Kansas City Chiefs vs. Arizona Cardinals: Complete Week 14 Preview for Arizona

A reeling Arizona Cardinals team hosts yet another team with a winning record this week as the Kansas City Chiefs come to University of Phoenix Stadium looking for a fight.

Losers of two in a row for only the second time under head coach Bruce Arians, the Cardinals (9-3) have struggled mightily on offense since the second quarter three weeks ago in a win over the Detroit Lions.

In 11 quarters since scoring two touchdowns during the opening frame against Detroit, quarterback Drew Stanton has led just one touchdown drive, and the offense has totaled only 14 points over that span—two Chandler Catanzaro field goals and a touchdown accompanied by a two-point conversion.

The Cardinals are 28th in scoring offense over the past three weeks, having scored just 35 points over the past three games. That’s just under 12 points per game, and that includes Rashad Johnson’s pick-six from last week.

Clearly, something is not working offensively. This weekly piece is not dedicated to finding out what’s right or wrong with the team, however, so we’ll just leave it at that for now.

The Chiefs (7-5) are also on a two-game losing streak after giving the Oakland Raiders their first win of the season two weeks ago, then succumbing to Peyton Manning and the Denver Broncos last week. These are two hungry and motivated squads. This should be a great matchup to watch.

Here is your in-depth preview for the Cardinals’ Week 14 matchup with the Chiefs.

Cardinals’ Week 13 Review

Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images

A strained defense can only hold for so long. We saw that last week as Atlanta held the ball for over 37 minutes, and four of its final five drives averaged 10.5 plays and 64 yards.

That’s horrible for any defense, let alone one of the best units in the NFL.

It’s easy to see why the defense has struggled over the past two games: The offense is not holding up.

Stanton has been terrible on third downs since Week 11, and that was no different against the Falcons. He went 1-of-7 passing (14.3 percent) for just 10 yards last week, accumulating a paltry 39.6 passer rating on the ever-important down.

That, plus a once-again struggling rushing attack, doomed the Cardinals on offense.

We did see offensive guard Jonathan Cooper have extended playing time on offense for the first time this season. He came in for left guard Ted Larsen for two drives, then left before returning to left guard when Larsen replaced right guard Paul Fanaika, who left the game in the second quarter with a sprained ankle.

The final score of 29-18 was not indicative of how the game went. This was not a close matchup at any point. The Falcons thoroughly manhandled the Cardinals—Arizona played quite possibly the worst we’ve seen it play since 2012.

News and Notes

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More on Third Downs

Darren Urban of AZCardinals.com blogged Wednesday about the Cardinals’ recent third-down woes. He noted Arizona had 10 chances at third down and six or fewer yards the past two weeks, with the team converting just two of them. The problem is (again) passing and play-calling. Of those 10 plays, Arians called a pass play nine times.

Stanton had this to say of the third-down struggles:

"

That’s the thing that’s kind of surprising is we were in very manageable third downs. We just had a tipped pass here, didn’t throw the ball accurately there, a lot of different things. We just need to understand why it’s happening and move on.

"

Well, a better end to that quote would have been, "understand why it’s happening and fix it." But that’s none of my business (insert picture of frog sipping tea).

Fitz Practices, Likely to Play

Who would have guessed that an aging Larry Fitzgerald means so much to the Cardinals offense this season? All talk was about Michael Floyd and whether he was ready to overtake Fitz as the team’s top target, but now he may very well be the third target behind a healthy Fitz and rookie John Brown.

"

WR Larry Fitzgerald had a big smile when he said it was "highly likely" he plays this week. This time around, he's probably right. #KCvsAZ

— Darren Urban (@Cardschatter) December 4, 2014"

Caveat: Fitzgerald did say he was “very likely” to play last week. He sat out in Atlanta, of course, and the offense missed him badly—not his overall production but his hands.

The past two weeks, Jaron Brown—who had the daunting task of replacing Fitzgerald—dropped a touchdown and a high but catchable ball over the middle that resulted in an interception of Stanton. Fitz catches both of those passes with ease.

It will be nice to have him back in the lineup.

Mathieu Has Surgery

The news on safety Tyrann Mathieu’s hand is not as bad as it could be, all things considered. It is a broken bone, after all.

"

S Tyrann Mathieu's thumb surgery went well on Wed. timetable remains same: rest for two weeks, return to play, with hand in a cast.

— Kent Somers (@kentsomers) December 4, 2014"

Two weeks’ rest and returning to play with his hand in a cast will put him back for the Week 17 regular-season finale at San Francisco, which could have playoff implications attached to it for at least one of the teams.

He will be missed on defense, but the defense is ready and able to step up in Mathieu’s absence, as Arians told Kyle Odegard of AZCardinals.com:

"

We’ve already done it this year (filling in for Mathieu), and I wouldn’t consider Deone (Bucannon) a rookie anymore, for sure. Tony [Jefferson]'s played extremely well. Jerraud (Powers) has safety capability, so yeah, that part of it shouldn’t be missed this week.

"

Safety by committee is doable when the roster is stocked with young talent eager to earn a bigger role. Bucannon is a staple at inside linebacker out of nickel and dime packages but could play more at safety while Mathieu recovers.

