November 21, 2025 • 64 mins
The Jaguars come to town to face the Cardinals, so Seth and Jess discuss the matchup. They talk about what the Jags have done so far this season to be 6-4, they go over the keys and important matchups, they give their predictions for the game and also give you some prop bets to consider.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Z Zo. This is the Rise Up Sea Red podcast,
all about the Arizona Cardinals and the NFL, featuring insider
and outsider perspectives. Enjoy the best hour of Cardinals Talk
(00:23):
on the web. Now Here are your hosts, Jess Root
and Seth Cox.
Speaker 2 (00:31):
Hellower's on the Cardinals fans, and welcome to the latest
edition of the Rise of Sciar podcast, the best of
Cardinals Talk on the Web. I'm your host Jess Root
from cardsbar dot com, the USA TODA NFL wire site,
the covers of course your Arizona Cardinals. And we're in
episode seven and twenty one. This is our week twelve
Cardinals Jaguars preview, picks and predictions recording with my co
(00:51):
hostman friend Seth Cox from Revenge of the Birds dot
com as be Nation's Arizona Cardinals site. And I mean, Seth,
I mean, what are the Cardinals have have gotten?
Speaker 1 (01:03):
There?
Speaker 2 (01:03):
The doors blown off of the last two weeks. They
are not a healthy group of players. What what can
we expect from this team this week? I'm not sure.
Are we still in laughable mode? Are they gonna compete?
Are they gonna be blown out again? I don't know
what to think.
Speaker 1 (01:23):
I mean, it's so difficult to tell. And you know,
it's it's crazy to look at the the numbers and
and how things are going, and and just to pick
a look and and see that this team is so
bad all of a sudden, and and that they're just
not playing at a high level, you know, and that's
(01:45):
and that's what makes it tough. And and this group,
you know, will they come in and and how will
they play this week? You know, you kind of mentioned it,
like what what are they going to look like in
terms of you know, just being engaged. Like that's been
one of the biggest issues I think is that you're
(02:08):
just not even seeing a team that is competitive the
last couple of games. I mean I joked about it,
but they've played one quarter of football where they've been
in a game in the last eight quarters, I mean
seven of the last eight quarters have just basically been
for show. And that's just not acceptable. Man. I mean,
(02:33):
you look at this this team. They were down thirteen
to seven this last game. In the first quarter, you know,
got it to nine, nineteen to ten, and then it
was just you know, again, the wheels fell off. We
talked about the stats from last game and how bad
(02:53):
they were, and then how meaningless kind of the overall
bulk stats ended up being. I mean, you row for
four hundred and fifty two yards and two touchdowns, but
over two hundred of that were were when you're down
four plus scores, and and you weren't even competitive at
the end of that, you know, in that game, when
(03:15):
you were throwing for all those yards and so, and
then you look at the flip side and and I
don't think we disagree that the defense is not playing well.
It's just why why is everything shading so poorly defensively?
When the other team's running less plays, the other teams,
(03:38):
you know, getting less uh yards per play, they're having
a smaller i'm a possession, they're they're worse on third down,
Like why why? And you look at it, and in
some of it, I mean, obviously you can attribute fourteen
points directly in that in that game from the Seahawks
(04:02):
right to the Cardinals offense going against their defense. But
in the last game, I mean, you had you had
the interception that led to a field goal right before
the half, and and realistically that interception was like a
it was like a six point swing, right because instead
(04:23):
of getting any points. You ended up giving up three points.
And then you come out and you go three and
out and and you end up you know, hunting, and
then they kick another field goal, and then you throw
another interception and and they score another touchdown. I mean,
(04:50):
the ironic thing was, you know, everybody was so upset
and understandably about the Elijah Higgins fumble at the goal line,
but they finally got a three and out after that,
like like true, that was like the first time. And
so that's you know, and I've I've barked about it
(05:10):
since the beginning of the season. You know, I kind
of fell on deaf fears and now it's all the
defense's fault. You know, the offense is phenomenal and and
this is all the defense's fault. But you know, you
and I have talked about it from the beginning. It's
like there's no complimentary football, Like as soon as this
team scores, what happens, well, the other team scores immediately,
Like there's no there's no getting a stop and getting
(05:32):
back off the field. And so you know, that's one
of the things that you look at and that you see,
you know, the offenses in epness, you know, and you
go back to that last game, there was a there
was a sequence where the Cardinals only had fifteen plays,
and and that that covered almost the entire or half
(05:56):
of the second and almost the entire third quarter. So
it encompass basically an entire quarter, and they had fifteen
plays and and ironically, again the defense only gave up
(06:17):
sixteen points in that time where the offense basically was
not basically just not on the field, right like, and
and so that's that's what's missing, more than anything, is
you get that touchdown early in the game, right, and
what happens immediately after that, they they they force a punt.
(06:40):
You're like, okay, this is this is going a good
this is going a good way. All right. They gave
up two touchdowns early, but we can we can chalk
one up to special teams, Right, you give up a
ninety some adiyard kickoff return they get they get to
go to the one start the game at the one
yard line, right, you know, and then and then you
score a touchdown and then or sorry, then you punt
(07:03):
on your first possession, they score another touchdown. Okay, that's
on the defense, definitely, right, Like, that's definitely on the defense.
But then you come out and you score a touchdown
and the Cardinals force a punt and you're almost like, okay,
you know, thirteen seven, they're coming back, and what happens
They miss a field goal and then it's like the
wheels fall off, right, It's like it's like one misstep
(07:25):
on either side of the bowl and the wheels completely
fall off, and you know, we go back and you
have six or five empty possessions in a row. Meanwhile,
the counter to that is the forty nine ers score
sixteen points without you know, any pushback. And so you
look at this week and you look at that Jacksonville
(07:47):
Jaguars team and and you go, oh man, this could
be this could be bad. The lines moved a little bit.
I know, we'll get to that shortly. I mean not much,
not not anything crazy, but it's moved a little bit,
and and everybody's kind of just looking at it, going,
(08:08):
I don't trust Jacksonville, but man, the Cardinals are bad.
Speaker 2 (08:16):
Like, man, they're exactly it.
Speaker 1 (08:18):
They're exactly a bad team.
Speaker 2 (08:21):
Doesn't this doesn't this Jacksonville team kind of channel the
Cardinals last year?
Speaker 1 (08:28):
Right? Yeah? Yeah? And you look at it, they're you know,
Obviously the.
Speaker 2 (08:34):
Cardinals were six and four last year. Yeah, and obviously
the same spot.
Speaker 1 (08:38):
The counting stats are easy, you know, you look at it.
Trevor Lawrence is thrown for twenty one and fifty yards,
eleven touchdowns to eight interceptions. He's completing sub sixty percent
of his passes, which is just basically unheard of in
today's NFL, right, Like, completing less than sixty percent of
your passes is just not something that you see. But
(09:00):
he also has five rushing touchdowns, so he's got sixteen
total touchdowns on the season. He's using his legs a
little more one hundred and eighty one yards rushing on
the season, which again not something anybody really expected. Right.
They're phenom rookie wide receiver Brian Thomas, the guy that was,
you know, clearly better than Marvin Harrison Junior, and the
(09:23):
Cardinals should have taken over Marvin Harrison Juniors having a
having a down second year. I mean, you know you
mentioned it six and four, but he's only played in
eight games, has not had a one hundred yard game
this season, has one touchdown on the season. You know,
it's it's just one of those years you look at
(09:44):
some of his games, right, you know, opens the season
one for eleven, but then goes for four for forty
nine and two for fifty five and five for forty nine,
and you're like, okay, he's he's getting back on the track.
And four for eighty and then eight for ninety. Uh
and then and then they just kind of you know,
(10:07):
goes back into second receiver, not doing a whole lot
of stuff like it. It's interesting to see that happen,
especially when you're not looking at anybody that's really had
any success this year. I mean, Travis Hunter, the dynamic
second overall pick in the draft. He's done for the
(10:28):
year with an injury. He had a you know, decent
enough season as a as a receiver. Uh, you know,
had a had a decent season as a corner. But really,
you know, overall was was just unable to hold up
right to the physicality and and the overall demand from
(10:53):
from the NFL, which was a concern for a lot
of people. Right Like it's it's not like it was
something that people didn't bring up, and they're just i mean,
they really have very little production from their wide receivers.
Parker Washington, uh is kind of the guy this year.
(11:14):
He leads all all receivers in in touchdowns with two. Uh.
You know, Brian Thomas Travis Hunter both had one touchdown.
Diamie Brown has has one touchdown. Uh, they're leading tight end.
Britain Strange has no touchdowns. Travis etn their their lead
running back, who will talk about you know, has has
(11:35):
a touchdown. Jacoby Myers, who they just traded for, you know,
he hasn't fairly done you know, anything this year, and
that's that's understandable. But yeah, Hunter long leads everybody with
two touchdowns. So it's like what and so it's just there.
Their offense really makes no sense despite all the investments
(11:56):
on the offense.
Speaker 2 (11:58):
Uh, you're looking at them statistically, they they're below average
in terms of yards production twentieth overall, but they're middle
of the road thirteenth and thirteenth in points and they're
twelfth in points allowed fourteenth and so they're they're a
pretty mid team. But there's two things they do really well.
They run the ball well and they stop the run
(12:21):
incredibly well. And they've put up points recently. And for me,
that's a concern for Cardinals because you know the Cardinals
and their own defense, when you know they've given up
aside from aside from the Dollars game, it's been thirty one,
twenty seven to twenty seven, forty four, and forty one.
(12:44):
Although we can knock off fourteen points. You could say
that the defense gave up thirty points to the Seahawks.
But the last three weeks for the for the Jaguars
have been thirty, twenty nine, and thirty five, so they've
got things figured out kind of offensively, it's just if
they're a bad defense and so.
Speaker 1 (13:03):
Well they're about they're about the past. They're a bad
pass defense, which lines up great for the Cardinals, right,
I mean that's ideal because the Cardinals can't run the ball.
Speaker 2 (13:15):
But Trey Benson's back, so Drew PETSI My my change
is ways right exactly.
Speaker 1 (13:21):
So you know, you look at you look at all
of that, and it goes to show like if you
can run the ball and stop the run, even in
today's NFL, you're still an effective team. I mean, like
you mentioned, overall, their twentieth in yard age, but they're
eight in rushing yards their fourth and rushing touchdowns, but
they're second in yards against, and and that kind of
(13:44):
goes to show what they can do, and you go back,
you know, they you go back two games ago where
they lost to the Houston Texans thirty six twenty nine
in Houston, and that's kind of the game that you
look at and you go, what is this team? I mean,
(14:05):
they scored twenty nine points, but they had two hundred
and thirteen yards of offense total. That's that's abysmal. And
by the way, that twenty nine points that would be
the most the Cardinals have scored this year. So you
look at you look at something like, you know, two
hundred and thirteen yards of offense, but they scored twenty
(14:25):
nine points. That's that's less than any Cardinals game all
year in terms of total yards of offense. They're they're
passing output. In that game, they had I think one
hundred or two hundred or one hundred and nineteen yards
passing total.
Speaker 2 (14:45):
That's and they turned the ball over twice. Now granted
that defense completely collapsed given up the twenty six points
in the fourth quarter, but.
Speaker 1 (14:53):
Well, and that's just it, Like you you kind of
look at everything and it's just this is a team
that after the bye week, they're scoring points fairly easily,
and it's just whether or not they they can get
enough stops. And to your point, Jess, outside of that
(15:16):
game against Houston, they have been able to. But it
should give the Cardinals a little hope that, you know,
if and when they do get down, that they're able
to really rally, because I mean it was Davis Mills
that rallied that team right they were down. They were
down twenty nine to ten with under a minute and
(15:40):
a half to go in the third quarter, and they
won that game thirty well thirty twenty nine. I know
they scored with you know, no time left on a
pick six by Sheldon Rankins, but like they really and
it was Davis Mills who who really propelled that game
(16:02):
for for the Texans. And so you look at that,
that's you know, all positive, all positive stuff for the Cardinals,
especially with when you're talking about a team that just
can't run the football.
