The Denver Broncos take on the Arizona Cardinals on Thursday Night Football. I chat with Scott Allen from Raising Zona and get his takes on the Cardinals.
For the second time in 2018, the Denver Broncos take on the Arizona Cardinals. Both teams faced off in the preseason finale, with Denver coming away with the 21-10 victory in the game that featured a quarterback duel between a 2016 first round draft pick and a 2018 first round draft pick.
Now Josh Rosen is named the starter while Case Keenum is filling in as the Broncos quarterback. It is very rare to see two teams that faced off in the preseason face each other in the regular season in the same calendar year.
The Cardinals have a very interesting team, despite the 1-5 record. Other than Josh Rosen, the Cardinals have a talented running back in David Johnson. They also have seasoned veteran Larry Fitzgerald and rookie wide out Christian Kirk. But the offense has not produced much, scoring either last or second to last in yards and points scored. But the future still looks good.
The Cardinals defense has looked solid statistic wise. But without the offense helping them out, it has resulted in their record. Once their offense gets something together, they could be an interesting team in a few years.
With the Denver Broncos facing the Arizona Cardinals, I decided to cross into enemy lines and chat with Scott Allen, who is the site expert over at Raising Zona. Let us see what he had to say about the state of the Cardinals.
What are your thoughts on the state of the Arizona Cardinals after the first six games of the season?
Disappointing for sure. Although they turned over 25 spots on the roster and have a new coaching staff, the main skill players still exist. The offensive play calling of Mike McCoy has been horrendous and unimaginative. Despite all that, the defense still has kept them in games for the most part and easily could be 4-2 instead of 1-5.
Tell us a bit about Josh Rosen. Do you believe he can succeed at the NFL level?
Absolutely Rosen can succeed. He’s already shown he has the tools. He still has a lot to learn but throws a nice ball and has a strong arm. He’s been a little erratic at times over the last two weeks but has also thrown some balls I’m not sure Carson Palmer would have completed. 2018 will be a learning experience for him but he should be able to get some more wins under his belt and really take off in 2019.
How confident do you feel about the future of the Arizona Cardinals? What pieces do you think the Cardinals need to compete for a title in the future?
Rosen will be here a long time. Running back David Johnson is being paid a lot of money and receiver Christian Kirk is poised to take over for Fitz when he retires as the number one receiver. On defense, Chandler Jones is worth every penny he is being paid and then some. Cornerback Patrick Peterson, despite the ridiculous trade rumors, is still at the top of his game. They need to fix the offensive line, minus the center, rookie Mason Cole who should be a good one. They also need help at linebacker and make additions at receiver.
The Cardinals welcome the Denver Broncos on Thursday. What do you believe the Cardinals need to do to get the win?
They can’t let Denver run on them like they’ve been allowing all of their other opponents. The Vikings had 326 yards rushing all season until last Sunday when the Cardinals gave up 195 to them. They also need to be able to get pressure on Case Keenum, which is easier said than done. Keenum has a history of playing well against the Cardinals.
Is there a player on the Cardinals roster than not a lot know about that could make an impact on Thursday?
Everyone knows about Jones, but another guy on defense killing it has been linebacker Josh Bynes. By far has been the best linebacker and possibly the most consistent defensive player for the Cardinals over the first six weeks. Expect to hear his name a lot on Thursday night.
Thank you Scott for taking the time out to chat with us. If you want to see what questions he had for me in regarding the state of the Denver Broncos, you can check it out here.