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Game 7: Bills vs. Cardinals
The Bills and Cardinals are two struggling teams but the Cardinals got a big win last week against Seattle. The Bills continue to struggle offensively and will look to Willis McGahee to jump start the offense. This is only the eighth all time meeting between the two clubs with the Bills winning the last three. It is their first game against an NFC opponent this year. The Bills need to win this game at home against a team that has lost their last 16 road games, if they are going to take any steps towards respectability this season.
FACTS AND FIGURES
| Matchup: |
Buffalo (1-5) vs. Arizona (2-4) |
| Place: |
Ralph Wilson Stadium |
| Television: |
FOX |
| Announcers: |
Ron Pitts and Tim Ryan |
| Spread: |
Bills by 3 |
| Series: |
Bills lead 4-3 |
| Last Meeting: |
Bills 31-21 in Arizona (1999) |
| Cards Offense: |
Rush (19th); Pass (27th); overall (28th) |
| Cards Defense: |
Rush (20th); Pass (25th); overall (24th) |
| Bills Offense: |
Rush (24th); Pass (24th); overall (26th) |
| Bills Defense: |
Rush (3rd); Pass (6th); overall (5th) |
INJURY UPDATE
The Bills are slowly getting healthy. Troy Vincent will miss his fourth game in a row as he recovers from torn cartilage in his knee. Trey Teague fractured a bone in his leg and will likely remain out. Jonas Jennings is recovering from a sprained ankle and looks to play on Sunday. J.P. Losman remains out with a broken leg he is at least two weeks away.
The Cardinals are very healthy, they are hoping to get their star receiver back. Anquan Boldin has missed the entire season with a knee injury suffered in preseason. He returned to practice on a limited basis last week. He should practice fully by the end of the week and hopes to play on Sunday. CB Duane Starks returned last week from a shoulder injury.
 Bills Daily Injury Page
KEY MATCHUPS
RB Willis McGahee vs. LB Ronald McKinnon:
The Cardinals middle linebacker will be the man in charge of stopping McGahee when he gets past the front four. McGahee is hard to bring down and McKinnon will be the force to try and stop him.
LT Jonas Jennings vs. RE Bert Berry:
Berry has four sacks on the year and will test the tender ankle of Jennings. If he can get to Drew Bledsoe the Bills offense may continue to struggle.
CB Terrence McGee vs. WR Larry Fitzgerald:
The rookie receiver has come on the last few weeks and McGahee will need to shut him down. He's been up and down so far in relief of the injured Vincent. He needs to not give up the big play this week.
DE Aaron Schobel vs. LT Leonard Davis:
Schobel is on an unbelievable hot streak. The last three games, he has 5 1/2 sacks, and three forced fumbles. If he can continue that kind of pressure against Davis, it can be a long day for Josh McCown.
LB London Fletcher vs. RB Emmitt Smith:
Fletcher is the man in the middle. When the big defensive tackles bottle up the middle, he will be the one that will have to bring down the future hall of famer. Smith has played well lately reeling off a pair of 100 yard games and appears to be rejuvenated.
Bills Red Zone Offense vs. Cardinals Red Zone Defense:
The Bills have been abysmal in the red zone this year. They have scored touchdowns on only 25% of their trips inside the 20 and have come away with no points six times. In contrast, the Cardinals defense is number one in the league in the red zone with a 23.8% rate of giving up touchdowns inside the 20. The Bills need to cash in when they get down close or else they'll lose again.
GAME PLAN
When The Bills Have The Ball: Enough of the fancy, misdirection plays. The Bills will try to pound the ball this week against the Cardinals with McGahee. When he gets tired they will bring in Travis Henry and let him play a bit with a chip on his shoulder. They should keep this game out of the hands of Drew Bledsoe, burn some clock, and let the defense do the rest.
When The Cardinals Have The Ball: Look for them to go to the air a lot. Josh McCown will try to beat the Bills secondary with Fitzgerald and Boldin if he returns. That should open up some holes for the venerable Smith and Troy Hambrick.
BILLS DAILY PREDICTION
This is a tough one to call. Do the Bills play another solid game at home against one of the weaker opponents on their schedule like they did against Miami or do they stink up the place like they did against Baltimore. They are a much better home team but the Cardinals are no pushovers anymore and are playing decent defense, which could spell trouble for the struggling Bills offense. Somehow, someway we see the Bills putting enough together to pull the game out:
Bills 17, Cardinals 13
Season Prediction Record: (4-2)
Season Record Against The Spread: (1-5)
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