London Game Against AZ looks to be a BRAWL

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Corbin

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I can tell you with 100% confidence, that is not true.
Lol.
Idk bro I read these sane forums you do and the ones throwing the biggest fits the last two years or so is the we are going to the playoffs crowd.
 

Prime Time

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http://theramswire.usatoday.com/201...na-cardinals-week-7-odds-betting-line-spread/

Rams open as slight favorites over Cardinals in Week 7 London game
By: Cameron DaSilva

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Both the Los Angeles Rams and Arizona Cardinals nabbed victories on Sunday to remain well within the hunt in the NFC. The wins came one week before both teams head over to London for their Week 7 meeting, which just got a whole lot more interesting with Adrian Peterson dominating in his Cardinals debut.

Divisional matchups are almost always hotly contested – especially when played on international soil – and that’s likely to be the case this week, too. According to Vegas Insider, the Rams are just 3.5-point favorites over the Cardinals.

That line isn’t very surprising, considering both teams are playing well at the moment. Despite the injuries Arizona has endured, mainly to David Johnson, it’s still a team that’s tough to beat – especially with playmakers all over the defense.

The Cardinals and Rams will have to adjust to the time difference, playing most of their games on the West Coast. On Sunday, they’ll be more than 4,000 miles away from home with the game being held at Twickenham Stadium.

A win would move the Rams to 5-2 heading into their bye week, maintaining their lead in the NFC West. The Cardinals are looking for their fourth win of the year, which would move them above .500 for the first time all year.
 

LACHAMP46

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And for the record, Fournette is much better than AP at this stage of their careers. No way Peterson makes that 75 yard run that Fournette had against us.
Much better than AP???
That just doesn't look right.
Fournette is a beast..but...I don't think AP got hurt in his first 8 years of pro football...
 

OldSchool

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Much better than AP???
That just doesn't look right.
Fournette is a beast..but...I don't think AP got hurt in his first 8 years of pro football...
Guess again!
 

theduke

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The key to the game to me is Fitz vs Truuu. Fitz has been whooping our ass for years and I'm tired of seeing him get 100+ yrds against us. Outside of that, I think we can shut AP down and get to Palmer. We can't fumble the ball like we have been doing.
We used to have a guy who held his own against Fitz, but he plays for the Giants now.
 

HX76

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I bought myself a shiny new scarf for Sunday. Please don't let me down.
 

NateDawg122

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Much better than AP???
That just doesn't look right.
Fournette is a beast..but...I don't think AP got hurt in his first 8 years of pro football...

Are you serious right now?

2007 (rookie): AP damaged his LCL, missed several weeks.
2008: Hamstring issue, bothered him for several games
2011: Tore his ACL and MCL
2014: Missed all but one game because he beat the shit out of his kid (Fournette has never done that)
2016: Torn meniscus and LCL sprain. Missed all but 3 games, in which he averaged 24 YPG.

But yea, other than all that, his injury history is squeaky clean...

And yes, Fournette is much better than AP right now. He is much more agile and he's significantly faster. Aside from one game against the Bucs, Peterson has done nothing impressive for about two years now.
 

LACHAMP46

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But yea, other than all that, his injury history is squeaky clean...

And yes, Fournette is much better than AP right now. He is much more agile and he's significantly faster. Aside from one game against the Bucs, Peterson has done nothing impressive for about two years now.
Okay...somewhat tongue in cheek.

I still don't think Fournette is better than AP....even today...he's stronger, faster, but not a better RB.....Hell, I think Todd Gurley is still a little behind AP.

AP is still that beast...put him behind a dominant O-Line...he could be league MVP
 

Ram65

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Okay...somewhat tongue in cheek.

I still don't think Fournette is better than AP....even today...he's stronger, faster, but not a better RB.....Hell, I think Todd Gurley is still a little behind AP.

AP is still that beast...put him behind a dominant O-Line...he could be league MVP

He still is shifty and strong. Doesn't have the same burst but looked good in the highlights.

Not happy the Cardinals got him. Rams will have their hands full this week. Expect the Cardinals to give a strong effort to get back in the division race. The good news is they have more travel and IIRC haven't played in England before. They looked bad against the Eagles here in Phila just a few weeks ago. They seem to have new life. Can't take division games for granted no matter what the records are.
 

So Ram

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Yall got me ready for the, "what Cardinal fans are saying" post...LOLNot yet....but...Fournette is a beast....

AP....One of the few opponents that I pray doesn't read what we fans say....dude is named all-day....dude is already motivated....put that gif of him staring THROUGH Sean Peyton....that look he had...reminded me of OJ.....

Well The Rams defense is starting to play at a higher level. I think The Rams find away to win this game.
 

So Ram

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Yeah and Cheat Carroll didn’t know McVay either but who won that matchup?

ESPN analyst is calling you! :rolllaugh:

That's fine. It was a tough loss.

McVay & Carroll do have a personal relationship & As well as Gruden.

Not the same as Arians.

Power rankings just came in , Rams #3 rated, Redskins 7, Hawks #8 .

Arizona not in the top 10, so when The Rams have lost it has been against the top teams unlike winning a big division game & then loss to a crap team.