Speaker 2 (16:19):
Yeah, Gravacyn having a nice year. He's he's basically the
the motor of the offense, is he not.
Speaker 1 (16:29):
Yeah, he really is, and he's you know he's not
he's not having the the like high level in terms
of of big plays, but he does a great job
of kind of grinding out different type of runners. So
(16:51):
I don't want people to mistake this, but similar to
what we saw with like James Connor, right, you look
at you look at his games, especially you know, the
last the last several jests, those three games after the
bye week, he has an average over four yards of carry,
but he's got eighty four yards on twenty two carries,
(17:12):
fifty eight yards on sixteen carries, and seventy three yards
on nineteen carries, and he's got three touchdowns. It's it's
just become a guy that that kind of leans on
you and then and then is able to like finish
games strong. And he and and he's on pace for
a career high and carries and yards and touchdowns. And
(17:37):
so we'll see how that goes, because again, this is
a guy that in his career has been he's been
a guy that has shown more explosion. But but this year,
especially after the bye week, it's been very very grinded out,
(17:59):
very you know, kind of like I said, James Connor,
esh and how he's achieving those yards. So that'll be
interesting to kind of to kind of watch in this game,
because like you said, he's still the engine of that offense.
I mean, Trevor Lawrence is is doing enough and I
(18:22):
And that's a conversation that you know, we we can
have with with guys that cover the Texans because there's
a there's a big question. I mean, he hasn't thrown
for three hundred yards once this season. You know, he
has multiple games with multiple interceptions. He's he's you know,
(18:44):
been very erratic in his play and he's been sacked
twenty six times on the season. But he's also led
three game winning drives this year. So it's kind kind
of that scatter shot right of like like, oh, he's
not playing well, and then it's like, oh, here you go.
(19:07):
It's it's it's.
Speaker 2 (19:08):
Jaguars team and Trevor Lawrence. It feels a lot. They
seem to be quite similar in traits to the Cardinals
a year ago. You could say things the same thing
about what Trevor Lawrence and Kyler Murray. You know, first
overall pick was expected to be like Trevor Lawrence was
lauded like, you know, best quarterback prospects since Andrew Luck
(19:29):
and he just quite hasn't quite been as good as
people hope. But he's been like this year good enough,
not great, and and he does have the clutch like Kyler,
Kyle will have pu hum games and then come up
big late in the game as well. It's very very
interesting how this Jaguars team kind of looks and feels
(19:53):
like last year's Cardinals and only they're kind of going
in the right. Well, we'll see, because the Cardinals were
six and four and then fell apart. We'll see. And
they but then they have a winnable They have a
winnable division for sure.
Speaker 1 (20:09):
They do. And and you look at it, you know
they they have both games against Indy left, but they
also have both games against Tennessee left on the schedule,
so so they have a favorable schedule coming up here, right.
I mean, you look at it, they have their at
Arizona this week and then at Tennessee. And if you're
if you're a Jacksonville fan, you're basically saying, we have
(20:30):
to be two and no coming out of that, because
then you have a huge matchup, uh first week of
December against Indy. Who's who's the team leading the division? Right,
And so those are those are how you how you
look at it. But at the same time, when you
look at it, you you see that there is a
(20:51):
lot that needs to be fixed. You know. The first
thing is that that we mentioned the passing game can
when you win games, especially late in the season when
you're only getting you know, one hundred and fifty yards
from your quarterback. But on the flip side, if you're
(21:14):
running for two hundred yards, does anybody care? Right?
Speaker 2 (21:17):
Uh?
Speaker 1 (21:18):
You know we mentioned Etn. But a guy that's that
you know post bye week has has had a couple
productive games is rookie Byschelle Yeah, Baselle Tooton, a guy
you and I talked about, you know, coming out of
the draft, Speedster speed. Yeah. And the way the Cardinals
(21:43):
have you know, played the run three of the last
or two of the last three games has not been ideal.
And that's what's so hard about that that San Francisco
game is they only gave up two hundred and eighty
one yards of offense, but there were so many short fields,
there were so many easy matriculation or no matriculation because
(22:09):
they just one or two plays right.
Speaker 2 (22:11):
Right, and they didn't they didn't offer they didn't slow
Christian McCaffrey at all, They didn't slow George Kittle at all.
It was right when I looked at the bat the stats,
but I'm like, wait, wait, what under three hundred yards
of offense in forty one points, right?
Speaker 1 (22:26):
And it's so crazy, it is, it really is. And
and and again you can blame the defense, absolutely, I'm
not saying you can't, but so much of it is
about the lack of complimentary football that we're seeing from
this team. And we have been from the jump. And
you know, again, I go back to the Cardinals were
(22:49):
down thirty five to ten in the second quarter, and
and they had over two hundred yards of offense throwing
the ball, and they only scored twelve points. Like, It's
just baffling to me how inefficient and effective the offense
(23:13):
has been even while putting up big numbers. I think
the biggest concern, and you would agree with this, is
just I mean, you look at what they did to
a team in the Los Angeles Chargers, who are I
would say, pretty much in every way a superior team
to the Arizona Cardinals right now, right like they've you know,
(23:37):
maybe outside of Trey McBride, do the Cardinals have a
player offensively that you would you know, drop in healthy
obviously over anybody on the on the Chargers, and so
that's you look at that and you and you see,
you know, you see what they did and and you
(24:00):
know they held the Chargers to under one hundred and
twenty yards passing, but more than that, they held the
Chargers to under fifty yards rushing. And so you have
all of that and you go, oh crap like that.
(24:22):
You don't have to put up great stats if you're
just going to physically dominate the game. And the Jaguars,
the Jaguars defense did that last week. And the way
that again they've played minus the fourth quarter of that
(24:42):
of that Houston Texans game, it becomes a very burdensome
thing to look at.
Speaker 2 (24:51):
Defensively, last rush they're not particularly good. Eric Armstead leads
the way with five and a half sacks, followed by
Josh heinz Allen. He's only got three sacks, but fifteen
quarterback hits.
Speaker 1 (25:06):
We get to see.
Speaker 2 (25:08):
It's fun because guess guess who's a starter on that defense.
That would be nothing none less than Dennis Gardeck who's starting.
He's he's playing a four to three off ball linebacker,
which is more like a rush linebacker, but kind of
what it's the position he started when he came into
(25:28):
the league in twenty eighteen, and he was playing off
the ball like that. So the pass rush isn't great,
but also it's better than the forty nine ers, so
that'll be a factor. I'm sure. Eric Armstad though still
really good at aged thirty two, he's quietly been a
(25:48):
kind of a you know, he wasn't He was kind
of disappointing for a little while, right right for the
first few years because he couldn't stay healthy. Then he
had the big year in San Francisco twenty nineteen, ten sacks,
and you know, we played for a couple more years
there and then he's been with Jackson for the last
two years and last year was was a facial guy.
(26:10):
He's been a starter all this year. The sack protect
the sack production is up again. How do you how
do you like this this pass rush against Well, when
we talk about mashups, we don't know who the starting
lite offensive line is going to be this week.
Speaker 1 (26:25):
No you don't, and that's you know, one of the
things you look at and you go, this is this
is what the issues are, right, and so we don't
know who's starting on the offensive line. Is it better
than the Chargers offensive line. It should be I'm not
gonna say it is, but it should be. But you know,
did that matter last week? I mean, that's that's what
(26:45):
gets me more than anything, is you have you have
that that game last week where everybody's like, you know,
you threw for four hundred and fifty yards and didn't
give up any sacks, and I'm like, and you lost
by twenty like and to be fair, you weren't even
com I mean, you weren't even competitive in that game.
(27:08):
That's that's such a weird. I mean, they they never
they didn't blitz at all. They they basically just brought
four drop seven, dared you to beat them, and and
you literally couldn't do anything productive until the fourth quarter.
I mean it was it was kind of a baffling
(27:30):
thing to me to celebrate that. But when you look
at when you look at this week, you think, on paper,
there should be improvement, right, you know, we saw we've
seen that this team has had decent protection at times,
(27:58):
but at the same time, they've they've struggled, you know
when in certain games. So will they be able to
hold up against again a mediocre I mean, that's probably
at best mediocre JAG's pass rush. But when the Jags
(28:20):
do get home, they get home, and they get home aggressively.
I mean they knocked out justin Herbert last game. And
then the bigger concern is, and I think you'll agree
with me, Jess, is like, if you can't run the football,
if you're dropping back fifty seven times in a game,
and I think it was actually more than that because
(28:42):
he had a couple scrambles, But if you're dropping back,
you know, sixty one times in a game, you should
put up insane.
Speaker 2 (28:54):
Half points the half points, yes.
Speaker 1 (28:57):
Yeah, and so like to only score were forty four
points the last two weeks, despite throwing the ball at
a breakneck pace. It feels like, really nothing good came
of that.
Speaker 2 (29:14):
And and.
Speaker 1 (29:15):
You know, you and I talked about it. It's it's
little things like the forty nine ers having more or
the same amount of first downs but having what twenty
less plays, Like you're just not you're not doing anything
efficiently with all those extra plays. Like the forty nine ers, yeah,
(29:38):
twenty exactly twenty less plays and they had they had
the same amount of first downs and you're like, well,
you're just not efficient then, and So that's that's what
the concern is, is like, there has to be complimentary
football from the Cardinals, but there has to be some
efficiency and some some purpose and meaning behind these numbers
(30:00):
because the reality is it's been it's kind of just
been for nothing. Right, These numbers that that people are
excited about have really haven't mattered, Like they don't they
genuinely haven't mattered in the game itself.
Speaker 2 (30:20):
I'm in the next on the res of hera podcast
Best Our Cardinals Talk on the Webs. Move on, let's
talk about this the particular matchups, the keys to Cardinals
winning matchups that have matter. That's coming next and rice
ups here read We're back on the rise of here podcast,
Best Are Cardinals Talk on the Web? The Cardinals Jaguars
This Sunday afternoon, two five pm, Arizona sign from State
Firm Stadium. Ah, what are we going to look for? Well,
(30:40):
I think one of the things that the Cardinals are
going to have to do is that they have to
if they're going to pass the ball at the rate
that they're doing, They've got they can't fall behind early.
They can't they can't do what they've done the last
two weeks. And and basically crumbumble, crumble early on, because
(31:05):
if there's anything else, Kobe can't rally the team, like
it's not like he's going to like he might put
up numbers, but we've seen Kyler bring the team back
from down multiple scores. All Jacoby can do is kind
of keep things afloat. And so I guess for some
(31:27):
somehow they've got to avoid the early nonsense place, whether
that's the like the two fumble returns for touchdowns, the
ninety eight yard kick return that take goes down to
the one, just they need to avoid that at the
(31:48):
very least.
Speaker 1 (31:51):
Yeah, you have to start on a positive You can't
start fourteen or twenty eight, you know, like like the
last two games down, you know, fourteen nothing or twenty
eight nothing. You have to yeah or sorry, thirty five nothing.
You have to start like positively. And and the problem is,
you know, you mentioned it. The the Jaguars, they're not
(32:17):
a get out and start fast type of team. Even
in that loss you know to the Texans, it was
it was ten nothing, then it was twenty to twenty
to ten and half. You know, it wasn't like they
got out to twenty nine nothing, right, And held on.
