The New England Patriots (-2) will be taking on the Arizona Cardinals (+2) on Monday Night Football to close out Week 14. This game is at State Farm Stadium, so Arizona will have the home-field advantage.
New England’s offense has been abysmal at best all season outside of one game against the Minnesota Vikings; Mac Jones and other members of the unit showed some frustration during and after their most recent game against the Buffalo Bills. Look for them to try and establish the run with Rhamondre Stevenson and then throw some deep balls down the field. Jones should be eager to push the ball down the field versus an average defense.
The Patriots can win this game on the defensive side of the ball, though. A major part of that will be stopping DeAndre Hopkins. The secondary has struggled to stop big name wide receivers in back-to-back games and will need to try to take Hopkins out of this one to stand a chance. If they can limit him, quarterback Kyler Murray will force throws and make mistakes.
Arizona’s offense has been stagnant at times but also has the ability to make big plays. It really depends on which Murray you will get. If he is at his best, he can definitely hurt the Patriots with his legs which will open up the entire offense. Running back James Conner will also need to get going so the safeties have to respect their rushing attack.
Defensively, the Cardinals are inconsistent and can have penalty issues at times. They do have stars like J.J. Watt and Budda Baker who can make big plays but other than those two household names it is a lot of young players and veterans who will be tasked with stopping a struggling offense. They should be able to get pressure on the weak Patriots offensive line as well.
The Patriots are 2-point favorites according to the oddsmakers at DraftKings Sportsbook. Let’s take a look at the Pats Pulpit staff’s picks for the game:
Player Prop of the Night
Nelson Agholor Over 29.5 Receiving Yards (-130): It has been an inconsistent year for the speedy wide receiver, but he is going to need to step up with Jakobi Meyers expected to miss the game. This means that there are a lot more targets to go around the wide receiver room. With Kendrick Bourne’s role a limited one at best, Agholor should easily have at least 30 receiving yards.
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