Ravens vs. Cardinals: Full Arizona Game Preview

Have the Arizona Cardinals been exposed, or are they just inconsistent? That's the question the team will be looking to answer when they play the Baltimore Ravens at home on Monday night.

The 4-2 Cardinals have dropped two of their last three after winning their first three games in record-setting fashion. Arizona had their worst showing of the season in mistake-riddled loss to Pittsburgh last Sunday. Both losses were marked by turnovers and sloppy play.

They'll welcome a struggling Baltimore team to Glendale, with the Ravens one of five teams in the league with just one victory on the season. All six of the Baltimore's games have been decided by less than a touchdown.

Click ahead for the full midweek preview.

Date: Monday, Oct. 26

Location: University of Phoenix Stadium, Glendale, Arizona

Time: 8:30 p.m. ET

TV: ESPN

News and Notes

Rick Osentoski/Associated Press

Darren Fells expected to miss a couple weeks

Fells, the Cardinals' starting tight end, left Sunday's game against Pittsburgh early with a shoulder injury. While no official word has been given, Kent Somers of AZCentral.com anticipates Fells missing two or three weeks.

Jermaine Gresham will be the next man up, with Troy Niklas also seeing more time in Fells' absence. 

While Fells has impressed this year, it's hard to imagine the Cardinals taking a step back while he's sidelined. More than anything, this will be a good opportunity for 27-year-old Gresham and Niklas, who is four years younger, to stake a claim to the role.

Gresham is the most accomplished of the three tight ends, with 285 career receptions. Niklas, meanwhile, has the pedigree of a second round pick. 

Bruce Arians happy he doesn't have to deal with Ed Hochuli on Monday

This quote from Arians, on the Week 7 officiating assignments, also comes courtesy of Kent Somers, "Thank god we don't have that same crew."

Hochuli and his crew flagged Arizona nine times for 111 yards against Pittsburgh, including a controversial offensive pass interference call on Michael Floyd that negated a touchdown. It's not a surprise Arians (and the rest of the Cardinals) are happy to see someone else officiating on Monday night.

Ron Torbert, for those who keep track of this sort of thing, will be the referee.

Latest Injury News

Gene J. Puskar/Associated Press

The Arizona Cardinals released the following injury report after Thursday's practice.

CB Justin Bethel	Foot
WR John Brown	Hamstring
TE Darren Fells	Shoulder
WR Larry Fitzgerald	Not injured
LB Alex Okafor	Calf
DT Cory Redding	Shoulder
DT Frostee Rucker	Foot
LB LaMarr Woodley	Chest

Fells, Fitzgerald and Okafor did not practice at all on Thursday, while the rest were limited participants.

Before you panic, it should be pointed out that Fitzgerald is fine. Via Fox Sports 910's Mike Jurecki, Arians gave him a veteran's day off today, which is a polite way of pointing out that the 32-year-old is getting up there in years. 

As mentioned in the previous slide, it looks like Fells could miss a few weeks of action, while Okafor is still a week or two away from returning. 

The rest should be classified as your typical bumps and bruises, although it's worth keeping an eye on Brown's hamstring problem. He looked fine against Pittsburgh, but hamstrings are always worrisome for sprinters like Brown.

Key Focal Point: The Little Things

Rick Osentoski/Associated Press

We're going to skip the key matchup this week. There will be plenty of time to dig into the key battles during Saturday's look at the game plan.

We need to have a proper, grown-up discussion about the bigger picture for the Cardinals this week.

Baltimore has been the anti-2014 Cardinals this season. They've played in a lot of close games, but they've only managed to win once. The biggest points margin in any of their games this season has been six points.

While it's statistically improbable that Baltimore can keep this up for the whole season, Arizona still needs to be prepared for the possibility that this could be a one-touchdown game. And when you're playing in such a game, it's so often the little things that make the difference.

Arizona has been wildly inconsistent this season when it comes to the little things that help teams win (or at least, not lose) close games.

Of the nine teams in the league with winning records, only Denver has committed more turnovers than Arizona's 10.

In their two losses, they've moved the ball well, but struggled to finish drives, going two for nine in the red zone.

Special teams remain an issue. The Cardinals are 26th in yards-per-punt return, while ranking 24th in opponents' yards-per-punt return and 21st in opponents' yards-per-kick return. They're 30th in net punting average.

While penalties weren't a problem the first five weeks of the season, they were flagged nine times for 111 yards against Pittsburgh on Sunday.

All these things add up, and they could come back to haunt Arizona if they're in a tight game with Baltimore on Monday.

The Cardinals have been a bit loose for a team with Super Bowl aspirations. This is a good week to start sealing up some of the holes. 

Three Things to Watch

Don Wright/Associated Press

Who's running the ball?

Bruce Arians had a pretty clear running back rotation against Detroit in Week 5. Chris Johnson was the lead back, Andre Ellington handled the change-of-pace role and David Johnson was the red-zone back. 

That appeared to have changed against Pittsburgh. According to Football Outsiders, Ellington saw only nine snaps and was given two less carries than David Johnson. None of the rookie's carries came in the red zone.

Arizona didn't run the ball particularly well against Pittsburgh, although it clearly was not due to how Arians utilized his backs. We'll see if the rotation fleshes itself out against Baltimore. 

How will Carson Palmer bounce back from an ugly Week 6 performance?

Despite throwing for 421 yards, Palmer was not good against Pittsburgh. According to Fox Sports 910's Mike Jurecki, Arians called Palmer's play "average to poor." 

It happens, right? No one turns in 16 perfect performances.

Yes and no. The inaccurate throws "happen," but the throws into double coverage happen. A lot. Now that he's been burned twice in three games, will Palmer have learned his lesson and stop putting the football in jeopardy when it's not necessary?

The whole punting situation

Outside of mentioning it in the previous slide, this isn't something I've focused on much. The punting and punt return situation is getting a bit dire, isn't it?

Drew Butler, who won the training-camp punting competition with Dave Zastudil, is dead last in yards per punt among qualified punters in the league, 2.9 yards behind Tampa Bay's Jacob Schum. The difference between Schum and 21st-ranked Mike Scifres is also 2.9 yards. 

Meanwhile, the Cardinals are also struggling mightily in the punt-return game, averaging just 6.6 yards per return, good for 26th in the league.

Will it get any better?

Prediction: Cardinals 28, Ravens 13

Paul Sancya/Associated Press

If you poke around the internet or turn on sports-talk radio, you'll eventually come across someone banging on about the Cardinals benefiting from a soft early schedule. And it's true, the Cardinals have benefited from a soft early schedule.

In Week 7, the Cardinals will need to again take advantage of an inferior opponent. Baltimore might not be 1-5 bad, but they certainly haven't been playing winning football this season. 

Between the Ravens' 27th-ranked defense and Joe Flacco's penchant for interceptions, Arizona should have no shortage of opportunities to make plays. In fact, the key will be to eliminate the number of opportunities Baltimore has to make plays and steal a win on the road. 

We're nearing the midway point of the season, so it's about time for the Cardinals to settle down. Dropping 40 points on an opponent is always fun, but complete performances win Super Bowls.

Expect Arizona to settle into an altogether more sustainable groove starting on Monday night. 

Check back Saturday for the how and the why.

Final score: Arizona 28, Baltimore 13