(32:38):
They're they're very much wear you down type of type
of teams. So so I will say this, if the
Cardinals get out to or if the Jaguars get out
to a bad lead with with the Jaguars rushing attack,
it's probably game over. Like they're They're just not You're
not going to stop one of the best rushing attacks
(33:00):
in the NFL, especially when you have one of the
worst rush defenses in the NFL, right, and so so
that matters, and and so you look at that from
that perspective and you go, Okay, how how do you
come back that Well, one, you have to you mentioned it.
(33:23):
You have to start the game without you know, not
in this hole. You cannot start off in this hole
that you have started in the last two weeks. You know,
I don't mean to speak negatively of the Jaguars, but
I don't think they're as good of a team as
the the Seahawks are the forty nine.
Speaker 2 (33:44):
Ers, right, I mean, nothing about them says that they
don't have the same talent. But yeah, but like and
so if they jump out to a lead like the
forty niners and Seahawks, we'll kind of really see how
cooks this Cardinals team in as I think, well.
Speaker 1 (34:04):
And that's the problem is is you just don't know
what to expect because there hasn't been anything positive to expect, right, Like,
there hasn't. I mean after the Cowboys game, it was like, Okay,
let's see you know, and and I almost laughed because
after the Cowboys game when it became like, oh, this
is Jacoby's team and like and then it was like, oh,
(34:25):
you know, but we shouldn't expect too much when they
go up against the Seahawks, right, It's like, why if
you're upgrading at quarterback, you just are. You're coming off
a win on the road three or four weeks earlier,
you just watched your team lose on a last second
(34:46):
field goal. Like if anything, you should be going, oh man,
we're right there now, like this we upgraded at quarterback.
We should be we should be looking at this game
going oh we're we're literally right where we need to
be and we're we're about to take that next step
because we fixed you know, the issue of quarterback. And
instead you come out and you just get boat raced.
(35:09):
And then it's like and people were like, well, you
know what you expecting, And it's like but you told
me that it was better, so so that's what I
was expecting. And then you look at this week, right,
and you go, there's nothing outside of the run game.
There's nothing outside of a good Jaguars offensive line running
(35:33):
the football and a workhorse. But if not, you know,
he's not the Travis. Etn is not the explosive guy.
That's that's Teuton, right, Like Tune's the guy that's going
to break a long one. But Etn is gonna is
going to drag you through the mud for four quarters.
So if you come out and you get down early
(35:55):
to this team, it's like what are you doing all week?
Like how are you preparing for a game? If if
you have a team that I mean again their record, wise, numbers, wise,
all that stuff. Yes, I understand the Jaguars are better,
but on paper they're they're they're you know, an equivalent
(36:18):
team to the Cardinals. You should be competing with this
team and instead you go down. So so they have
to this week not start slow. You just can't. If
it happens again, that's when the questions about, like you know,
what is going what is the preparation and how can
you fall down into a whole three games in a row,
(36:40):
especially coming off a win. Jess right, Like, it's not
like it's not like they did. They were on that
five game losing streak, and then it just got worse.
They they theoretically blew out the Cowboys and then you've
just been boat raced, like you don't even belong on
the same field as these NFL teams last two weeks.
(37:02):
So this Jaguars team, you know, you have to you
have to slow down, Travis Etn. You have to slow
down bestsell twot and you you have to give yourself
a chance to compete because if you if you don't,
if you allow the Jaguars to play their game, which is,
(37:22):
hey it's it's ten to three, guess what time it is, oh,
Travis Etn time you know, hey it's it's twenty to six.
Guess what time it is? Oh more Travis than then
what happened to the Chargers is going to be the
same thing that happens to the Cardinals. And so that's
(37:43):
what matters, because I don't I mean what I mean,
who scares you, Brian Thomas, Brenton Strange, Like.
Speaker 2 (37:51):
There's nothing about the passing, there's nothing about the passing
game that is like mmm, but at the same time,
at the same time and Brendon scrange chalk up Breton
strains for two touchdowns or such something like that.
Speaker 1 (38:06):
Right, And that's and I think that's what the biggest
concern is is because we can we can look at everything.
We can look at the numbers, we can look at
how things are going. You know, you can look at
the injury report and look at all of that and
and say, oh, you know, this is what But in
(38:27):
the end, what you need to look at is like
this team has just not been competitive for two straight weeks.
I think the biggest thing that you look at coming
into this game is that one of the biggest names
for the Jags, uh Trayvon Walker is has been a
(38:47):
d m P and and so if he's not able
to go, that's a positive for the Cardinals passing game, right, Like,
that's that's a huge, huge positive.
Speaker 2 (39:01):
But there's one matchup that I'm very, very worried about,
and that's Josh Heines Allen against what appears to be
will be Josh Fryer at right tackle.
Speaker 1 (39:11):
Yea, yeah, we welcome to the NFL. Right.
Speaker 2 (39:16):
Undrafted rookie undrafted ruppy going against what was he a
top five pick or top ten pick heinz Allen. Hey,
it's so much easier when when he added Heines to that.
So now we're not talking about the quarterback all the time.
Speaker 1 (39:31):
Wow. And I'm and I could definitely be wrong. It
wouldn't be the first time, but I'm pretty sure he's
like close to breaking the h the Jaguars all time
sack leader record. So so like you look at you
look at Josh heinz Allen. You know, he's got fifty
(39:53):
six in his seven years. Uh, he's been down the
last few years, right like two years.
Speaker 2 (39:59):
He already is the all time leader.
Speaker 1 (40:01):
Okay, he broke it last week. Okay, yes, I knew
it was close, and I didn't follow up at you know,
because again I was like, how do the Cardinals lose
to the forty nine ers? I was still trying to
figure out that game. Uh, but yeah, you look at it.
I mean, but he's but again after the bye week, Jess,
this this is a guy that on the season, on
the season has three sacks, He's got two and a
(40:24):
half since the bye week. So his last three games
he has two and a half sacks, four quarterback hits
like he's coming on finally and that and and then
you mentioned it. Then you have Josh Fryer like he's
just like another another week, right.
Speaker 2 (40:43):
Like, well, that's a funny thing because Jonah Williams hasn't
been good and he's better than Calvin Beacham and Josh Fryer, right,
So yeah, I.
Speaker 1 (40:52):
Mean that that was the funny thing is like, you know,
it goes back to some of the conversations of like, well,
you gotta you gotta upgrade for Jacoby Burssett and I'm like,
but he's had the healthy offensive line until last week,
Like what do you mean upgrade? I'm so confused, Like
(41:15):
like what are we talking about? Maybe I'm missing something here.
But then I mean they do have a litany of
like Brob or what they call him limited. You know,
this week Brent Strange, we talked about the other tight
end whose name Hunter Long. Both are limited. Brian Thomas
(41:36):
is limited again with an ankle, and again, I mean
Thomas has been high. I mean the biggest one is
is obviously Walker who has not practiced with a knee,
and then Etan's limited with the shoulder. But you know,
until he doesn't play. He's one of those guys. The
way he runs again the James Connor comp not as
(41:58):
big obviously, but like the way they use him in
the grinded out style, like he's going to be on
the Entry report every week, right, Like that's how Connor
has been for the last forever the Cardinals this year,
So so you look at it from that perspective and
you you know that, oh, you know, he'll be on
(42:18):
he'll be on the list again. The thing that Cardinals
have to do from a mashup standpoint is one they've
got to take advantage of the of the Jaguars pass defense.
It's you you mentioned it. It's it's I don't want
to say bad because that's probably overstating it, but they're
(42:39):
very much a gambling defense. They're number two in the
NFL and interceptions, they have thirteen interceptions on the season
already using yards and so and so. They're they're willing.
And I'm a buddy that's a defensive coordinator for for
high school, and he was we were just talking about
philosophies and things like that. He's like, it's almost worth
(43:01):
it now if you don't have, you know, an Eagles
Broncos level defense to take chances because you'll give up yards.
You know, you'll give up ten completions for one interception,
right because at that point you're like, oh okay, I
got I got what I needed. And so you know,
(43:26):
you look at it. This is a group that takes
a lot of chances. They you know, but they they've
given up the third most touchdown passes on the season
or fourth most. Sorry, fourth most I don't want to
speaking correctly, but you know, like I said, second most interceptions.
They they're fine in sacks. I mean they're they're not.
You know, it's not like they're great. It's not like
(43:48):
they're bad. They're just average and sacks that it comes
from all over the place, right, But this is this
is a game where the Cardinals strength of passing the
ball should theoretically keep them in the game, right, Jess.
Speaker 2 (44:05):
It should. However, I want to point something out that
and it was something and that we talked about early
in the season. Remember, the passing game was kind of
out of sync and the run game coin it wasn't
quite as good, and they had a couple of people
in new roles. Amarti Mercado was not playing on offense,
(44:26):
Trey Benson was in that third down role and while
he has wasn't bad uh deMercado being in the lineup.
So if you look at because he came out, Demarcado
entered the lineup in essentially in week five and as
the third down back because Trey Benson got hurt in
(44:49):
week four. And what have we seen from the offense,
specifically the passing game for one half of play, well,
honestly against the Titans and moving forward, the offense has
been pretty good this week. And mar de Mercado will
not play. We believe Trey Benson will be activated this week,
and that means that somebody else will be in that
(45:15):
third down role, which impacts the passing game. I'm gonna
be interested and I'm gonna be interested to see how
much the passing game is impacted with the loss of
de Mercado this week when you have to put somebody
else in to pass block and things like that, because
in addition to being good in pass protection, Demarcado does
(45:36):
give you that that big play possibility. And so Benson
back in the lineup, he's not going to go back
into that third down role. He's going to be at
the number one role or a shared role with Bam Knight,
and or maybe maybe Bam is to work Trey back
(45:59):
in they they lead with Bam and put Trey into
that backup, third down role. That'll be interesting. But either
way we might see an impact in the passing game
because of losing Demarcado this week. I'm interested to see
how that goes because the offense looked vastly different both
in the run game in the past game when Demarcado
(46:20):
was not playing for the first four games, So that
will be one thing for me to watch as well.
So coming up next to the Rest of Year podcast
The Best Our Cardinals Talking webs move on to the
final segment where we make our picks, predictions and talk
about the bets that our best bets for that game
that's coming to next respc read We're back on the
rest of Here podcast, The Best Are Cardinals Talking Them
(46:41):
The Jaguars open is two and a half point favorites,
and now that line has moved to three points. And
guess what the public loves the Jaguars at that minus
three at the money line is eighty eight eighty six
percent of the handle is backing the Jaguars. Seventy one
percent of that three point spread. Backing the Jaguars as well.
(47:06):
I'd like to think I believe the Cardinals will be
more competitive in this game than they have in the
last two weeks, but I don't think the result is
going to be much different. How do you see this
game playing out?
Speaker 1 (47:19):
You know, I I want to I want to give
this one more week of like, hey, I think they
can still compete. You know, I was shocked by the
two and a half line when it opened, especially coming
off both games for both teams, right like, the Cardinals
looked basically incompetent, and the Jaguars looked like the you know,
(47:48):
the old school Steelers, right run the ball, play defense,
hope that Trevor Lawrence doesn't screw things up. And I
was shocked by that. And then, you know, the more
I've dug into it this week, it's like I have slowly,
as I typically do, talk myself into well, you know,
(48:10):
Jacoby's throwing the ball around the yard. The Jaguars past
defenses bad. They don't have a great pass rush up
until the last three weeks, so maybe that's the you know,
so I've been trying to and so I think I'm
on board one more week, Jess. I don't know. I
(48:32):
don't know why I do this to myself, but I
think I'm on board one more week until it's it's
proven different because I just I think the matchup used
slightly ever so to the Cardinals being able to move
the ball through the air and force the Jaguars into
(48:55):
a shootout. And if that happens, I still think the
cardinals past defense is good enough to compete and give
them a shot to win.
Speaker 2 (49:09):
You know, I think it's a closer game. I think
it'd be a closer game. But here here's my difference.
