Big Red Blog: Cardinals look to snap skid

The Cardinals will attempt to snap a six-game losing streak this week against St. Louis with rookie QB Ryan Lindley expected to make his first career start.

Cardinals look to snap skid

Posted by Brad Wilbricht
Wednesday, November 21 - 2:00 PM

The Cardinals will attempt to snap a six-game losing streak this week against St. Louis, in what looks to be the team’s most winnable game from now until the end of the regular season.

Arizona came up just short a week ago on the road against the Falcons, due in large part to an offensive attack that continues to be painfully stagnant. The Cardinals defense did everything in its power to secure a victory, limiting Atlanta to 354 yards of total offense while forcing six turnovers, but the Arizona offense managed only 178 total yards and was held to seven first downs on the afternoon.

Now, the Cardinals will turn their attention to the Rams, who won decisively in the team’s first meeting of the season in Week 5.

With QB Kevin Kolb still out with a rib injury and John Skelton now benched, rookie Ryan Lindley stands in line to receive his first career start this Sunday. Lindley completed 9-of-20 passes for 64 yards in relief of Skelton last week and was sacked three times. A full week of practice should help Lindley but he’s still a first-year player making his first start which is generally not a good combination.

Working against Lindley’s favor will be the Rams’ dynamic duo of defensive ends, Chris Long and Robert Quinn. The two helped lead St. Louis to nine sacks of Kolb in the team’s 17-3 victory early this year and will be licking their chops to line up against Lindley and the Cardinals’ beleaguered offensive line.

Like Arizona, St. Louis is mired in a slump of its own, going winless in its previous five outings. The Rams grinded out a tie against San Francisco two weeks ago, but the momentum gained from that performance was lost in a 27-13 home defeat against the Jets last week. Furthermore, St. Louis has yet to win away from home, sporting a record of 0-3-1 on the road.

Sam Bradford has suffered through another up-and-down season but has the potential to move the ball against a Cardinals pass defense that has excelled this year. Bradford should have WR Danny Amendola back for a second consecutive week and Arizona has struggled at times guarding receivers out of the slot.

Meanwhile, Lindley will try to somehow get All-Pro wideout Larry Fitzgerald involved in the game plan as he’s stuck in one of the least productive stretches of his career. The return of RB Beanie Wells could help this cause but ultimately it will be up to Lindley to locate Fitzgerald and make accurate throws in his direction.

While it’s hard to endorse the Cardinals with Lindley at the helm, this is the best chance for Arizona to prove victorious when dissecting the remainder of the schedule. Look for the Cardinals defense to be the difference as Arizona finally snaps its six-game skid.

Prediction: Arizona 20 St. Louis 17

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Questions or comments? Contact Brad Wilbricht at

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Questions or comments? Contact Brad Wilbricht at

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