University of Phoenix Stadium, Phoenix, Arizona. Monday, 23rd of November, 12:30pm AEDST
THE NFL match of the week sees the Cincinnati Bengals travelling to Phoenix to face the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday night.
After starting the season at 7-0 the Bengals were lacklustre against the lowly Houston Texans, failing to score a touchdown at home.
Cincinnati still has the second best record in the American Football Conference and sit two games clear of second placed Pittsburgh with a game in hand in the AFC North.
The Arizona Cardinals have had a surprisingly great start to the 2015/16 campaign on the back of fantastic production from veteran Quarterback Carson Palmer and legendary wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald.
Both men have wound back the clock after injury riddled seasons with the Cards, and currently sit inside the top ten in the Pro Bowl fan voting.
The Cardinals are coming off the back of a fantastic seven point victory over division rivals back-to-back NFC champions the Seattle Seahawks and currently sit atop the NFC West.
With both teams sporting such strong records there is no doubt that the Bengals and the Cardinals will be the match of the week and possibly the game of the season.
Could this be a Superbowl 50 preview?
While the NFL may be only on the verge of week 11, talk has already started on who the teams that will be playing off in Superbowl 50 might be.
The Arizona Cardinals and the Cincinnati Bengals are two teams that have had their names thrown into the Superbowl mix, with both franchises displaying patches of brilliance throughout the first portion of the season.
Week 11 sees the Bengals travel to Phoenix, but unfortunately for the home side, they may be without some of their key players heading into Sunday.
The Cardinals may be without star receiver Michael Floyd, who dominated last week against the Seahawks with two touchdowns and 113 receiving yards before leaving the game in the fourth quarter with a hamstring injury.
Floyd is not the only concern the Cards have heading into Sunday.
Guard Jonathan Cooper (knee), defensive tackle Cory Redding (ankle), guard Mike Iupati (neck) and linebacker Markus Golden (ankle) all missed training throughout the week and are all in serious doubt for the important game at the University of Phoenix Stadium.
Arizona head coach Bruce Arians said all of his players were in doubt for the pivotal clash with the Bengals.
“All of them right now, until we see them tomorrow,” Arians said on Wednesday after the Tuesday training session.
“They’ll be limited some tomorrow (Thursday), and hopefully we’ll get two or three of them back.”
The Bengals will be hoping to bounce back after their disappointing outing last week against the Texans.
Cincinnati failed to find the endzone once in the match and conceded a touchdown to star Texans’ Receiver DeAndre Hopkins late in the match to seal their fate.
Bengals’ defensive captain Adam Jones was scathing of his own performance which led to the go ahead touchdown catch.
“I’m one of the captains on the team, and when my number is called, 24 needs to make the play. I hold everybody in here accountable, and everybody knows that.” Jones said.
“I didn’t make the play that potentially could have won us the game. S—, if they don’t score right there, they probably get a field goal and we go to overtime.
“It is what it is, man. I’ve got to look at it but right now I’m pissed.”
The Bengals loss cannot be pinned on Jones however, with a vital dropped pass by Tight End Tyler Eifert in the second quarter sapping the home side of their momentum.
Cincinnatti Quarterback Andrew Dalton said both men had to move past their mistakes and focus on the rest of the season.
“Both of them have to drop it,” Dalton said.
“They’re two of the best players on this team. So put it behind them.”
The Arizona Cardinals are $8.50 to make Superbowl 50 while the Cincinnati Bengals are at $11
Match Preview:
Odds provided by Sportsbet.com.au
Winner: Arizona Cardinals – $1.42
Total points Over/Under: Over 48.5 – $1.95
Winning margin: Arizona Cardinals 1-13 points – $2.04
The showcase match of week 11 of the NFL season sees the Cincinatti Bengals travel to Phoenix to face the Arizona Cardinals.
The Bengals will not have much time to dwell on their poor showing against the lowly Texans last week, as the Cards have been in blistering form.
Bengals’ Quarterback Andrew Dalton spoke of the importance in moving on quickly after such a disappointing loss.
“We can’t let there be any carry-over,” Dalton said.
“That’s not the team we are, and we know what we’ve done to this point. This game doesn’t define our season. It doesn’t define anything. We’re still 8-1. We’re still leading the division. We know where we are.”
One man keen to play well is Arizona Quarterback Carson Palmer.
The veteran QB is a former Bengal himself, but left the franchise over two years ago in acrimonious circumstances after disagreements on how the team should progress with him given they had just drafted Dalton.
The 35-year old admitted there is plenty to this game on a personal level, but he will not let that cloud his judgment come Sunday.
“For as much time as I spent there, it’s not just another game,” Palmer said.
“There’s obviously a little bit extra on it. It’s a big game for us and a big game for them. … Myself and this team are focused on Week 11, not 2011.”
With Palmer experiencing a career-best season including incredible numbers over the last fortnight which has seen him throw for over 700 yards and score seven touchdowns.
Even if star receiver Michael Floyd is unable to take the field on Sunday the Cardinals should have too many attacking options for the Bengals and should come out on top in a tight contest.
