Arizona Cardinals Week 16 Matchup vs. Bengals: Keys to a Cardinals' Victory

The Arizona Cardinals (7-7) will be home for Christmas, but first they must take on the Cincinnati Bengals (8-6) on Christmas Eve in a game steeped with playoff implications.

While both teams are in the hunt, Cincinnati currently has the easier path. For Arizona to pull off the miracle after a 1-6 start, more things would need to happen.

Arizona’s starting quarterback likely won’t be known until 90 minutes before kickoff because of media restrictions, but it is a safe bet that John Skelton will once again fill in for the concussed Kevin Kolb.

No matter the signal-caller, the defense has played so well that all the starter needs to do is show up on the field, whoever it may be. 

Keys to a Cardinals' Victory

Stifle the “Red Rifle”

Against the better defensive schemes in the league, rookie quarterback Andy Dalton has struggled to make things happen when his team has needed him. San Francisco, Pittsburgh, Baltimore and Houston have limited him by creating confusion in the passing lanes and forcing bad throws with pressure.

In those five games against top defenses (Pittsburgh twice), Dalton has completed just 52.2 percent of his passes with five touchdowns and seven interceptions thrown for a 64.6 rating.

Team record: 0-5.

In the other nine games? 62.8 percent completion with 13 TD and six INT for a 90.3 rating.

Team record: 8-1.

For the defense to succeed in shutting down Dalton, they need to get pressure on him and force bad throws. Although the Cardinals have not forced many turnovers of late, they have not been needed.

During their current four-game winning streak, Arizona has generated 14 sacks while forcing only three turnovers—all fumble recoveries via the “sack and strip”. That includes wins over Dallas and San Francisco in which 10 sacks were recorded but nary a turnover was created.

If ever this season defensive coordinator Ray Horton wanted to release the dogs, now would be the time.

Trust in the run-game

Also an indirect way to “stifle the Red Rifle,” running the ball should allow the offense to open up as the game progresses. The earlier and more often Beanie Wells and Co. get the ball, the faster the play-action passing game will begin to prevail.

Wells’ knee is holding up enough to get him 15-20 touches per game, and LaRod Stephens-Howling is a more than capable “change of pace” back to relieve the battered battering ram and preserve his knee.

The Bengals give up only 99.6 yards rushing per game and 3.7 yards per carry. Both statistics rank in the Top 10 in the NFL, so sticking with the run won’t be an easy task.

However, it may pay off.

In Cincinnati’s eight wins, their opponent has averaged 23.9 carries per game while surrendering 90.5 yards rushing per game. In six losses, those averages move to 30.7 CPG and 84.2 YPG. That shows it’s not about how many yards are gained on the ground: It’s how many times the QB hands the ball off to his running backs.

Keeping it in the hands of Wells and Co. increases Arizona’s chance at staying in the hunt for a playoff spot.

Win the field position battle

Over the course of the 2011 season, it has become clear that the Arizona Cardinals are an offensively challenged football team. There is no denying that. Things may be different if Wells were healthy and the team had an offseason, but dwelling on things that cannot be changed is for the birds.

In each game over the past month, the Cardinals have witnessed first-hand how “flipping the field” can drastically increase the chances of victory.

Take, for example, the San Francisco game on December 11.

In the first half of that game, the 49ers ran an incredible 33 of their 48 plays—or 68.8 percent—in Arizona territory leading to a 12-7 halftime lead. After the break, that ratio dropped to a staggering one out of 20 plays—or five percent.

The only play inside Cardinals’ territory in the second half came after an interception and resulted in a 37-yard touchdown run from Frank Gore. The defense flipped the field, and the Cardinals won the game, 21-19.

That will be important once more Saturday if Arizona hopes to run their longest winning streak since 1999 to five games and keep the slim playoff hopes alive.

Matchup to watch: Patrick Peterson vs. A.J. Green

In a renewed rivalry stemming from the SEC, these two rookies will be glued to one another for 60 minutes of action.

Green was taken at No. 4 out of Georgia in the most recent draft, and Peterson No. 5 out of LSU. They did not face one another in 2010, but their respective college teams did play in 2008 and 2009.

In those games, Green totaled eight catches for 178 yards (22.3 YPC) and two TDs.

Because we do not have game film, it is uncertain if Peterson guarded him throughout the entirety of the two games, but it is unlikely. This time, though, it is a near guarantee that Peterson will be solely on Green—at least while in man-to-man coverage.

With Green suffering a shoulder injury in last week’s victory over St. Louis, the cards may be pre-stacked in favor of Arizona’s budding star corner. Given the physicality with which he plays, coupled with Green’s shoulder problem, the edge goes to Peterson.

Prediction

This critical Week 16 game should be a defensive struggle throughout. Look for both teams to stick with the run early, as Wells and Cincinnati’s Cedric Benson will carry the load in the first half.

Don’t be surprised if both teams use play-action to take a shot or two down the field early to try to get a lead.

The punters—Arizona’s Dave Zastudil and Cincinnati’s Kevin Huber—could be busy from wire to wire Saturday and may need to spend their Christmas Days with ice on their kicking feet.

A late comeback from a halftime speech-motivated Cardinals offense is not out of the question.

Final score: Arizona 17, Cincinnati 16