If it's a close game, who do you trust more
at the end of the game.
Speaker 1 (49:17):
Well, that's the thing is I mean, Jacoby's had the
chance to win it twice and failed, and then in
two other games, I mean they I mean it was
basically like you and I playing for the first two
plus quarters, right, So you know, I get it from
that perspective. But again, before I before I fall completely
(49:42):
out on on the team and the staff and all
of that, you have to look at it and you
have to go, Okay, they they've got it. They've got
to come out more prepared this week, right, like it.
It has to be better because we're getting to the
point now where it is it's not us. Oh, it's
(50:02):
the quarterback that's the issue. We just Oh, it's just
the oci. Dude. You're getting blown out at home by
a forty nine ers team. That's not bad. I mean,
I don't want to say they're bad, but they're not
the four. I mean, this isn't. This isn't.
Speaker 2 (50:20):
Two years is escimated and they still couldn't do anything
against them.
Speaker 1 (50:26):
I mean, but they've made it. Threw for four hundred
and fifty yards. Man didn't go up any sacks, So
I mean, it doesn't it doesn't lead to points or wins,
but it I mean.
Speaker 2 (50:36):
Vibes man, the Ja Kobe vibes are strong. What's your
final score prediction for this?
Speaker 1 (50:43):
I'm gonna, like I said, I'm going to go out
on the limb, say the Cardinals get this one. I'll
say twenty four to seventeen.
Speaker 2 (50:52):
Okay, okay, and I think it's gonna go. I look
at the Jaguars thirty plus points in their last three games,
and I'm going, okay that looking at what the Cardinals
have done defensively, that vibes but then I look at
the Jaguars pass defense, I'm like, Okay, so the Cardinals
can score points, but what have we seen from this
(51:12):
this team that I you know, they're going to have
to hold them because the Cardinals are going to score
between twenty two and twenty seven points, and I think
that's that's kind of the They're consistently going to get that.
But I don't think that the defense is going to
be able to slow them down, and so I don't
think it'll be able to blow out. But I do
expect the Jacks to win by touchdown. I think I've
(51:33):
got this one thirty twenty Like I think I can't
remember if I said yesterday thirty twenty three or or
thirty one twenty four, but I think Jacksonville wins by
a touchdown and it keeps up there their thirty point
stretch and they win, they cover, and we go with
the over as well. So and so that gives me.
(51:55):
So if I am looking at the spread, so I
like the Giant, I get like the Jags to cover.
But if I want to make it a little more so,
if I say, if I push that to five and
a half, you can get that at plus one thirty.
And now if you like the Cardinals to win, hit
(52:16):
that money line. Just just hit the money line, because
it's what is it, plus one sixty five? Yeah, that's
that's beautiful. That's beautiful to do.
Speaker 1 (52:24):
Right exactly, And so you just look at that and
you've got a chance. Bandal doesn't have a lot right now.
I think they're very gun shy with I mean, Marvin's
been set, he's out, but so there's no receiving props,
but there are passing props. Uh again, Jaguars passing offenses
(52:48):
not good. The Cardinals run game is not good. So
that leads itself to be that another Jacoby heavy game.
His over runners two forty three and a half. That's
minus one fourteen obviously taking the over, and I would
ladder that all the way up to three hundred and
twenty five. Take a chance, I mean plus five point fifty. Uh,
(53:12):
hopefully it's it's more than just more empty numbers. Hopefully
like is leading to something positive this week. But but
I look at that, and then does BETMGM have any
traves etn numbers yet?
Speaker 2 (53:30):
Let me see rushing numbers. Yeah, they've got they got
the longest rush thirteen and a half. They got Etn,
it's sixty and a half for the over under oh
rushing receiving seventy six and a half. But they don't
have any alternate.
Speaker 1 (53:48):
Definitely, hammer hammer both those overs for me. For Etn,
he's going to again unless he just can't go. He's
gonna get twenty plus touches again. And he's going to
have over one hundred yards from from scrimmage against this
this Cardinals run defense. I mean, the only way that
doesn't happen is if the Cardinals won again if he
(54:10):
doesn't play, But if the Cardinals get out to a
very very fast start and force the Jaguars to be
a passing team. But the Jags, they just genuinely don't care.
They're they're not going to take that bait. They don't
allow Trevor Lawrence to get them in holes early in
the game. Now late in the game. You know, he's
(54:33):
he's a little bit of a wild man. As Jess said.
He he leads you to game winning drives or he
throws backbreaking game ending picks. But it's you know, it's
nice to know you have both options there. But overall,
you know, like I said, this is a this is
a game where I think it's going to be more
(54:53):
more heavy Jacoby and they they're gonna need Jacoby to
really take the lead in this one if they're going
to have a chance.
Speaker 2 (55:04):
Well, and I'm looking here at some of the receiving
propre there was really no value in any of the
receiving props because you've got for Mike on bet MGM.
The only three Cardinals pass catchers or Trainmick by, Michael
Wilson and Greg dorts The only one for the Jags
is Brian Thomas. And to hit the over on any
of them is that the juice. It's not great. Minus
(55:25):
one thirty for for McBride over seven and a half
catches over four and a half catches, is minus one
forty five for Michael Wilson, minus one fifty for Brian
Thomas over four and a half, and minus one sixty
five for Greg dortch over two and a half. Then
you go the receiver. I do like Trey mcbrides over
(55:46):
at seventy eight and a half, and there is the
one hundred plus gets you plus one eighty five. I
don't know. I don't know if I'm gonna like you
can get Michael Wilson at plus four fifty over one
hundred at least one hundred yards. I don't know if
I'm like I'm ready to go to that well again,
I feel like last week and like just like any
(56:08):
big Marvin Harrison games, you get the big game and
then it's going to be something less I think, but
but the but maybe because who else, like it is,
who else is going to catch the ball?
Speaker 1 (56:17):
Well, but here's the other issue, Jess, and like, this
is the conversation we can have after after the game.
But I think it's worth, you know, at least putting
out there what the expectations and kind of the like
odd odd conversations that have occurred around not just Jacoby Brusset,
(56:40):
but now Michael Wilson. It's like, now you're putting Now
you're putting expectations on guys that have never really produced
at at that high of the level to have those expectations.
And and we talked about it, like it's more of
a vibe thing with Jacoby. He's not actually producing results.
(57:03):
I mean, he's putting up empty numbers, but he's not
producing results. He's not producing an efficient offensive output and
he's not really increasing their score or their average you know,
touchdowns scored. And so that's the thing is when you
look at this, you and you look at Michael Wilson,
(57:25):
you know, I saw some wild takes and it's weird
to me, especially when it comes from Cardinals fans. But
it's weird to me when people are like, oh, he's
just better than Marvin Harrison, and I'm like, look, I
hope they're both phenomenal, but like, shouldn't we ask a
guy to like put together like a two to three
game stretch before we start being like.
Speaker 2 (57:47):
Let's say he said he the one game nearly doubled
his production.
Speaker 1 (57:51):
This year, right, And so that's you know, and and
you brought up a great comparison about how these this is,
you know, and this is old school, you know, like
two thousands, but Kyle Orton and Brendan Lloyd type stuff
(58:12):
right where for the Broncos, And and there were there
was a segment of fan base, you know, Jess and
I are old enough to remember this, but there was
a segment of fan base that were like, oh, these
guys are these guys are legit, like they need to
be the future. And then and then you kind of
end up slowing down your growth because you you think
(58:39):
too highly of guys that just had really solid stretches
and not great careers. And so that's you know, that's
what'll be interesting. And again, I Jess and I would
love to see Michael Wilson become a star, like star star.
(59:05):
That would be amazing.
Speaker 2 (59:07):
Fun that would be that'd be and and the timeliness
of it in year three, Yeah, that would be really
good for him too.
Speaker 1 (59:15):
Right, And so it's just like, but like, let's not
give this guy. Let's not be like, oh, he's the
clear number one on the car, Like I've seen those
takes and I'm just like, hey, can we just let
the guy have a second good game? Before like we
were like like I just I just want him to
play like three games in a row where you're like, okay,
(59:35):
he's put up those numbers, like he's he's playing at
a high level for three games in a row. So
you know, it'll be interesting to see how that, like
if it doesn't happen this week, Like, are we just
all gonna turn up? I mean I know you and
I are not, but like, is everybody just gonna like,
oh see you guys? It's like it's like, let's just
let's just see how this all unfolds before we start
(59:58):
crowning or or destroying or like taking shots at other
players that are also on the Cardinals, Like let's let's
just wait and see how this all unfolds.
Speaker 2 (01:00:12):
So and and jeez, but yeah, oh so this will
be a fun one. It's it's tough to kind of gauge.
I think it'll be high scoring, but you know, and
if they follow the three and eight, I mean, and
if they get blown out again, what's the what's the
(01:00:33):
narrative going to be? Like how long? How long can
volume numbers and losses support the vibes?
Speaker 1 (01:00:45):
Yeah, and that's the problem too, is you know, you
look at you look at how this is gone, and
and how long can you wait until you're seeing actual,
like positive results. And like you said, I think I
think that was was an apt comparison. You know, twenty
(01:01:07):
so it was twenty ten Kyle Whorton. You look at
his first five games of the season, and you're like, dude,
this is an MVP.
Speaker 2 (01:01:15):
And I remember when Cardinals fans won Kyle Horton.
Speaker 1 (01:01:20):
Yeah. Well, and that's the thing is, you know it,
it's you got to be sure when you when you
make those calls and so many guys or so many
players you're sure about and then you're just flat out
wrong and you're like, well, but it's better than it was,
(01:01:41):
and you're like, well no, because it's ostensibly worse than
it was, Like like at least like that. That's been
just an i's thing this whole time. It's like, hey,
can can there be can there be competitiveness? Like the
numbers are great, seven hundred yards passing in two games
is great, but like losing by twenty plus is not ideal.
(01:02:07):
And that's that's what That's what you know, I guess
just and I want more than anything is like this
team to be competitive and actually have chances to win games.
Speaker 2 (01:02:22):
Or or aren't it to the ground baby?
Speaker 1 (01:02:26):
Well I did say that after the last game. And
to be fair, it is fun to be part of
like history, even when it's embarrassing history.
Speaker 2 (01:02:37):
Right, yeah, So you know, maybe they turn things around
or maybe it's embarrassing, and we can we can we
can actively then we can expect well, if anything else,
that'll bring for off season content for us and our sites,
right exactly, And with that we will wrap up this
edition of the resids here and podcasts after Best Hour
(01:02:58):
of Cardial's Talk on the Web episode seven hundred and
twenty one. We'll be back next week to talk about
what happened in this game on Sunday. Until then, that's
step Cos. I'm Jess Ruth. Thanks for listening. As always,
we'll be back again soon.
Speaker 3 (01:03:11):
Thanks for listening to the latest edition of the Rise
Up Sea Red podcast. Listen to previous episodes and subscribe
to the show on Apple Podcasts, Stitcher Radio, Audio Boom,
or many other podcast platforms so shows are delivered directly
to your mobile device. Please give the show a five
star radi and always support the sponsors who support the show.
Speaker 2 (01:03:31):
We'll be back soon.
Speaker 3 (01:03:32):
For the best hour of Cardinals Talk on the Web,
Rise Up Red, c B Red Sea Red, and of
course Rise Up Sea Red.
Speaker 1 (01:04:00):
Z.
Speaker 3 (01:04:01):
There's it, There's it, There is it.
Z Zo. This is the Rise Up Sea Red podcast,
all about the Arizona Cardinals and the NFL, featuring insider
and outsider perspectives. Enjoy the best hour of Cardinals Talk
(00:23):
on the web. Now Here are your hosts, Jess Root
and Seth Cox.
