Arizona Cardinals vs. Oakland Raiders: Complete Week 7 Preview for Arizona

Arizona Cardinals quarterback Carson Palmer returned to the starting lineup last week after missing three games and over a month of real time with a nerve injury to his throwing shoulder. His efficiency, paired with timely turnovers by the Cardinals defense, helped put Washington away late as Arizona improved to 4-1 on the season.

This week, Palmer and Co. travel to face his old team, the Oakland Raiders. About the only thing remaining from his time in the Bay Area is the team’s name; after two head coaching changes, there has been quite the roster turnover in Oakland, not much different from that which Arizona experienced in the year after head coach Bruce Arians was hired.

The Raiders look like a different team of late. True, they are winless in five contests this season, but they took the San Diego Chargers down to the wire last week and nearly pulled off the monumental upset after having a lead most of the fourth quarter.

It took a Philip Rivers fourth-quarter comeback to lift the Chargers past their AFC West rivals.

The Cardinals play every team in the AFC West this season; to date, they are 1-1, having beaten the Chargers on opening weekend before losing a Week 5 injuryfest in Denver.

Round 3 with the American Football Conference’s Western Division is up next. Here is your in-depth preview of the Cardinals as they face the Raiders.

Cardinals’ Week 6 Review

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Palmer completed 63.6 percent of his 44 passes (those 44 felt like a lot considering he was coming off a shoulder injury), threw two touchdowns and had a 93.9 passer rating. He didn’t turn the ball over, increasing Arizona’s streak to five straight games without throwing a pick—a franchise record.

Receiver Larry Fitzgerald broke out of his early-season slump by hauling in six receptions on six targets for 98 yards (16.3 yards per catch), including his first touchdown of the season in the second quarter.

Early on, the running game was working really well; Andre Ellington had five carries for 39 yards (7.8 yards per carry) in the first quarter and looked to be en route to a huge day. But the remainder of the game, he carried 14 times for 28 yards (2.0 YPC) and could not get anything going late.

It was the opposite for coordinator Todd Bowles’ defense, as they started slow once again but really turned it on late to shut down Washington quarterback Kirk Cousins. The defense forced four fourth-quarter turnovers.

In the end, the difference was the defense and rookie kicker Chandler Catanzaro, who earned NFC Special Teams Player of the Week honors after converting all three of his field-goal opportunities, all three of his extra points and limited Washington kick returner Andre Roberts to just one return on seven kickoffs.

The Cardinals emerged victorious, 30-20.

News and Notes

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Palmer Extension on the Horizon?

It’s fitting that news of contract negotiations between Palmer and the Cardinals broke the week following his return to game action. He looked good in his first game back, giving the offense the consistency it lacked while he was on the mend.

General manager Steve Keim confirmed through Kent Somers of AZCentral.com talks to extend Palmer’s contract have begun. “I won’t get into specific points of the negotiations, but we’ve had some dialogue with [Palmer’s agent,] Dave Dunn,” Keim said. “He (Palmer) has done a great job for us.”

Arians Has High Praise for Raiders’ Carr

It’s possible, as Darren Urban of AZCardinals.com pointed out, that had quarterback Derek Carr been available with the 20th pick of the second round this past May, he would have been the pick over tight end Troy Niklas.

Urban reported Arians had Carr ranked “fairly high” going into the draft, so you’d think the eventual 36th overall pick of the Raiders would have landed in Arizona had he lasted that long.

Arians told Urban what he thought of the young quarterback coming out of Fresno State:

"

Really liked him. It’s one of those things like Peyton (Manning) and Andrew Luck—when you grow up in a football family like he did, you don’t go in the locker room in awe of anything because you’ve been in one your whole life. It’s another day in the gym. That part of it is easy for those guys to overcome quickly. He was in a good offense that spread the ball around, so, yeah, I liked him. I thought he would be a successful quarterback.

"

Veldheer Looking Forward to Facing Old Team

While Palmer wouldn’t recognize the faces on Oakland’s roster this season compared to two years ago when he was there, Cardinals left tackle Jared Veldheer played there as recently as last year.

He’s looking forward to the trip back to where his NFL career got its start, according to Craig Grialou of ArizonaSports.com:

"

Definitely one of the games that pops out at you. It’ll definitely be an emotional game being back there, playing back in the Coliseum. It’s one of those games you kind of have circled on the schedule before the season starts. I look forward to it. It’s going to be a special week.