Jefferson played in 93.2 percent of defensive snaps while Mathieu recovered from ACL surgery but played in just 43.2 percent after Mathieu returned, according to Pro Football Focus (subscription required). He figures to be the guy defensive coordinator Todd Bowles turns to once again as Mathieu’s fill-in.

Birdgang Boo-Boo Brigade

Brynn Anderson/Associated Press

Player	Position	Injury	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday	Game Day
Lorenzo Alexander	OLB	Knee	LP	LP	-	-
Kenny Demens	ILB	Hamstring	LP	FP	-	-
Andre Ellington	RB	Hip	DNP	DNP	-	-
Paul Fanaika	RG	Ankle	DNP	DNP	-	-
Larry Fitzgerald	WR	Knee	LP	LP	-	-
Larry Foote	ILB	Foot	-	DNP	-	-
Tyrann Mathieu	S	Thumb	Out	Out	-	-
Ed Stinson	DE	Toe	DNP	DNP	-	-
Jared Veldheer	LT	Ankle	DNP	LP	-	-

All injury statuses gathered from AZCardinals.com

X-Factors and Matchups to Watch

Phelan M. Ebenhack/Associated Press

Bobby Massie vs. Justin Houston

Right tackle Bobby Massie has played well this season. So far, he’s allowed four sacks, seven quarterback hits and 19 hurries for a total of 30 pressures on 453 pass-blocking snaps. That’s a pressure once every 15.1 dropbacks, or 2.5 pressures per game.

Chiefs outside linebacker Justin Houston leads the NFL with 14 sacks. He leads all 3-4 outside 'backers with 61 total pressures, according to PFF, and is 10th in percent of tackles resulting in a run stop.

This is the biggest test of Massie’s season, and it could be the biggest of his young career. Protecting Stanton this week is important, and if Massie cannot do that, the offense could be doomed once again.

Interior Offensive Line vs. Dontari Poe

He will line up anywhere from right guard to left guard, which means Chiefs nose tackle Dontari Poe will be a menace for all three of Arizona’s interior offensive linemen.

Not to imply happiness over the injury to Fanaika, but it’s a good thing Cooper appears ready to start his first game at left guard this week, because he matches up better against Poe than Fanaika, Larsen or center Lyle Sendlein does.

Poe is amazingly athletic for his size. He is 6’3” and a donut shy of 350 pounds, yet he moves as though he’s a 270-pound defensive end. And it’s not just speed; Poe is quicker and more agile than most defensive tackles in the NFL.

Cooper played well against the Falcons a week ago, but they don’t have anyone close to the athletic ability and size combination of Poe. This will be a huge test (no pun intended) for him and the line.

Cardinals' X-Factor of the Week: Michael Bush

He hasn’t yet taken a snap for his new team, but already running back Michael Bush is the most important piece of Arizona’s offensive puzzle. You could say Fitzgerald is the X-factor, but without a solid rushing attack, the passing game could fizzle out again.

Bush is a short-yardage back and red-zone aficionado who potentially could provide the offense with a better option on 3rd-and-short than slinging it deep on a prayer.

Whether Andre Ellington plays this weekend is irrelevant. Bush needs to suit up and give it a go regardless, because the team does not trust its other big back, Stepfan Taylor, with the ball in short-yardage situations. That’s apparent by his lack of carries on third down this season.

Of his 25 carries, just two have come on the most critical down an offense faces.

Can the Cardinals trust Bush in short-yardage situations? He should get the opportunity to earn that trust against the Chiefs.

Prediction

Ross D. Franklin/Associated Press

Last week, myriad problems arose and slammed the door early on any hope of a redemption victory after a tough loss at Seattle. If ever the Cardinals needed some home cooking, it’s right now.

Thankfully, Arizona is home for this contest against the Chiefs. The Cardinals are 6-0 in Glendale this season, having won by an average of 8.2 points against foes with a combined 40-32 record.

If the team wants a "Victory Monday" the day after this one, it must be better on third downs and on special teams.

Arizona’s ranking on third down is dropping like a rock of late. After Week 11, it had the fifth-best percentage converting third downs, at 46.6 percent. Post-Week 12, it had plummeted to 10th, at 44.9 percent. After last week, it dropped further to 12th, at 43.6 percent.

The Cardinals (21.1 percent) are 31st in third-down conversions during the two-game losing streak. Only the Chiefs (13.0 percent) are worse, oddly enough.

The punt coverage team has been really bad over the two-game skid; first it was punter Drew Butler having a poor outing against the Seahawks, and last week no one wanted to tackle Falcons return man Devin Hester.

Getting Bush involved in the game early is also important. That will hopefully allow him to get into a rhythm with his new offensive line to know how the blocking schemes work, which, hypothetically, will make him more comfortable as the game wares on.

As well as Arizona’s secondary can play, it will miss Mathieu in this one for the fact that he covers the flats so well. Tight end Travis Kelce could give the secondary trouble all game long, especially on flat routes.

Quarterback Alex Smith is the king of the dump-off passes, so both Kelce and running back Jamaal Charles will be his safety valves most of the time.

Nonetheless, the Cardinals should take care of business at home.

Prediction: Cardinals 17, Chiefs 10

All stats gathered from Pro-Football-Reference.com unless otherwise stated