff is set for 1:00 p.m. ET from Gillette Stadium, with the game airing on FOX. At 4-6, the Patriots could use a win to get back within shouting distance of the Bills and Dolphins, but the Cardinals are about as dangerous of a 6-4 team as there is in the league. It won't be easy, but I've laid out what appears to be the formula for earning an important victory. Now they'll just need to do their job.