Speaker 2 (00:31):
Hellower's on the Cardinals fans, and welcome to the latest
edition of the Rise of Sciar podcast, the best of
Cardinals Talk on the Web. I'm your host Jess Root
from cardsbar dot com, the USA TODA NFL wire site,
the covers of course your Arizona Cardinals. And we're in
episode seven and twenty one. This is our week twelve
Cardinals Jaguars preview, picks and predictions recording with my co
(00:51):
hostman friend Seth Cox from Revenge of the Birds dot
com as be Nation's Arizona Cardinals site. And I mean, Seth,
I mean, what are the Cardinals have have gotten?
Speaker 1 (01:03):
There?
Speaker 2 (01:03):
The doors blown off of the last two weeks. They
are not a healthy group of players. What what can
we expect from this team this week? I'm not sure.
Are we still in laughable mode? Are they gonna compete?
Are they gonna be blown out again? I don't know
what to think.
Speaker 1 (01:23):
I mean, it's so difficult to tell. And you know,
it's it's crazy to look at the the numbers and
and how things are going, and and just to pick
a look and and see that this team is so
bad all of a sudden, and and that they're just
not playing at a high level, you know, and that's
(01:45):
and that's what makes it tough. And and this group,
you know, will they come in and and how will
they play this week? You know, you kind of mentioned it,
like what what are they going to look like in
terms of you know, just being engaged. Like that's been
one of the biggest issues I think is that you're
(02:08):
just not even seeing a team that is competitive the
last couple of games. I mean I joked about it,
but they've played one quarter of football where they've been
in a game in the last eight quarters, I mean
seven of the last eight quarters have just basically been
for show. And that's just not acceptable. Man. I mean,
(02:33):
you look at this this team. They were down thirteen
to seven this last game. In the first quarter, you know,
got it to nine, nineteen to ten, and then it
was just you know, again, the wheels fell off. We
talked about the stats from last game and how bad
(02:53):
they were, and then how meaningless kind of the overall
bulk stats ended up being. I mean, you row for
four hundred and fifty two yards and two touchdowns, but
over two hundred of that were were when you're down
four plus scores, and and you weren't even competitive at
the end of that, you know, in that game, when
(03:15):
you were throwing for all those yards and so, and
then you look at the flip side and and I
don't think we disagree that the defense is not playing well.
It's just why why is everything shading so poorly defensively?
When the other team's running less plays, the other teams,
(03:38):
you know, getting less uh yards per play, they're having
a smaller i'm a possession, they're they're worse on third down,
Like why why? And you look at it, and in
some of it, I mean, obviously you can attribute fourteen
points directly in that in that game from the Seahawks
(04:02):
right to the Cardinals offense going against their defense. But
in the last game, I mean, you had you had
the interception that led to a field goal right before
the half, and and realistically that interception was like a
it was like a six point swing, right because instead
(04:23):
of getting any points. You ended up giving up three points.
And then you come out and you go three and
out and and you end up you know, hunting, and
then they kick another field goal, and then you throw
another interception and and they score another touchdown. I mean,
(04:50):
the ironic thing was, you know, everybody was so upset
and understandably about the Elijah Higgins fumble at the goal line,
but they finally got a three and out after that,
like like true, that was like the first time. And
so that's you know, and I've I've barked about it
(05:10):
since the beginning of the season. You know, I kind
of fell on deaf fears and now it's all the
defense's fault. You know, the offense is phenomenal and and
this is all the defense's fault. But you know, you
and I have talked about it from the beginning. It's
like there's no complimentary football, Like as soon as this
team scores, what happens, well, the other team scores immediately,
Like there's no there's no getting a stop and getting
(05:32):
back off the field. And so you know, that's one
of the things that you look at and that you see,
you know, the offenses in epness, you know, and you
go back to that last game, there was a there
was a sequence where the Cardinals only had fifteen plays,
and and that that covered almost the entire or half
(05:56):
of the second and almost the entire third quarter. So
it encompass basically an entire quarter, and they had fifteen
plays and and ironically, again the defense only gave up
(06:17):
sixteen points in that time where the offense basically was
not basically just not on the field, right like, and
and so that's that's what's missing, more than anything, is
you get that touchdown early in the game, right, and
what happens immediately after that, they they they force a punt.
(06:40):
You're like, okay, this is this is going a good
this is going a good way. All right. They gave
up two touchdowns early, but we can we can chalk
one up to special teams, Right, you give up a
ninety some adiyard kickoff return they get they get to
go to the one start the game at the one
yard line, right, you know, and then and then you
score a touchdown and then or sorry, then you punt
(07:03):
on your first possession, they score another touchdown. Okay, that's
on the defense, definitely, right, Like, that's definitely on the defense.
But then you come out and you score a touchdown
and the Cardinals force a punt and you're almost like, okay,
you know, thirteen seven, they're coming back, and what happens
They miss a field goal and then it's like the
wheels fall off, right, It's like it's like one misstep
(07:25):
on either side of the bowl and the wheels completely
fall off, and you know, we go back and you
have six or five empty possessions in a row. Meanwhile,
the counter to that is the forty nine ers score
sixteen points without you know, any pushback. And so you
look at this week and you look at that Jacksonville
(07:47):
Jaguars team and and you go, oh man, this could
be this could be bad. The lines moved a little bit.
I know, we'll get to that shortly. I mean not much,
not not anything crazy, but it's moved a little bit,
and and everybody's kind of just looking at it, going,
(08:08):
I don't trust Jacksonville, but man, the Cardinals are bad.
Speaker 2 (08:16):
Like, man, they're exactly it.
Speaker 1 (08:18):
They're exactly a bad team.
Speaker 2 (08:21):
Doesn't this doesn't this Jacksonville team kind of channel the
Cardinals last year?
Speaker 1 (08:28):
Right? Yeah? Yeah? And you look at it, they're you know,
Obviously the.
Speaker 2 (08:34):
Cardinals were six and four last year. Yeah, and obviously
the same spot.
Speaker 1 (08:38):
The counting stats are easy, you know, you look at it.
Trevor Lawrence is thrown for twenty one and fifty yards,
eleven touchdowns to eight interceptions. He's completing sub sixty percent
of his passes, which is just basically unheard of in
today's NFL, right, Like, completing less than sixty percent of
your passes is just not something that you see. But
(09:00):
he also has five rushing touchdowns, so he's got sixteen
total touchdowns on the season. He's using his legs a
little more one hundred and eighty one yards rushing on
the season, which again not something anybody really expected. Right.
They're phenom rookie wide receiver Brian Thomas, the guy that was,
you know, clearly better than Marvin Harrison Junior, and the
(09:23):
Cardinals should have taken over Marvin Harrison Juniors having a
having a down second year. I mean, you know you
mentioned it six and four, but he's only played in
eight games, has not had a one hundred yard game
this season, has one touchdown on the season. You know,
it's it's just one of those years you look at
(09:44):
some of his games, right, you know, opens the season
one for eleven, but then goes for four for forty
nine and two for fifty five and five for forty nine,
and you're like, okay, he's he's getting back on the track.
And four for eighty and then eight for ninety. Uh
and then and then they just kind of you know,
(10:07):
goes back into second receiver, not doing a whole lot
of stuff like it. It's interesting to see that happen,
especially when you're not looking at anybody that's really had
any success this year. I mean, Travis Hunter, the dynamic
second overall pick in the draft. He's done for the
(10:28):
year with an injury. He had a you know, decent
enough season as a as a receiver. Uh, you know,
had a had a decent season as a corner. But really,
you know, overall was was just unable to hold up
right to the physicality and and the overall demand from
(10:53):
from the NFL, which was a concern for a lot
of people. Right Like it's it's not like it was
something that people didn't bring up, and they're just i mean,
they really have very little production from their wide receivers.
Parker Washington, uh is kind of the guy this year.
(11:14):
He leads all all receivers in in touchdowns with two. Uh.
You know, Brian Thomas Travis Hunter both had one touchdown.
Diamie Brown has has one touchdown. Uh, they're leading tight end.
Britain Strange has no touchdowns. Travis etn their their lead
running back, who will talk about you know, has has
(11:35):
a touchdown. Jacoby Myers, who they just traded for, you know,
he hasn't fairly done you know, anything this year, and
that's that's understandable. But yeah, Hunter long leads everybody with
two touchdowns. So it's like what and so it's just there.
Their offense really makes no sense despite all the investments
(11:56):
on the offense.
Speaker 2 (11:58):
Uh, you're looking at them statistically, they they're below average
in terms of yards production twentieth overall, but they're middle
of the road thirteenth and thirteenth in points and they're
twelfth in points allowed fourteenth and so they're they're a
pretty mid team. But there's two things they do really well.
They run the ball well and they stop the run
(12:21):
incredibly well. And they've put up points recently. And for me,
that's a concern for Cardinals because you know the Cardinals
and their own defense, when you know they've given up
aside from aside from the Dollars game, it's been thirty one,
twenty seven to twenty seven, forty four, and forty one.
(12:44):
Although we can knock off fourteen points. You could say
that the defense gave up thirty points to the Seahawks.
But the last three weeks for the for the Jaguars
have been thirty, twenty nine, and thirty five, so they've
got things figured out kind of offensively, it's just if
they're a bad defense and so.
Speaker 1 (13:03):
Well they're about they're about the past. They're a bad
pass defense, which lines up great for the Cardinals, right,
I mean that's ideal because the Cardinals can't run the ball.
Speaker 2 (13:15):
But Trey Benson's back, so Drew PETSI My my change
is ways right exactly.
Speaker 1 (13:21):
So you know, you look at you look at all
of that, and it goes to show like if you
can run the ball and stop the run, even in
today's NFL, you're still an effective team. I mean, like
you mentioned, overall, their twentieth in yard age, but they're
eight in rushing yards their fourth and rushing touchdowns, but
they're second in yards against, and and that kind of
(13:44):
goes to show what they can do, and you go back,
you know, they you go back two games ago where
they lost to the Houston Texans thirty six twenty nine
in Houston, and that's kind of the game that you
look at and you go, what is this team? I mean,
(14:05):
they scored twenty nine points, but they had two hundred
and thirteen yards of offense total. That's that's abysmal. And
by the way, that twenty nine points that would be
the most the Cardinals have scored this year. So you
look at you look at something like, you know, two
hundred and thirteen yards of offense, but they scored twenty
(14:25):
nine points. That's that's less than any Cardinals game all
year in terms of total yards of offense. They're they're
passing output. In that game, they had I think one
hundred or two hundred or one hundred and nineteen yards
passing total.
Speaker 2 (14:45):
That's and they turned the ball over twice. Now granted
that defense completely collapsed given up the twenty six points
in the fourth quarter, but.
Speaker 1 (14:53):
Well, and that's just it, Like you you kind of
look at everything and it's just this is a team
that after the bye week, they're scoring points fairly easily,
and it's just whether or not they they can get
enough stops. And to your point, Jess, outside of that
(15:16):
game against Houston, they have been able to. But it
should give the Cardinals a little hope that, you know,
if and when they do get down, that they're able
to really rally, because I mean it was Davis Mills
that rallied that team right they were down. They were
down twenty nine to ten with under a minute and
(15:40):
a half to go in the third quarter, and they
won that game thirty well thirty twenty nine. I know
they scored with you know, no time left on a
pick six by Sheldon Rankins, but like they really and
it was Davis Mills who who really propelled that game
(16:02):
for for the Texans. And so you look at that,
that's you know, all positive, all positive stuff for the Cardinals,
especially with when you're talking about a team that just
can't run the football.
Speaker 2 (16:19):
Yeah, Gravacyn having a nice year. He's he's basically the
the motor of the offense, is he not.
