Frank the Tank: 21-17, Bills- Arizona is not nearly as good as their record indicates, as St. Louis showed everyone last week, and Buffalo isn't quite as bad as the past two weeks have suggested. That said, injuries are the story in this one and it'll come down to quarterback play. Fitzpatrick and Kolb define the word 'mediocre' – though I believe Buffalo will thrive on their extended rest and be out to prove a point.
Joe: 13-10, Bills- This is a complete homer pick. Offensively speaking, both these teams have similar passing styles. They rely on short passes and having their WRs use their wheels to run after the catch. Not shocking when you consider that Gailey/Whisenhunt come from Bill Cowher's family tree and their repertoire consisted of using 3 or 4 WR sets and getting the ball out quickly. The Cards rank 25th in passing while the Bills are 26th. Like us, the Cards don't seem to stretch the field because their offensive line is a tire fire and they can't give Kolb enough time to let deep routes develop. Larry Fitzgerald has 30 catches on the season, but he's only averaging about 11 yards a catch. Both QBs are overpaid and not exactly gunslingers. So, I don't see too many big plays. Defensively, or at least on paper, these teams are even. Of course, that hasn't translated for the Bills. I need for the Bills to show me something this week, obviously. If they can't get pressure against the Cards crappy as offensive line that has allowed the most sacks in the NFL (23), then we are doomed. The Cards are down to their 3rd string back and I think Bills running back situation is way more becoming than whoever is starting for the Cards. That's where the Bills win it in ugly fashion.
Aaron: 30-17, Cardinals- LaRod Stephens-Howling and Kevin Kolb should gain steam in pro bowl voting after this week. Cards, 30-17.
Fake Darcy: 3-0, Bills- The Buffalo defense is stronger this game, choosing to roll 11 defensemen instead of 6.
Mike Tracz: 21-17, Bills – A small part of this prediction is based on my status as a 49ers fan. The Cardinals were expected to suck this year, and yet here they are, annoyingly hanging around near the top of the NFC West standings. So if the Bills could do me a little favor and beat the Cards, I'd really be grateful. The real meat of this prediction: come on, there's no way the Bills defense can continue to be THIS bad, right? The law of averages suggests to me that after giving up 1,200 yards in two weeks, there's going to be a little regression to the mean – especially given the state of Arizona's ground game. Their offensive line is terrible – I've often heard that 'Zona has the worst combination of starting tackles in football – and they've already lost two RBs to IR. Having said that, if 29th-string running back William Powell rushes up the gut for 200 yards, I'll eat my damn hat.
Chris: 24-13, Bills- Funny enough, I like the Bills in this game. I'm not impressed with the Cardinals as a whole and I think that the Bills match up well with them. Offensively, I actually think the Bills have a better unit (despite the o-line injuries) and I feel that the defense will be capable of stepping up in this game. Now, if the defense disappears again it will be another rough week. But I think the Bills are better than they showed the last two weeks and the Cards are closer to the team everyone saw against the Rams.
Alex Jank: 38-17, Cards- Get ready to add the name "LaRod Stephens-Howling" to the list of backup running backs that gash the Bills.
Michael Necci: Arizona 27 Buffalo 24 – Chan has lost 25 games in his 37 games coached here. TWENTY FIVE. An average loss of 17.6 points per game and a dozen of those losses by 20 or more points. Good times. Three years into this regime and they still can't put a semi competitive product on the field. The rest of the league lapped the Bills years ago, now it's to the point of pure embarrassment. Until ownership changes, nothing will ever change. Having said that, the Bills could still win this game & potentially be 4-3 going to the bye week (If that happens, the Mafia will be at Defcon 1 unbearable). The truth is Arizona's defense, led by Patrick Peterson who was drafted one spot behind Dareus, is really really good and Buffalo's quarterback and wide receivers are not. I'd like to think Buffalo will keep it close (wishful thinking probably) but Arizona's defense and Larry Fitzgerald will be too much.
Jason: 26-23, Bills- Ooooooooooh, look at me being Mr. Sunshine about the Bills all of a sudden. Ok, ok look: both of teams…they're kinda junk. We all know about the Bills issues. The Cardinals are 4-1, but no one's really buying them, not yet, not with Kevin Kolb, and not the way they're letting Kevin Kolb get crushed every week. If the Bills front 4 is ever gonna cut loose, this is the week. So what the hell? Let's go with the hometown team to win outright. And if they lose, fire everybody.
Brandon: 20-17, Bills- I think this is the toughest game we've had to predict so far. Had you asked me three weeks ago who would win, I'd have been pretty confident in saying the Bills. Now, they're back to being the punchline of every joke and the Cardinals are sitting pretty at 4-1 with wins over Seattle, Philly and the same Patriots who smacked the Bills two weeks ago (albeit they're also coming off a pretty crappy loss to a so-so Rams squad). The premise of my winning prediction is pretty much based solely on the Bills' pass rush, which I haven't given up on just yet. That Cardinals O-line is absolutely atrocious. Add a (seemingly) non-existent run game to the mix and Kevin Kolb should be a sitting duck all day, in theory. We'll see how it plays out, but I'll give the Bills the benefit of the doubt in a must-win game.
Add The Sports Daily to your Google News Feed!