Arizona not even in top 20.Rated #28
 
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NateDawg122

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He still is shifty and strong. Doesn't have the same burst but looked good in the highlights.

Not happy the Cardinals got him. Rams will have their hands full this week. Expect the Cardinals to give a strong effort to get back in the division race. The good news is they have more travel and IIRC haven't played in England before. They looked bad against the Eagles here in Phila just a few weeks ago. They seem to have new life. Can't take division games for granted no matter what the records are.

You're free to have your opinions, but I don't think a single GM or coach would agree with you.

You could take away Gurley's entire game as a receiver and he'd still be better than AP right now.
 

Ram65

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You're free to have your opinions, but I don't think a single GM or coach would agree with you.

You could take away Gurley's entire game as a receiver and he'd still be better than AP right now.

I wasn't comparing AP to Gurley . I had just watched a posted video showing AP's runs with the Cardinals and gave my opinion of what I saw. AP has been a great running back and still has something in the tank. I was a little surprised. The poorly rated Cardinals offensive line opened some holes too.
 

NateDawg122

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I wasn't comparing AP to Gurley . I had just watched a posted video showing AP's runs with the Cardinals and gave my opinion of what I saw. AP has been a great running back and still has something in the tank. I was a little surprised. The poorly rated Cardinals offensive line opened some holes too.

Hey, sorry. I accidentally quoted you. I meant to quote LACHAMP'S last post. Saying AP is better than Gurley right now is an absolute joke.
 

Prime Time

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https://www.theringer.com/nfl/2017/10/18/16492720/adrian-peterson-arizona-cardinals-offense

Can Adrian Peterson Fix the Cardinals Offense?
He may not continue to perform like he did on Sunday, but a rejuvenated ground game could help Carson Palmer, Larry Fitzgerald, and the entire Arizona squad
BY DANNY KELLY

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Getty Images/Ringer illustration

It was tough to put much stock into the trade that sent Saints running back Adrian Peterson to the Cardinals last week. It’s been a long time since Peterson showcased the kind of power, explosiveness, and speed that made him the foundational piece of the Vikings offense and one of the league’s most dominant players for so many years.

After coming off of a meniscus injury that robbed him of most of the 2016 season, the 32-year-old former MVP logged just 44 snaps in four games for the Saints, and gained just 81 yards at 3 yards per carry. The most notable thing he did in his time in New Orleans was get into a shouting match with head coach Asshole Face on the sideline.

So on the surface, it looked a lot like Cardinals general manager Steve Keim and head coach Bruce Arians had added just another old veteran to an already too old offense built around 37-year-old Carson Palmer and 34-year-old Larry Fitzgerald. How was an over-the-hill running back supposed to fix their offensive issues? Coming into Week 6, the Cardinals had ranked 30th in Football Outsiders DVOA and had averaged just 16.2 points per game (29th).

Carson Palmer was pressured on 42.5 percent of his dropbacks (28th), and completed just 59 percent of his passes (28th) with six touchdowns (tied for 20th), five picks (tied for fifth-most), and an 80.5 passer rating (24th). The combination of running backs Chris Johnson, Kerwynn Williams, Andre Ellington, and— briefly—David Johnson had averaged a league-low 2.59 yards per carry with just one rushing touchdown.

Something unexpected happened in Peterson’s first game in a Cardinals uniform, though: He looked more like a guy in his prime than one due for retirement. Peterson ripped through arm tackles and found daylight with patience. His signature jump cuts and a newfound burst behind the line led to 134 yards and two touchdowns on 26 rushes.

The resurgent performance from the team’s new bell-cow back powered Arizona to a 38-33 win against the Buccaneers. Peterson looked like the piece Arizona’s struggling offense had been sorely missing—but is the veteran runner a season-saving acquisition or just a flash in the pan?

The Cardinals run an aggressive passing game predicated on an unrelenting abundance of precision deep shots downfield. There’s a high degree of difficulty in running this style of pass attack. Palmer must be accurate, and his receivers must get off the jam, get downfield, and win at the catch point, and the offensive line must protect their quarterback long enough for these downfield plays to develop.

In 2015, we saw the platonic ideal of what Arians’s “no risk it, no biscuit” mantra could produce: Palmer was an MVP candidate that year and led his team to a 13-3 record. He finished with 4,671 yards, 45 touchdowns to 11 picks, and a 104.6 rating, and averaged 8.7 yards per attempt for the fifth-highest mark ever for a quarterback with 500 attempts, per Football Outsiders.

He led the NFL in DYAR, DVOA, and QBR, and helmed one of the most terrifying offenses in the league, which saw a league-high 27 percent of its passes travel at least 16 yards downfield.

Every NFL offense rides a razor-thin line between success and failure—but for the Cardinals’ high-wire act, as Ringer colleague Robert Mays wrote last year, “even a tiny slip can bring the whole show crashing down.” In 2015, a jammed index finger suffered in Week 15 was enough to affect Palmer’s accuracy and throw everything out of whack.

In 2016, pass protection slipped, and after surrendering just 27 sacks in 2015 (tied for fourth), Arizona gave up 41 (tied for 25th) last year. The system couldn’t function nearly as well, and that’s the major issue this season again.