Speaker 1 (16:29):
Yeah, he really is, and he's you know he's not
he's not having the the like high level in terms
of of big plays, but he does a great job
of kind of grinding out different type of runners. So
(16:51):
I don't want people to mistake this, but similar to
what we saw with like James Connor, right, you look
at you look at his games, especially you know, the
last the last several jests, those three games after the
bye week, he has an average over four yards of carry,
but he's got eighty four yards on twenty two carries,
(17:12):
fifty eight yards on sixteen carries, and seventy three yards
on nineteen carries, and he's got three touchdowns. It's it's
just become a guy that that kind of leans on
you and then and then is able to like finish
games strong. And he and and he's on pace for
a career high and carries and yards and touchdowns. And
(17:37):
so we'll see how that goes, because again, this is
a guy that in his career has been he's been
a guy that has shown more explosion. But but this year,
especially after the bye week, it's been very very grinded out,
(17:59):
very you know, kind of like I said, James Connor,
esh and how he's achieving those yards. So that'll be
interesting to kind of to kind of watch in this game,
because like you said, he's still the engine of that offense.
I mean, Trevor Lawrence is is doing enough and I
(18:22):
And that's a conversation that you know, we we can
have with with guys that cover the Texans because there's
a there's a big question. I mean, he hasn't thrown
for three hundred yards once this season. You know, he
has multiple games with multiple interceptions. He's he's you know,
(18:44):
been very erratic in his play and he's been sacked
twenty six times on the season. But he's also led
three game winning drives this year. So it's kind kind
of that scatter shot right of like like, oh, he's
not playing well, and then it's like, oh, here you go.
(19:07):
It's it's it's.
Speaker 2 (19:08):
Jaguars team and Trevor Lawrence. It feels a lot. They
seem to be quite similar in traits to the Cardinals
a year ago. You could say things the same thing
about what Trevor Lawrence and Kyler Murray. You know, first
overall pick was expected to be like Trevor Lawrence was
lauded like, you know, best quarterback prospects since Andrew Luck
(19:29):
and he just quite hasn't quite been as good as
people hope. But he's been like this year good enough,
not great, and and he does have the clutch like Kyler,
Kyle will have pu hum games and then come up
big late in the game as well. It's very very
interesting how this Jaguars team kind of looks and feels
(19:53):
like last year's Cardinals and only they're kind of going
in the right. Well, we'll see, because the Cardinals were
six and four and then fell apart. We'll see. And
they but then they have a winnable They have a
winnable division for sure.
Speaker 1 (20:09):
They do. And and you look at it, you know
they they have both games against Indy left, but they
also have both games against Tennessee left on the schedule,
so so they have a favorable schedule coming up here, right.
I mean, you look at it, they have their at
Arizona this week and then at Tennessee. And if you're
if you're a Jacksonville fan, you're basically saying, we have
(20:30):
to be two and no coming out of that, because
then you have a huge matchup, uh first week of
December against Indy. Who's who's the team leading the division? Right,
And so those are those are how you how you
look at it. But at the same time, when you
look at it, you you see that there is a
(20:51):
lot that needs to be fixed. You know. The first
thing is that that we mentioned the passing game can
when you win games, especially late in the season when
you're only getting you know, one hundred and fifty yards
from your quarterback. But on the flip side, if you're
(21:14):
running for two hundred yards, does anybody care? Right?
Speaker 2 (21:17):
Uh?
Speaker 1 (21:18):
You know we mentioned Etn. But a guy that's that
you know post bye week has has had a couple
productive games is rookie Byschelle Yeah, Baselle Tooton, a guy
you and I talked about, you know, coming out of
the draft, Speedster speed. Yeah. And the way the Cardinals
(21:43):
have you know, played the run three of the last
or two of the last three games has not been ideal.
And that's what's so hard about that that San Francisco
game is they only gave up two hundred and eighty
one yards of offense, but there were so many short fields,
there were so many easy matriculation or no matriculation because
(22:09):
they just one or two plays right.
Speaker 2 (22:11):
Right, and they didn't they didn't offer they didn't slow
Christian McCaffrey at all, They didn't slow George Kittle at all.
It was right when I looked at the bat the stats,
but I'm like, wait, wait, what under three hundred yards
of offense in forty one points, right?
Speaker 1 (22:26):
And it's so crazy, it is, it really is. And
and and again you can blame the defense, absolutely, I'm
not saying you can't, but so much of it is
about the lack of complimentary football that we're seeing from
this team. And we have been from the jump. And
you know, again, I go back to the Cardinals were
(22:49):
down thirty five to ten in the second quarter, and
and they had over two hundred yards of offense throwing
the ball, and they only scored twelve points. Like, It's
just baffling to me how inefficient and effective the offense
(23:13):
has been even while putting up big numbers. I think
the biggest concern, and you would agree with this, is
just I mean, you look at what they did to
a team in the Los Angeles Chargers, who are I
would say, pretty much in every way a superior team
to the Arizona Cardinals right now, right like they've you know,
(23:37):
maybe outside of Trey McBride, do the Cardinals have a
player offensively that you would you know, drop in healthy
obviously over anybody on the on the Chargers, and so
that's you look at that and you and you see,
you know, you see what they did and and you
(24:00):
know they held the Chargers to under one hundred and
twenty yards passing, but more than that, they held the
Chargers to under fifty yards rushing. And so you have
all of that and you go, oh crap like that.
(24:22):
You don't have to put up great stats if you're
just going to physically dominate the game. And the Jaguars,
the Jaguars defense did that last week. And the way
that again they've played minus the fourth quarter of that
(24:42):
of that Houston Texans game, it becomes a very burdensome
thing to look at.
Speaker 2 (24:51):
Defensively, last rush they're not particularly good. Eric Armstead leads
the way with five and a half sacks, followed by
Josh heinz Allen. He's only got three sacks, but fifteen
quarterback hits.
Speaker 1 (25:06):
We get to see.
Speaker 2 (25:08):
It's fun because guess guess who's a starter on that defense.
That would be nothing none less than Dennis Gardeck who's starting.
He's he's playing a four to three off ball linebacker,
which is more like a rush linebacker, but kind of
what it's the position he started when he came into
(25:28):
the league in twenty eighteen, and he was playing off
the ball like that. So the pass rush isn't great,
but also it's better than the forty nine ers, so
that'll be a factor. I'm sure. Eric Armstad though still
really good at aged thirty two, he's quietly been a
(25:48):
kind of a you know, he wasn't He was kind
of disappointing for a little while, right right for the
first few years because he couldn't stay healthy. Then he
had the big year in San Francisco twenty nineteen, ten sacks,
and you know, we played for a couple more years
there and then he's been with Jackson for the last
two years and last year was was a facial guy.
(26:10):
He's been a starter all this year. The sack protect
the sack production is up again. How do you how
do you like this this pass rush against Well, when
we talk about mashups, we don't know who the starting
lite offensive line is going to be this week.
Speaker 1 (26:25):
No you don't, and that's you know, one of the
things you look at and you go, this is this
is what the issues are, right, and so we don't
know who's starting on the offensive line. Is it better
than the Chargers offensive line. It should be I'm not
gonna say it is, but it should be. But you know,
did that matter last week? I mean, that's that's what
(26:45):
gets me more than anything, is you have you have
that that game last week where everybody's like, you know,
you threw for four hundred and fifty yards and didn't
give up any sacks, and I'm like, and you lost
by twenty like and to be fair, you weren't even
com I mean, you weren't even competitive in that game.
(27:08):
That's that's such a weird. I mean, they they never
they didn't blitz at all. They they basically just brought
four drop seven, dared you to beat them, and and
you literally couldn't do anything productive until the fourth quarter.
I mean it was it was kind of a baffling
(27:30):
thing to me to celebrate that. But when you look
at when you look at this week, you think, on paper,
there should be improvement, right, you know, we saw we've
seen that this team has had decent protection at times,
(27:58):
but at the same time, they've they've struggled, you know
when in certain games. So will they be able to
hold up against again a mediocre I mean, that's probably
at best mediocre JAG's pass rush. But when the Jags
(28:20):
do get home, they get home, and they get home aggressively.
I mean they knocked out justin Herbert last game. And
then the bigger concern is, and I think you'll agree
with me, Jess, is like, if you can't run the football,
if you're dropping back fifty seven times in a game,
and I think it was actually more than that because
(28:42):
he had a couple scrambles, But if you're dropping back,
you know, sixty one times in a game, you should
put up insane.
Speaker 2 (28:54):
Half points the half points, yes.
Speaker 1 (28:57):
Yeah, and so like to only score were forty four
points the last two weeks, despite throwing the ball at
a breakneck pace. It feels like, really nothing good came
of that.
Speaker 2 (29:14):
And and.
Speaker 1 (29:15):
You know, you and I talked about it. It's it's
little things like the forty nine ers having more or
the same amount of first downs but having what twenty
less plays, Like you're just not you're not doing anything
efficiently with all those extra plays. Like the forty nine ers, yeah,
(29:38):
twenty exactly twenty less plays and they had they had
the same amount of first downs and you're like, well,
you're just not efficient then, and So that's that's what
the concern is, is like, there has to be complimentary
football from the Cardinals, but there has to be some
efficiency and some some purpose and meaning behind these numbers
(30:00):
because the reality is it's been it's kind of just
been for nothing. Right, These numbers that that people are
excited about have really haven't mattered, Like they don't they
genuinely haven't mattered in the game itself.
Speaker 2 (30:20):
I'm in the next on the res of hera podcast
Best Our Cardinals Talk on the Webs. Move on, let's
talk about this the particular matchups, the keys to Cardinals
winning matchups that have matter. That's coming next and rice
ups here read We're back on the rise of here podcast,
Best Are Cardinals Talk on the Web? The Cardinals Jaguars
This Sunday afternoon, two five pm, Arizona sign from State
Firm Stadium. Ah, what are we going to look for? Well,
(30:40):
I think one of the things that the Cardinals are
going to have to do is that they have to
if they're going to pass the ball at the rate
that they're doing, They've got they can't fall behind early.
They can't they can't do what they've done the last
two weeks. And and basically crumbumble, crumble early on, because
(31:05):
if there's anything else, Kobe can't rally the team, like
it's not like he's going to like he might put
up numbers, but we've seen Kyler bring the team back
from down multiple scores. All Jacoby can do is kind
of keep things afloat. And so I guess for some
(31:27):
somehow they've got to avoid the early nonsense place, whether
that's the like the two fumble returns for touchdowns, the
ninety eight yard kick return that take goes down to
the one, just they need to avoid that at the
(31:48):
very least.
Speaker 1 (31:51):
Yeah, you have to start on a positive You can't
start fourteen or twenty eight, you know, like like the
last two games down, you know, fourteen nothing or twenty
eight nothing. You have to yeah or sorry, thirty five nothing.
You have to start like positively. And and the problem is,
you know, you mentioned it. The the Jaguars, they're not
(32:17):
a get out and start fast type of team. Even
in that loss you know to the Texans, it was
it was ten nothing, then it was twenty to twenty
to ten and half. You know, it wasn't like they
got out to twenty nine nothing, right, And held on.
(32:38):
They're they're very much wear you down type of type
of teams. So so I will say this, if the
Cardinals get out to or if the Jaguars get out
to a bad lead with with the Jaguars rushing attack,
it's probably game over. Like they're They're just not You're
not going to stop one of the best rushing attacks
(33:00):
in the NFL, especially when you have one of the
worst rush defenses in the NFL, right, and so so
that matters, and and so you look at that from
that perspective and you go, Okay, how how do you
come back that Well, one, you have to you mentioned it.
(33:23):
You have to start the game without you know, not
in this hole. You cannot start off in this hole
that you have started in the last two weeks. You know,
I don't mean to speak negatively of the Jaguars, but
I don't think they're as good of a team as
the the Seahawks are the forty nine.
Speaker 2 (33:44):
Ers, right, I mean, nothing about them says that they
don't have the same talent. But yeah, but like and
so if they jump out to a lead like the
forty niners and Seahawks, we'll kind of really see how
cooks this Cardinals team in as I think, well.
