Arizona Sports predicts Cardinals vs. Packers

The last time the Arizona Cardinals and Green Bay Packers got together in a game that counted, the fans were treated to an amazing offensive display.

The teams combined for 1,024 yards and 96 points in the Cardinals’ 51-45 overtime victory that propelled them to the NFC Divisional Playoffs to take on the eventual Super Bowl champion New Orleans Saints.

That type of offense is a memory for Cardinal fans, as this year’s team has dropped four straight and has scored a total of 36 points during the skid.

Arizona will try to turn it around against a Packers team that has won three in a row after dropping three of their first five games.

Here’s how the staff of Arizona Sports 620 sees things shaking out Sunday.

Vince Marotta	We’re into the second half of the season and the Cardinals are still dealing with the issues that have derailed their 4-0 start: pass protection, lack of a running game and shaky quarterback play. So why would any of those issues remedy themselves in a game at Lambeau Field – where the Cardinals haven’t won since 1949? Umm, they won’t. Final Score: Packers 31, Cardinals 10
Doug Franz	This will not be pretty. If you thought the offensive line was struggling before this game, you haven’t seen struggling until this game is over. Final Score: Packers 41, Cardinals 10
Dave Burns	The Cards are playing one of the best QB’s in the league, a defense that is tied for the league in sacks (with the Cardinals) in a venue that is one of the toughest in the NFL. Add in the fact the Cardinals are coming off a demoralizing loss and a short week and its hard to envision any scenario in which they win. They must establish the run better than vs. the 49ers in order to limit John Skelton’s throws and the defense must turn pressure into turnovers. Final Score: Packers 24, Cardinals 13
John Gambadoro	Green Bay is starting to play much better and even with all the injuries they have, the Pack have too much firepower for Arizona. Both teams do a poor job in pass protection, but Aaron Rodgers is much better suited to handle the pressure than John Skelton is. Neither team runs the ball that well but the passing game of Green Bay against a Cardinals secondary that looked plain awful on Monday night is a recipe for disaster. Plus Arizona is coming off a short week and having to play on the road. The slide continues. Final Score: Packers 31, Cardinals 10
Adam Green	This one ain’t gonna be pretty. The only team in the NFL that gets to the quarterback as frequently as the Cardinals are the Packers, and I’m pretty confident the home team will have little trouble getting to John Skelton. And you know what they say, all sacks and now downfield passes make Arizona a miserable offense. The Cardinals defense held up well enough to beat Tom Brady and the Patriots, but Aaron Rodgers is a completely different animal. The Packers will put up some points in a game where they won’t need many to win. Final Score: Packers 27, Cardinals 10
Paul Calvisi	Packers have spent this week fielding questions about whether they’re looking past the Cards to the bye week. Guess what? That becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy. We sense a repeat of New England, where Aaron Rodgers makes like Tom Brady and throws for 300+ yards but only one TD. Cards win a game with all the artistic aplomb of a bratwurst. Final Score: Cardinals 13, Packers 10
Katy Hartley	I’m pretty excited to see the Cards defensive line take on the Packers’ o-line — but that might be the only decent match up this game. Cards offense just won’t be able to get anything going. Final Score: Packers 24, Cardinals 14
Dave Dulberg	In Robert Penn Warren’s famous novel turned Academy Award-winning movie All the Kings Men, the author wrote “The end of man is knowledge, but there is one thing he can’t know. He can’t know whether knowledge will save him or kill him.” Ironically the movie won Best Picture in 1949, the last time a Cardinals team went into Green Bay and came out a victor. The problem is knowledge will most certainly do in the Cardinals this Sunday against the Packers. There’s just no room for salvation at this point. A quarterback playing without confidence, an offensive line still in search of an identity, a woeful run game and a star wideout who frankly isn’t getting enough touches. Everyone knows Arizona’s glaring issues, Green Bay will just be the latest team to exploit them. Final Score: Packers 34, Cardinals 10
Carter Nacke	Can we all admit the Cardinals’ season is in a tailspin? Ya? Good. No way Cards are even in this one. Offense won’t stay on the field, Rodgers will tire out the Arizona defense. Final Score: Packers 27, Cardinals 7
James Mello	I think the Cardinals match up better defensively with the Packers then many people think, especially if Jordy Nelson is unable to play. The Cards rank 4th in the league in passing yards against per game in the NFL. If the Packers receivers are James Jones and Randall Cobb again like it was last week against the Jaguars for the Packers, I don`t see the them moving up and down the field. I think the Cardinals offense will have more success than they have had as of late especially with Green Bay being without all-pro Corner Charles Woodson to put on Larry Fitzgerald. But the lack of an offensive line will again hold them back from getting a win in Lambeau. Final Score: Packers 26, Cardinals 20

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