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Arizona Cardinals vs Atlanta Falcons: prediction, preview, pick to win

By The Sports Xchange
Arizona Cardinals wide receiver Jaron Brown (13) makes the catch in front of Atlanta Falcons' Dwight Lowery (20) during the second half of their NFL game at the Georgia Dome on November 30, 2014, in Atlanta. Photoby David Tulis/UPI
Arizona Cardinals wide receiver Jaron Brown (13) makes the catch in front of Atlanta Falcons' Dwight Lowery (20) during the second half of their NFL game at the Georgia Dome on November 30, 2014, in Atlanta. Photoby David Tulis/UPI | License Photo

KICKOFF: Sunday, 1 p.m. ET, Georgia Dome, Atlanta. TV: FOX, Kevin Burkhardt, John Lynch, Pam Oliver.

SERIES HISTORY: 29th regular-season meeting. Cardinals lead series, 15-13. This is the seventh time the teams have met in the last 11 years, including the postseason. The Cardinals beat the Falcons 30-24 in a 2008 NFC wild-card contest. Home-field advantage has played a major role in determining the outcome, as home teams lead 20-8 in the regular season. The Cardinals are 9-2 at home and the Falcons are 11-6, including winning the last seven meetings in Atlanta. The Cardinals' last win there was on Jan. 2, 1994.

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GAMEDATE: 11/27/16

KEYS TO THE GAME:

The Falcons' offense leads the NFL with an average of 6.73 yards per play. The Cardinals' defense leads the NFL at 4.64 yards per play. The last four times the league's top offense faced the top defense in yards per play, the top offense won the contest, including the most recent instance in Week 5, when the Falcons beat the Broncos.

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The Falcons hope to get a pass rush rolling against the Cardinals, who couldn't protect quarterback Carson Palmer long enough for their deep-passing game to work against the Vikings. Palmer was sacked four times and hit 15 times.

"Offensively, they have had some injuries there, so they have tried to heal up some guys along the offensive line," defensive end Dwight Freeney said. "It's going to be a tough challenge. Guys are going to have to come up with their A game."

Vic Beasley is the Falcons' sack leader with 9.5, second in the NFL behind three players tied at the top with 10.

The Falcons must stop the run after giving up 208 yards rushing against the Eagles. Arizona RB David Johnson accounted for 160 of the Cardinals' 217 net yards against the Vikings.

Philadelphia's Ryan Mathews was the first RB to rush for more than 100 yards against the Falcons this season. The Falcons are giving up 102.9 yards rushing per game, which ranks 16th in the league.

MATCHUPS TO WATCH:

--Falcons WR Julio Jones vs. Cardinals CB Patrick Peterson. Peterson has been All-Pro three times and Jones once. Peterson called out Jones before their last meeting in 2014, saying he handled Jones when they faced each other in college (Peterson at LSU vs. Jones at Alabama) and their one previous NFL matchup. Jones countered that his teams beat Peterson three out of four times. Jones' response: 10 catches (on 12 targets) for a then career-high 189 yards and a touchdown in the Falcons' 29-18 victory. Unofficially, eight of those catches for 165 yards came with Peterson in coverage.

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--Cardinals LBs Chandler Jones and Markus Golden vs. Falcons pass blocking. Jones and Golden have combined for 14 sacks and the Falcons have given up 24, tied for 21st in the league. Jones leads the Cardinals with eight sacks and Golden, a second-round pick in 2015, has six. They pace a defense that totals 31 sacks. Left tackle Jake Matthews will likely see Jones the most. Right tackle Ryan Schraeder will have Golden. Both OLs have been strong in pass protection but may get help from TE Levine Toilolo and RBs Devonta Freeman and Tevin Coleman, who began Monday working on picking up linebackers with RB coach Bobby Turner.

PLAYER SPOTLIGHT:

Falcons pass rusher Vic Beasley. With 9.5 sacks, Beasley in second in the league behind three players with 10 each -- Buffalo's Lorenzo Alexander, Kansas City's Dee Ford and Seattle's Cliff Avril. Falcons DE Dwight Freeney is impressed, saying, "Vic is balling. He listened and he's taken in a lot of the stuff that I've been telling him since training camp, and it has sunk in. Now, you can see it."

INJURY REPORT:

Arizona -- Questionable: CB Justin Bethel (foot, knee), S Christian Bryant (groin), WR Michael Floyd (hamstring), WR Brittan Golden (groin), S Tyrann Mathieu (shoulder), DT Corey Peters (foot), DT Ed Stinson (hip), G Earl Watford (shoulder).

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Atlanta -- Questionable: P Matt Bosher (right hamstring), CB Desmond Trufant (shoulder).

FAST FACTS:

Cardinals WR Larry Fitzgerald has a reception in 189 straight games, one shy of tying Marvin Harrison for the third-longest streak in NFL history. Jerry Rice (274 games) and Tony Gonzalez (211 games) own the two longer streaks.

Cardinals QB Carson Palmer has thrown for 765 yards, four TDs and an interception in two meetings at Atlanta.

Arizona RB David Johnson gained 160 yards (103 rushing) and scored twice in Week 11. He is the third player since 1970 to have 100-plus yards from scrimmage in each of the first 10 games. He also is tied for the NFL lead with 12 TDs (10 rushing).

Falcons QB Matt Ryan is the 23rd player in NFL history to pass for 36,000 yards. Ryan reached the mark in 136 games, faster than any of the previous 22 players.

Atlanta rookie S Keanu Neal aims for his eighth game in a row with at least eight tackles and leads NFL rookies with 66. He has forced a fumble in four of the past six games.

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PREDICTION: Cardinals needed kickoff and interception returns of 100-yards plus to squeeze out a win over the Vikings last week, so there is no indication their offense is in sync or their defense is consistent. The Falcons were sailing before a loss to the Eagles, then had it gnaw at them during a bye.

OUR PICK: Falcons, 38-28.

--Frank Cooney

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