Speaker 1 (34:04):
And that's the problem is is you just don't know
what to expect because there hasn't been anything positive to expect, right, Like,
there hasn't. I mean after the Cowboys game, it was like, Okay,
let's see you know, and and I almost laughed because
after the Cowboys game when it became like, oh, this
is Jacoby's team and like and then it was like, oh,
(34:25):
you know, but we shouldn't expect too much when they
go up against the Seahawks, right, It's like, why if
you're upgrading at quarterback, you just are. You're coming off
a win on the road three or four weeks earlier,
you just watched your team lose on a last second
(34:46):
field goal. Like if anything, you should be going, oh man,
we're right there now, like this we upgraded at quarterback.
We should be we should be looking at this game
going oh we're we're literally right where we need to
be and we're we're about to take that next step
because we fixed you know, the issue of quarterback. And
instead you come out and you just get boat raced.
(35:09):
And then it's like and people were like, well, you
know what you expecting, And it's like but you told
me that it was better, so so that's what I
was expecting. And then you look at this week, right,
and you go, there's nothing outside of the run game.
There's nothing outside of a good Jaguars offensive line running
(35:33):
the football and a workhorse. But if not, you know,
he's not the Travis. Etn is not the explosive guy.
That's that's Teuton, right, Like Tune's the guy that's going
to break a long one. But Etn is gonna is
going to drag you through the mud for four quarters.
So if you come out and you get down early
(35:55):
to this team, it's like what are you doing all week?
Like how are you preparing for a game? If if
you have a team that I mean again their record, wise, numbers, wise,
all that stuff. Yes, I understand the Jaguars are better,
but on paper they're they're they're you know, an equivalent
(36:18):
team to the Cardinals. You should be competing with this
team and instead you go down. So so they have
to this week not start slow. You just can't. If
it happens again, that's when the questions about, like you know,
what is going what is the preparation and how can
you fall down into a whole three games in a row,
(36:40):
especially coming off a win. Jess right, Like, it's not
like it's not like they did. They were on that
five game losing streak, and then it just got worse.
They they theoretically blew out the Cowboys and then you've
just been boat raced, like you don't even belong on
the same field as these NFL teams last two weeks.
(37:02):
So this Jaguars team, you know, you have to you
have to slow down, Travis Etn. You have to slow
down bestsell twot and you you have to give yourself
a chance to compete because if you if you don't,
if you allow the Jaguars to play their game, which is,
(37:22):
hey it's it's ten to three, guess what time it is, oh,
Travis Etn time you know, hey it's it's twenty to six.
Guess what time it is? Oh more Travis than then
what happened to the Chargers is going to be the
same thing that happens to the Cardinals. And so that's
(37:43):
what matters, because I don't I mean what I mean,
who scares you, Brian Thomas, Brenton Strange, Like.
Speaker 2 (37:51):
There's nothing about the passing, there's nothing about the passing
game that is like mmm, but at the same time,
at the same time and Brendon scrange chalk up Breton
strains for two touchdowns or such something like that.
Speaker 1 (38:06):
Right, And that's and I think that's what the biggest
concern is is because we can we can look at everything.
We can look at the numbers, we can look at
how things are going. You know, you can look at
the injury report and look at all of that and
and say, oh, you know, this is what But in
(38:27):
the end, what you need to look at is like
this team has just not been competitive for two straight weeks.
I think the biggest thing that you look at coming
into this game is that one of the biggest names
for the Jags, uh Trayvon Walker is has been a
(38:47):
d m P and and so if he's not able
to go, that's a positive for the Cardinals passing game, right, Like,
that's that's a huge, huge positive.
Speaker 2 (39:01):
But there's one matchup that I'm very, very worried about,
and that's Josh Heines Allen against what appears to be
will be Josh Fryer at right tackle.
Speaker 1 (39:11):
Yea, yeah, we welcome to the NFL. Right.
Speaker 2 (39:16):
Undrafted rookie undrafted ruppy going against what was he a
top five pick or top ten pick heinz Allen. Hey,
it's so much easier when when he added Heines to that.
So now we're not talking about the quarterback all the time.
Speaker 1 (39:31):
Wow. And I'm and I could definitely be wrong. It
wouldn't be the first time, but I'm pretty sure he's
like close to breaking the h the Jaguars all time
sack leader record. So so like you look at you
look at Josh heinz Allen. You know, he's got fifty
(39:53):
six in his seven years. Uh, he's been down the
last few years, right like two years.
Speaker 2 (39:59):
He already is the all time leader.
Speaker 1 (40:01):
Okay, he broke it last week. Okay, yes, I knew
it was close, and I didn't follow up at you know,
because again I was like, how do the Cardinals lose
to the forty nine ers? I was still trying to
figure out that game. Uh, but yeah, you look at it.
I mean, but he's but again after the bye week, Jess,
this this is a guy that on the season, on
the season has three sacks, He's got two and a
(40:24):
half since the bye week. So his last three games
he has two and a half sacks, four quarterback hits
like he's coming on finally and that and and then
you mentioned it. Then you have Josh Fryer like he's
just like another another week, right.
Speaker 2 (40:43):
Like, well, that's a funny thing because Jonah Williams hasn't
been good and he's better than Calvin Beacham and Josh Fryer, right,
So yeah, I.
Speaker 1 (40:52):
Mean that that was the funny thing is like, you know,
it goes back to some of the conversations of like, well,
you gotta you gotta upgrade for Jacoby Burssett and I'm like,
but he's had the healthy offensive line until last week,
Like what do you mean upgrade? I'm so confused, Like
(41:15):
like what are we talking about? Maybe I'm missing something here.
But then I mean they do have a litany of
like Brob or what they call him limited. You know,
this week Brent Strange, we talked about the other tight
end whose name Hunter Long. Both are limited. Brian Thomas
(41:36):
is limited again with an ankle, and again, I mean
Thomas has been high. I mean the biggest one is
is obviously Walker who has not practiced with a knee,
and then Etan's limited with the shoulder. But you know,
until he doesn't play. He's one of those guys. The
way he runs again the James Connor comp not as
(41:58):
big obviously, but like the way they use him in
the grinded out style, like he's going to be on
the Entry report every week, right, Like that's how Connor
has been for the last forever the Cardinals this year,
So so you look at it from that perspective and
you you know that, oh, you know, he'll be on
(42:18):
he'll be on the list again. The thing that Cardinals
have to do from a mashup standpoint is one they've
got to take advantage of the of the Jaguars pass defense.
It's you you mentioned it. It's it's I don't want
to say bad because that's probably overstating it, but they're
(42:39):
very much a gambling defense. They're number two in the
NFL and interceptions, they have thirteen interceptions on the season
already using yards and so and so. They're they're willing.
And I'm a buddy that's a defensive coordinator for for
high school, and he was we were just talking about
philosophies and things like that. He's like, it's almost worth
(43:01):
it now if you don't have, you know, an Eagles
Broncos level defense to take chances because you'll give up yards.
You know, you'll give up ten completions for one interception,
right because at that point you're like, oh okay, I
got I got what I needed. And so you know,
(43:26):
you look at it. This is a group that takes
a lot of chances. They you know, but they they've
given up the third most touchdown passes on the season
or fourth most. Sorry, fourth most I don't want to
speaking correctly, but you know, like I said, second most interceptions.
They they're fine in sacks. I mean they're they're not.
You know, it's not like they're great. It's not like
(43:48):
they're bad. They're just average and sacks that it comes
from all over the place, right, But this is this
is a game where the Cardinals strength of passing the
ball should theoretically keep them in the game, right, Jess.
Speaker 2 (44:05):
It should. However, I want to point something out that
and it was something and that we talked about early
in the season. Remember, the passing game was kind of
out of sync and the run game coin it wasn't
quite as good, and they had a couple of people
in new roles. Amarti Mercado was not playing on offense,
(44:26):
Trey Benson was in that third down role and while
he has wasn't bad uh deMercado being in the lineup.
So if you look at because he came out, Demarcado
entered the lineup in essentially in week five and as
the third down back because Trey Benson got hurt in
(44:49):
week four. And what have we seen from the offense,
specifically the passing game for one half of play, well,
honestly against the Titans and moving forward, the offense has
been pretty good this week. And mar de Mercado will
not play. We believe Trey Benson will be activated this week,
and that means that somebody else will be in that
(45:15):
third down role, which impacts the passing game. I'm gonna
be interested and I'm gonna be interested to see how
much the passing game is impacted with the loss of
de Mercado this week when you have to put somebody
else in to pass block and things like that, because
in addition to being good in pass protection, Demarcado does
(45:36):
give you that that big play possibility. And so Benson
back in the lineup, he's not going to go back
into that third down role. He's going to be at
the number one role or a shared role with Bam Knight,
and or maybe maybe Bam is to work Trey back
(45:59):
in they they lead with Bam and put Trey into
that backup, third down role. That'll be interesting. But either
way we might see an impact in the passing game
because of losing Demarcado this week. I'm interested to see
how that goes because the offense looked vastly different both
in the run game in the past game when Demarcado
(46:20):
was not playing for the first four games, So that
will be one thing for me to watch as well.
So coming up next to the Rest of Year podcast
The Best Our Cardinals Talking webs move on to the
final segment where we make our picks, predictions and talk
about the bets that our best bets for that game
that's coming to next respc read We're back on the
rest of Here podcast, The Best Are Cardinals Talking Them
(46:41):
The Jaguars open is two and a half point favorites,
and now that line has moved to three points. And
guess what the public loves the Jaguars at that minus
three at the money line is eighty eight eighty six
percent of the handle is backing the Jaguars. Seventy one
percent of that three point spread. Backing the Jaguars as well.
(47:06):
I'd like to think I believe the Cardinals will be
more competitive in this game than they have in the
last two weeks, but I don't think the result is
going to be much different. How do you see this
game playing out?
Speaker 1 (47:19):
You know, I I want to I want to give
this one more week of like, hey, I think they
can still compete. You know, I was shocked by the
two and a half line when it opened, especially coming
off both games for both teams, right like, the Cardinals
looked basically incompetent, and the Jaguars looked like the you know,
(47:48):
the old school Steelers, right run the ball, play defense,
hope that Trevor Lawrence doesn't screw things up. And I
was shocked by that. And then, you know, the more
I've dug into it this week, it's like I have slowly,
as I typically do, talk myself into well, you know,
(48:10):
Jacoby's throwing the ball around the yard. The Jaguars past
defenses bad. They don't have a great pass rush up
until the last three weeks, so maybe that's the you know,
so I've been trying to and so I think I'm
on board one more week, Jess. I don't know. I
(48:32):
don't know why I do this to myself, but I
think I'm on board one more week until it's it's
proven different because I just I think the matchup used
slightly ever so to the Cardinals being able to move
the ball through the air and force the Jaguars into
(48:55):
a shootout. And if that happens, I still think the
cardinals past defense is good enough to compete and give
them a shot to win.
Speaker 2 (49:09):
You know, I think it's a closer game. I think
it'd be a closer game. But here here's my difference.
If it's a close game, who do you trust more
at the end of the game.
Speaker 1 (49:17):
Well, that's the thing is I mean, Jacoby's had the
chance to win it twice and failed, and then in
two other games, I mean they I mean it was
basically like you and I playing for the first two
plus quarters, right, So you know, I get it from
that perspective. But again, before I before I fall completely
(49:42):
out on on the team and the staff and all
of that, you have to look at it and you
have to go, Okay, they they've got it. They've got
to come out more prepared this week, right, like it.
It has to be better because we're getting to the
point now where it is it's not us. Oh, it's
(50:02):
the quarterback that's the issue. We just Oh, it's just
the oci. Dude. You're getting blown out at home by
a forty nine ers team. That's not bad. I mean,
I don't want to say they're bad, but they're not
the four. I mean, this isn't. This isn't.