Going into Sunday’s game with the Bucs, Arizona had allowed 13 sacks (dead last) and surrendered a league-worst 21 hits, 68 hurries, and 102 pressures. The team had simply been unable to deal with the opposing pass rush, and Palmer’s ability to direct the downfield passing attack had fallen apart.

Unfortunately, there are no starter-quality offensive lineman the team can just sign off the street. So how do you fix such a fundamental issue? Getting left tackle D.J. Humphries and left guard Alex Boone back from injury on Sunday did make a big impact, but neither has played well enough to turn the team around. The good news is that an efficient and explosive passing game doesn’t exist in a vacuum—it can be strengthened by a dangerous rushing attack.

The easiest way to beat a good pass rush is to run the ball right at it: The run game takes advantage of keyed up and overexcited defenders that have their ears pinned back and aggressively rush upfield to try to hit the quarterback. An effective ground game slows that pass rush because now defensive ends must remember to man their gaps, keep their heads on a swivel to look for opposing blockers, and avoid running past the play. They’re thinking, not attacking.

Of course, Arizona hasn’t had a run game to protect Palmer this year, either. Johnson’s out until at least Thanksgiving, and the combination of Johnson, Williams, and Ellington hasn’t gotten the job done. On Sunday, Peterson showed a combination of power, balance, and vision that the team hadn’t seen at running back since Johnson went out in Week 1.

You could see it on his first run; Peterson took the handoff, cut away from a defender in the backfield, and powered through three or four Buccaneer defenders to pick up seven yards, grinding out the last several with leg churn and determination.

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His second run of the day was more of the same: He bounced behind the line to find a running lane, burst forward, and put his head down to pick up another few yards through contact.

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Later that drive, Peterson broke free for a touchdown. He pressed the line of scrimmage, jumped back to his right, and then hurdled through the line, putting the pedal to the metal once both his feet touched down to leave Tampa Bay’s defense in the dust.

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Peterson’s always been a volume rusher, a guy that wears down defenses and makes big plays once he’s in rhythm. And the more carries he got on Sunday, the more comfortable he seemed to be. He broke away for big runs several times as the game went on, displaying all the traits—vision, strength, and explosiveness—that helped make him one of the league’s toughest players to tackle.

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Peterson could be a force for the team in short yardage and goal-line situations too, and late in the game, he took on three Buccaneers defenders to punch through for his second touchdown.

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A newfound run game was a major factor behind the success of the Cardinals passing game. Palmer was pressured on a less terrible 37.5 percent of his snaps, per Pro Football Focus, which marked an improvement up front, and the team found success utilizing play-action fakes.

On a third-and-2 from their own 33-yard line early in the second quarter, Tampa Bay loaded up for what they thought would be a run; it wasn’t, and when three Buccaneer defenders rushed up to try to stuff Peterson behind the line, Palmer unleashed a pass downfield behind them to a streaking Jaron Brown.

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Later that same drive, the threat of a Peterson run helped create an Arizona touchdown. Taking the snap, Palmer faked the handoff to his running back, which drew no less than five Tampa Bay defenders forward at the snap, including safety T.J. Ward.

(Think they respect the threat Peterson brings to Arizona’s offense?). With Ward out of position, Fitzgerald snuck behind him (and the rest of the Buccaneers defense) and Palmer hit his receiver for the score.

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While watching the Cardinals offense come to life on Sunday, that razor-thin margin between success and failure—where one or two small deficiencies can make everything tumble down—kept coming to mind. And sure, Peterson’s effect on the Cardinals offense is just a one-game sample size and his big day came against a banged-up Buccaneers defense. But if Peterson can keep playing like the younger version of himself that we saw on Sunday, a more robust run game could have major implications for Palmer and the team’s passing attack.

One important statistic stood out: In the team’s first five games, the Cardinals picked up 118 yards on 52 first-down carries and averaged just 2.27 yards per tote. On Sunday, Peterson picked up 96 yards and averaged 6.4 yards per carry on 15 first-down runs (and got both his scores on first downs). That type of early-down success not only keeps opposing defenses guessing and helps hold the pass rush at bay, but it keeps the Cardinals on schedule, out of second- and third-and-long situations, which in turn opens up a playbook.

On second-and-3 or second-and-4, for instance, a play-caller can do just about anything he wants. He can call a run to simply try to pick up the first down, and a lot of defenses are going to gear up to stop that. He can also dial up a deep shot down the field, which can be not only effective, but relatively safe. If the team misses, they still have a very manageable third-down situation. Success running on first down can be a total game changer.

I’m not ready to say that Peterson’s going to save the Cardinals offense and propel them back to their 2015 form. He’ll need to replicate it against the Rams’ tough front, the Seahawks’ stout defense, and the Jaguars’ eleventy-million-dollar defensive line before I truly buy in.

But don’t underestimate the impact that a healthy and explosive Peterson has on opposing defenses. That version of Peterson gives the Cardinals a chance to achieve balance and could help them finally unlock a dormant downfield passing attack. In a wide-open NFC playoff field, that could be enough to propel the Cardinals into the postseason.