Arizona Cardinals vs. Indianapolis Colts
The Arizona Cardinals and Indianapolis Colts have a special relationship. Not one the casual fan would know. After all, the two franchises have only played each other 16 times, just twice in the past 11 years. It has nothing to do with bad blood on the field, just good relationships on the sidelines.
If you’re unfamiliar, Cardinals head coach Bruce Arians was previously the offensive coordinator in Indianapolis under current Colts head coach Chuck Pagano. It was Arians that took over for Pagano in 2012 while Pagano took a leave of absence to recover from his fight with Leukemia.
Arians took advantage of the situation not only to make Pagano proud but as an audition to prove he can lead an NFL team. From Weeks 5-16, Arians led the Colts and rookie quarterback Andrew Luck to the playoffs where they eventually fell to the Baltimore Ravens in the Wild Card Round.
Fast forward to today and the two continue to roam the sidelines leading their respective teams. Arians is coaching his first game in Indianapolis since his departure following the 2012 season. And it could be his last; his seat, along with Pagano’s, is feeling a little bit warmer after losses in Week 1.
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For the Cardinals it was a blown lead in the fourth quarter that exposed their defense. Carson Palmer and the offense never seemed to click throughout their 23-35 defeat to the Detroit Lions. David Johnson, a favorite to win the rushing title and MVP this season, was virtually ineffective against a Lions defense that was less than special in 2016.
On the other side the Colts didn’t look much better. Actually they looked a lot worse, the worst team in the league last weekend. The Los Angeles Rams, who hadn’t scored over 45 points since a 52-0 route on the Oakland Raiders in 2014, put up 46 points. Quarterback Scott Tolzien looked bad, the offensive line horrible and the defense completely lost against Rams quarterback Jared Goff.
Preview
It wasn’t pretty for either team. All-in-all it may not be a pretty this weekend, either. But the Cardinals, even after the loss of Johnson on the offensive side of the ball, enters the contest with more talent than the Colts.
If you own the Cardinals defense/special teams on your fantasy team this is the week to play them. The Rams feasted on Tolzien and the Colts offense returning two pick-sixes and recording a safety en route to just allowing nine total points. Arizona is going to do the same this week regardless if Tolzien or Jacoby Brissett, who came in late in relief against Los Angeles and will get the Week 2 start, plays on Sunday.
The biggest question mark is who Arians uses with Johnson now on injured reserve due to a dislocated wrist. Will Kerwynn Williams or Andre Ellington handle the majority of the workload? How about Chris Johnson, just brought back this week after not making the final cut after the preseason. Or could newly signed D.J. Foster have a role? Williams was the primary beneficiary last Sunday but Ellington got his touches, too. Expect a running-back-by-committee this weekend.
Next: NFL Power Rankings 2017: Week 2
Score Prediction
If Goff can exploit Indianapolis’ secondary then so can Palmer. It was a rough outing against Detroit but fortunately for Palmer it’ll be an easier go around this weekend. The Cardinals will need to find a new identity for their offense this season while the Colts need to just find some type of consistency until Luck can get back under center.
Final Score: Arizona Cardinals: 30, Indianapolis Colts: 17