Cardinals vs. Steelers: Full Arizona Game Preview
The Arizona Cardinals face their toughest test of the season as they head to Pittsburgh to play the Steelers on Sunday afternoon.
Arizona pushed its record to 4-1 with a 42-17 win over the Detroit Lions in Week 5, marking the third time this season it topped 40 points. The dominant performance was a strong rebound from its slip-up against the St. Louis Rams a week earlier.
The 3-2 Steelers have looked a bit like the 2014 version of the Cardinals. They've had to make do without quarterback Ben Roethlisberger the past two weeks, and four of their games have been decided by a touchdown or less. Roethlisberger is expected to miss out on Sunday.
Click ahead for the full midweek preview, including the latest injury news and the key players to watch.
Date: Sunday, Oct. 18
Location: Heinz Field in Pittsburgh
Time: 1:05 p.m. ET
TV: Fox
News and Notes
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Okafor out; Freeney in
The Cardinals signed veteran pass-rusher Dwight Freeney this week following the injury to Alex Okafor (more on him in the next slide). Markus Golden will get the start in Okafor's place, but head coach Bruce Arians told Fox Sports' Alex Marvez on SiriusXM NFL Radio on Tuesday he expects Freeney to get somewhere between 15-20 snaps.
Freeney has totaled 111.5 sacks in his career, and his addition at this point couldn't hurt. Arizona is tied for 23rd in the league with eight sacks on the season, so anything it can get out of the 35-year old Freeney is a bonus.
Still, it's hard to expect much from Freeney at this stage of his career. He managed only four sacks in 20 games with the San Diego Chargers over the past two seasons and is four years removed from his last trip to the Pro Bowl.
In fact, the real benefit of his addition could be the enhanced progress of Okafor and Golden (both age 24). Hopefully the rest of the young pass-rushers on the roster take detailed notes of everything Freeney and LaMarr Woodley tell them.
Palmer will play with a knee brace
Carson Palmer will wear a knee brace for Sunday's game against Pittsburgh, a fact that is only notable because he did not wear a knee brace against the Detroit Lions in Week 5.
Why didn't Palmer wear a knee brace last week? Because he forgot to pack it, according to Darren Urban of the team's official website.
Is protecting their 35-year old quarterback simply not a priority for the Cardinals? Was last year's quarterback nightmare a figment of our collective imaginations?
Between keeping him in the game during blowouts, letting him take a beating in the pocket and now not ensuring he's got an important piece of equipment, the Cardinals seem to be shockingly cavalier with Palmer's health.
Ben Roethlisberger practicing but not expected to play
According to ESPN's Ed Werder, Roethlisberger did get some work in during practice on Wednesday but is still unlikely to play on Sunday.
While the Cardinals will have to prepare for the possibility Roethlisberger does play, it sure sounds like they're going to dodge a bullet. The Steelers have been less dynamic with Michael Vick under center, with Roethlisberger posting a quarterback rating almost 30 points higher than his backup.
Latest Injury News
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The Cardinals released the following injury report on their website after Wednesday's practice:
| CB Justin Bethel | Foot |
| WR John Brown | Hamstring |
| TE Darren Fells | Hip |
| S Tony Jefferson | Neck |
| S Rashad Johnson | Hip |
| S Tyrann Mathieu | Heel |
| WR J.J. Nelson | Shoulder |
| LB Alex Okafor | Calf |
| T Jared Veldheer | Ribs |
| LB LaMarr Woodley | Chest |
Brown, Mathieu and Woodley did not practice on Wednesday, while Veldheer and Nelson were full participants. Everyone else was classified as a limited participant.
Okafor also did not practice, but he's already been ruled out for two to four weeks with a calf injury. Kenny Demens and Chris Clemons, both of whom were also hurt against the Lions, have both been placed on IR.
For those fretting over Brown and Mathieu in particular, team website reporter Darren Urban brings you relief: They're only dealing with slight niggles and will be ready for Sunday. Still, they're both worth keeping an eye on, as any kind of leg injury for a receiver or defensive back is worrisome.
It should be the assumed the rest of the above are also dealing with the types of bumps and bruises professional football players get. In short, the injury report looks more alarming than it actually is, which is a good sign for Week 6.
Key Matchup
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Arizona's wide receivers vs. Pittsburgh's secondary
The Steelers have played St. Louis, the 49ers" target="_blank">San Francisco 49ers and the Baltimore Ravens this year, and they somehow manage to rank in (or near) the bottom third in the league in most conventional pass-defense statistics. According to Pro Football Focus, they've graded out as the second-worst pass-coverage defense in the league.
They've not been great.
It won't exactly be open season for Carson Palmer, Larry Fitzgerald and the rest of the team, but if they struggle on Sunday, it's a sign something's gone wrong. Good teams exploit the opposition's weakness, so Arizona must take advantage of what's been a leaky Pittsburgh defense.
We'll take a deeper look at what all has been going wrong for the Steelers during Friday's column.
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3 Things to Watch
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Brown's been one of the NFL's most prolific receivers over the past three seasons, but he's gone missing since Ben Roethlisberger's injury. He's managed just 87 yards in the two games started by Michael Vick, a number that would be among his lowest single-game totals since 2013.
Expect Brown to spend a significant amount of time with Patrick Peterson on Sunday. Peterson has been terrific all year, limiting the opposition to a QB rating of 48.8 when it throws at him, according to Pro Football Focus.
Darren Fells
Fells hasn't made much noise since he broke out for 82 yards and a touchdown in Week 1, but there's a chance he could have a big game against Pittsburgh. The Steelers surrendered three touchdowns to New England Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski in Week 1, two to San Diego's Antonio Gates in Week 5 and permitted San Francisco's Vernon Davis to post his best game of the season in Week 2.
Is Fells in their class? Absolutely not. Still, there's a weakness in Pittsburgh's ability to cope with tight ends—one that may just provoke Bruce Arians to utilize Fells a bit more in Week 6.
Martavis Bryant
The Steelers activated the second-year wide receiver this week following a four-game suspension and a knee injury. As a rookie, Bryant was a big play waiting to happen, compiling eight touchdowns in 10 games on just 26 receptions.
It's impossible to know how much Bryant will play or how much rust he'll have to work off, but he's a big (6'4", 211 lbs), explosive game-changer. Arizona will have to be ready to deal with him.
Prediction: Cardinals 23, Steelers 20
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The old saying is that it's sometimes better to be lucky than good, and the Cardinals have managed to be both early in the season. Ben Roethlisberger's injury means luck remains on their side as they enter a more difficult stretch of games. Can they continue to be good?
Even with Michael Vick at quarterback, this game won't be easy. The Steelers know how to win, as evidenced by the last-minute heroics in their 24-20 win over San Diego on Monday. Le'Veon Bell can be a singular force when needed, and the defense has been better than expected.
Arizona may enter the game healthier and playing better football than its opponents, but the Cardinals are still going to have to earn themselves a win in Pittsburgh. They're going to ask Carson Palmer to lead them to victory, and he'll deliver.
Check back on Friday for the how and the why.
Final score: Arizona 23, Pittsburgh 20
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