"

Birdgang Boo-Boo Brigade

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Player	Position	Injury	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday	Game Day
John Brown	WR	Hamstring	-	FP	FP	Probable
Calais Campbell	DE	Knee	DNP	DNP	DNP	Out
John Carlson	TE	Knee	DNP	LP	LP	Questionable
Glenn Carson	ILB	Ankle	LP	LP	LP	Questionable
Andre Ellington	RB	Foot	LP	LP	LP	Probable
Michael Floyd	WR	Groin	LP	FP	FP	Probable
Troy Niklas	TE	Ankle	DNP	DNP	DNP	Out
Alex Okafor	OLB	Quad	LP	FP	FP	Probable
Carson Palmer	QB	Shoulder	LP	LP	FP	Probable
Patrick Peterson	CB	Ankle	LP	LP	FP	Probable
Frostee Rucker	DE	Calf	LP	-	LP	Questionable
Alameda Ta'amu	DT	Illness	-	DNP	LP	Questionable

All injury statuses gathered from AZCardinals.com.

X-Factors and Matchups to Watch

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Helping the tackles with Khalil Mack by having a tight end shadow to his side would be a good idea on Sunday.

Offensive Tackles vs. Khalil Mack

Speaking of Veldheer, he and right tackle Bobby Massie have quite the challenge this week with rookie outside linebacker Khalil Mack. Mack, the fifth overall pick in the draft, is not only a great pass-rusher, but he’s stout against the run as well.

In fact, Pro Football Focus (subscription required) has Mack as the No. 1 run defender among all 3-4 outside linebackers this season.

The talented rookie out of the University of Buffalo has yet to record a sack in five games, but it’s not for a lack of trying. He has 14 quarterback pressures so far—most on the Raiders through Week 6.

Mack does many different things well in getting to opposing quarterbacks, so whether he uses speed to get around Veldheer or uses either the bull rush or “cross the face” move on Massie, both tackles have their work cut out for them this week.

Keeping Palmer upright will be important, because opposing quarterbacks have torched Oakland’s secondary this season. Together, Ryan Fitzpatrick, Ryan Tannehill, Geno Smith, Philip Rivers and Tom Brady have combined to complete 71.1 percent of their passes for 1,185 yards, nine touchdowns and just two interceptions for a robust 109.0 passer rating.

Patrick Peterson vs. James Jones

This will be short and to the point. Cornerback Patrick Peterson has gone nearly three-and-a-half years in the NFL relying on his athleticism and leaving proper coverage technique at the door. To this point, it has been both a blessing and a curse.

And it’s more the latter this season, as he has been picked on by opposing quarterbacks. The touchdown he allowed to DeSean Jackson last week was preventable; all Peterson had to do is keep Jackson in front of him.

How do you allow a receiver to get behind you on a slant?

Peterson needs a rebound game, so if he comes out focused and uses proper technique to appease his coaches, James Jones could be in for a long day.

Cardinals’ X-Factor to Watch: John Brown

It’s possible Cardinals rookie receiver John Brown hasn’t had his best game of his rookie campaign just yet. Remember, he caught two second-half touchdowns against the San Francisco 49ers earlier this season, including the game-winner.

That game could come against Carlos Rogers and the Raiders this week.

Rogers is Oakland’s nickelback, so he has the unfortunate task of covering Brown. Or trying to cover Brown, that is.

Rogers has allowed the highest completion percentage this season at 90.0 percent (27 of 30), according to PFF. He’s allowed 253 yards (9.4 YPC), two touchdowns and has yet to pick off a pass.

All that adds up to a 124.0 passer rating allowed, which falls somewhere between poor and very poor.

Prediction

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The Raiders may have turned a corner this season. As mentioned at the outset, they are 0-5. But they have looked better of late. That doesn’t mean they will somehow find a way to beat the NFC West-leading Cardinals, but it could be closer than you think.

The run game will be important as always, but not as important as in games past. It’s time to unleash Palmer and let him toss it around the Coliseum one more time. He could have a career day if the offensive line protects him.

Defensively, look for outside linebacker Alex Okafor to build on his impressive starting debut from a week ago, when he sacked Cousins twice. It’s not clear whether Khalif Barnes or Menelik Watson will start at right tackle on Sunday, but whomever does start should have a battle on their hands.

Also look for a bounce-back game from Peterson. He needs it in the worst way.

Prediction: Cardinals 38, Raiders 20