Speaker 2 (50:20):
Two years is escimated and they still couldn't do anything
against them.
Speaker 1 (50:26):
I mean, but they've made it. Threw for four hundred
and fifty yards. Man didn't go up any sacks, So
I mean, it doesn't it doesn't lead to points or wins,
but it I mean.
Speaker 2 (50:36):
Vibes man, the Ja Kobe vibes are strong. What's your
final score prediction for this?
Speaker 1 (50:43):
I'm gonna, like I said, I'm going to go out
on the limb, say the Cardinals get this one. I'll
say twenty four to seventeen.
Speaker 2 (50:52):
Okay, okay, and I think it's gonna go. I look
at the Jaguars thirty plus points in their last three games,
and I'm going, okay that looking at what the Cardinals
have done defensively, that vibes but then I look at
the Jaguars pass defense, I'm like, Okay, so the Cardinals
can score points, but what have we seen from this
(51:12):
this team that I you know, they're going to have
to hold them because the Cardinals are going to score
between twenty two and twenty seven points, and I think
that's that's kind of the They're consistently going to get that.
But I don't think that the defense is going to
be able to slow them down, and so I don't
think it'll be able to blow out. But I do
expect the Jacks to win by touchdown. I think I've
(51:33):
got this one thirty twenty Like I think I can't
remember if I said yesterday thirty twenty three or or
thirty one twenty four, but I think Jacksonville wins by
a touchdown and it keeps up there their thirty point
stretch and they win, they cover, and we go with
the over as well. So and so that gives me.
(51:55):
So if I am looking at the spread, so I
like the Giant, I get like the Jags to cover.
But if I want to make it a little more so,
if I say, if I push that to five and
a half, you can get that at plus one thirty.
And now if you like the Cardinals to win, hit
(52:16):
that money line. Just just hit the money line, because
it's what is it, plus one sixty five? Yeah, that's
that's beautiful. That's beautiful to do.
Speaker 1 (52:24):
Right exactly, And so you just look at that and
you've got a chance. Bandal doesn't have a lot right now.
I think they're very gun shy with I mean, Marvin's
been set, he's out, but so there's no receiving props,
but there are passing props. Uh again, Jaguars passing offenses
(52:48):
not good. The Cardinals run game is not good. So
that leads itself to be that another Jacoby heavy game.
His over runners two forty three and a half. That's
minus one fourteen obviously taking the over, and I would
ladder that all the way up to three hundred and
twenty five. Take a chance, I mean plus five point fifty. Uh,
(53:12):
hopefully it's it's more than just more empty numbers. Hopefully
like is leading to something positive this week. But but
I look at that, and then does BETMGM have any
traves etn numbers yet?
Speaker 2 (53:30):
Let me see rushing numbers. Yeah, they've got they got
the longest rush thirteen and a half. They got Etn,
it's sixty and a half for the over under oh
rushing receiving seventy six and a half. But they don't
have any alternate.
Speaker 1 (53:48):
Definitely, hammer hammer both those overs for me. For Etn,
he's going to again unless he just can't go. He's
gonna get twenty plus touches again. And he's going to
have over one hundred yards from from scrimmage against this
this Cardinals run defense. I mean, the only way that
doesn't happen is if the Cardinals won again if he
(54:10):
doesn't play, But if the Cardinals get out to a
very very fast start and force the Jaguars to be
a passing team. But the Jags, they just genuinely don't care.
They're they're not going to take that bait. They don't
allow Trevor Lawrence to get them in holes early in
the game. Now late in the game. You know, he's
(54:33):
he's a little bit of a wild man. As Jess said.
He he leads you to game winning drives or he
throws backbreaking game ending picks. But it's you know, it's
nice to know you have both options there. But overall,
you know, like I said, this is a this is
a game where I think it's going to be more
(54:53):
more heavy Jacoby and they they're gonna need Jacoby to
really take the lead in this one if they're going
to have a chance.
Speaker 2 (55:04):
Well, and I'm looking here at some of the receiving
propre there was really no value in any of the
receiving props because you've got for Mike on bet MGM.
The only three Cardinals pass catchers or Trainmick by, Michael
Wilson and Greg dorts The only one for the Jags
is Brian Thomas. And to hit the over on any
of them is that the juice. It's not great. Minus
(55:25):
one thirty for for McBride over seven and a half
catches over four and a half catches, is minus one
forty five for Michael Wilson, minus one fifty for Brian
Thomas over four and a half, and minus one sixty
five for Greg dortch over two and a half. Then
you go the receiver. I do like Trey mcbrides over
(55:46):
at seventy eight and a half, and there is the
one hundred plus gets you plus one eighty five. I
don't know. I don't know if I'm gonna like you
can get Michael Wilson at plus four fifty over one
hundred at least one hundred yards. I don't know if
I'm like I'm ready to go to that well again,
I feel like last week and like just like any
(56:08):
big Marvin Harrison games, you get the big game and
then it's going to be something less I think, but
but the but maybe because who else, like it is,
who else is going to catch the ball?
Speaker 1 (56:17):
Well, but here's the other issue, Jess, and like, this
is the conversation we can have after after the game.
But I think it's worth, you know, at least putting
out there what the expectations and kind of the like
odd odd conversations that have occurred around not just Jacoby Brusset,
(56:40):
but now Michael Wilson. It's like, now you're putting Now
you're putting expectations on guys that have never really produced
at at that high of the level to have those expectations.
And and we talked about it, like it's more of
a vibe thing with Jacoby. He's not actually producing results.
(57:03):
I mean, he's putting up empty numbers, but he's not
producing results. He's not producing an efficient offensive output and
he's not really increasing their score or their average you know,
touchdowns scored. And so that's the thing is when you
look at this, you and you look at Michael Wilson,
(57:25):
you know, I saw some wild takes and it's weird
to me, especially when it comes from Cardinals fans. But
it's weird to me when people are like, oh, he's
just better than Marvin Harrison, and I'm like, look, I
hope they're both phenomenal, but like, shouldn't we ask a
guy to like put together like a two to three
game stretch before we start being like.
Speaker 2 (57:47):
Let's say he said he the one game nearly doubled
his production.
Speaker 1 (57:51):
This year, right, And so that's you know, and and
you brought up a great comparison about how these this is,
you know, and this is old school, you know, like
two thousands, but Kyle Orton and Brendan Lloyd type stuff
(58:12):
right where for the Broncos, And and there were there
was a segment of fan base, you know, Jess and
I are old enough to remember this, but there was
a segment of fan base that were like, oh, these
guys are these guys are legit, like they need to
be the future. And then and then you kind of
end up slowing down your growth because you you think
(58:39):
too highly of guys that just had really solid stretches
and not great careers. And so that's you know, that's
what'll be interesting. And again, I Jess and I would
love to see Michael Wilson become a star, like star star.
(59:05):
That would be amazing.
Speaker 2 (59:07):
Fun that would be that'd be and and the timeliness
of it in year three, Yeah, that would be really
good for him too.
Speaker 1 (59:15):
Right, And so it's just like, but like, let's not
give this guy. Let's not be like, oh, he's the
clear number one on the car, Like I've seen those
takes and I'm just like, hey, can we just let
the guy have a second good game? Before like we
were like like I just I just want him to
play like three games in a row where you're like, okay,
(59:35):
he's put up those numbers, like he's he's playing at
a high level for three games in a row. So
you know, it'll be interesting to see how that, like
if it doesn't happen this week, Like, are we just
all gonna turn up? I mean I know you and
I are not, but like, is everybody just gonna like,
oh see you guys? It's like it's like, let's just
let's just see how this all unfolds before we start
(59:58):
crowning or or destroying or like taking shots at other
players that are also on the Cardinals, Like let's let's
just wait and see how this all unfolds.
Speaker 2 (01:00:12):
So and and jeez, but yeah, oh so this will
be a fun one. It's it's tough to kind of gauge.
I think it'll be high scoring, but you know, and
if they follow the three and eight, I mean, and
if they get blown out again, what's the what's the
(01:00:33):
narrative going to be? Like how long? How long can
volume numbers and losses support the vibes?
Speaker 1 (01:00:45):
Yeah, and that's the problem too, is you know, you
look at you look at how this is gone, and
and how long can you wait until you're seeing actual,
like positive results. And like you said, I think I
think that was was an apt comparison. You know, twenty
(01:01:07):
so it was twenty ten Kyle Whorton. You look at
his first five games of the season, and you're like, dude,
this is an MVP.
Speaker 2 (01:01:15):
And I remember when Cardinals fans won Kyle Horton.
Speaker 1 (01:01:20):
Yeah. Well, and that's the thing is, you know it,
it's you got to be sure when you when you
make those calls and so many guys or so many
players you're sure about and then you're just flat out
wrong and you're like, well, but it's better than it was,
(01:01:41):
and you're like, well no, because it's ostensibly worse than
it was, Like like at least like that. That's been
just an i's thing this whole time. It's like, hey,
can can there be can there be competitiveness? Like the
numbers are great, seven hundred yards passing in two games
is great, but like losing by twenty plus is not ideal.
(01:02:07):
And that's that's what That's what you know, I guess
just and I want more than anything is like this
team to be competitive and actually have chances to win games.
Speaker 2 (01:02:22):
Or or aren't it to the ground baby?
Speaker 1 (01:02:26):
Well I did say that after the last game. And
to be fair, it is fun to be part of
like history, even when it's embarrassing history.
Speaker 2 (01:02:37):
Right, yeah, So you know, maybe they turn things around
or maybe it's embarrassing, and we can we can we
can actively then we can expect well, if anything else,
that'll bring for off season content for us and our sites,
right exactly, And with that we will wrap up this
edition of the resids here and podcasts after Best Hour
(01:02:58):
of Cardial's Talk on the Web episode seven hundred and
twenty one. We'll be back next week to talk about
what happened in this game on Sunday. Until then, that's
step Cos. I'm Jess Ruth. Thanks for listening. As always,
we'll be back again soon.
Speaker 3 (01:03:11):
Thanks for listening to the latest edition of the Rise
Up Sea Red podcast. Listen to previous episodes and subscribe
to the show on Apple Podcasts, Stitcher Radio, Audio Boom,
or many other podcast platforms so shows are delivered directly
to your mobile device. Please give the show a five
star radi and always support the sponsors who support the show.
Speaker 2 (01:03:31):
We'll be back soon.
Speaker 3 (01:03:32):
For the best hour of Cardinals Talk on the Web,
Rise Up Red, c B Red Sea Red, and of
course Rise Up Sea Red.
Speaker 1 (01:04:00):
Z.
Speaker 3 (01:04:01):
There's it, There's it, There is it.
Popular Podcasts
Las Culturistas with Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang
Ding dong! Join your culture consultants, Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang, on an unforgettable journey into the beating heart of CULTURE. Alongside sizzling special guests, they GET INTO the hottest pop-culture moments of the day and the formative cultural experiences that turned them into Culturistas. Produced by the Big Money Players Network and iHeartRadio.
Crime Junkie
Does hearing about a true crime case always leave you scouring the internet for the truth behind the story? Dive into your next mystery with Crime Junkie. Every Monday, join your host Ashley Flowers as she unravels all the details of infamous and underreported true crime cases with her best friend Brit Prawat. From cold cases to missing persons and heroes in our community who seek justice, Crime Junkie is your destination for theories and stories you won’t hear anywhere else. Whether you're a seasoned true crime enthusiast or new to the genre, you'll find yourself on the edge of your seat awaiting a new episode every Monday. If you can never get enough true crime... Congratulations, you’ve found your people. Follow to join a community of Crime Junkies! Crime Junkie is presented by audiochuck Media Company.
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.