5 things to know about Raiders’ Week 11 opponent: Arizona Cardinals
The Raiders (1-8) have had arguably the worst offense in the league in the past month.
Quarterback Derek Carr and his Raiders offense haven’t found the end zone in the last nine quarters, being outscored 75-9 in that span.
Offensive struggles has been a season-long theme for the Arizona Cardinals (2-7) under rookie quarterback Josh Rosen.
So it’s no surprise the Raiders-Cardinals matchup on Sunday in Glendale, Arizona, has the lowest betting total of the week at 40 1/2. That’s 23 points less than the betting total of the Chiefs-Rams showdown on “Monday Night Football.”
Here are five things you need to know about the Raiders’ Week 11 opponent:
1. D.J. in a groove
Before the season, there was talk of David Johnson reaching 1,000 rushing yards and 1,000 receiving in his return year after missing most of 2017 with a fractured wrist. That likely won’t happen because of the way the Cardinals running back was utilized under Mike McCoy’s play calling in the first seven games. McCoy was fired and Byron Leftwich took over as the offensive coordinator. The Leftwich and Johnson marriage has worked after two games. Johnson had his best game of the year last week against the Kansas City Chiefs, recording 183 yards from scrimmage with two touchdowns. The Raiders’ linebackers, who have struggled all year, could have trouble keeping up with the versatile Johnson.
2. Rookie QB
Lately, Johnson has been the entire offense for the Cardinals. Rosen has failed to get all his offensive weapons involved. Rosen, the No. 10 overall pick out of UCLA, has shown flashes of making the big-time throws, but his growing pains have slowed the offense. The Cardinals are averaging 13.8 points per game, the second worst in the league behind the Bills’ 13.7 and ahead of the Raiders’ 16.3. Rosen was thrust into the starting role after Sam Bradford’s disastrous three games to start the season. Rosen is completing 55.8 percent of his passes for 1,280 yards, six touchdowns and eight interceptions.
3. Ageless Fitz
When Rosen is in need of a first down, he’s often looking in Larry Fitzgerald’s direction. At age 35, Fitzgerald is still playing at a high level during his 15th season in the NFL. Last week, Fitzgerald passed Terrell Owens for second on the NFL’s all-time receiving-yardage list. It’s been a lost year for the Cardinals’ offense, but Fitzgerald has taken rookie wide receiver Christian Kirk under his wing. Kirk has the potential of taking over for Fitzgerald when the future Hall of Famer decides to retire.
4. Stifling pass defense
The Cardinals rank at the bottom of most statistical categories, but not pass defense. Led by cornerback Patrick Peterson and safety Budda Baker, the Cardinals are ranked third in passing yards allowed. Only the Jaguars and Ravens have allowed fewer passing yards. The Cardinals only give up 223.2 passing yards per game. Last week, Arizona snapped Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes’ streak of eight games of going over 300 passing yards.
5. Sack machine
Chandler Jones’ older brother, Jon, reminded his Instagram followers this week how dominant Chandler has been since joining the Cardinals. Jon Jones, the former UFC light heavyweight champion, posted a stat list of the players with the most sacks since 2o16. Chandler Jones’ 35.5 sacks ranked first, with Broncos edge rusher Von Miller in second with 32.5. The Cardinals’ defensive end has recorded 8.5 sacks this season.
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Contact Gilbert Manzano at gmanzano@reviewjournal.com. Follow @GManzano24 on Twitter.
