In what many are calling the biggest game of the NFL season so far, a beleaguered Packers (6-1) squad, which is missing All-Pro Davante Adams and several other starters, for Covid protocol and other injuries, will travel west and take on the undefeated Arizona Cardinals
(7-0) for Thursday Night Football. “You always have to have contingency plans whether stuff happens in-game where you have to pivot. And, I think we have enough versatility within our offense to do that,” said Packers head coach Matt LaFleur in a presser this week. “Certainly we’re going to miss 17 [Adams] he does a lot for this football team, but those are the circumstances that are dealt…the expectations don’t change,” LaFleur added of the upcoming challenge for his team.
In addition to Adams, WR Allen Lazard is also on the team’s reserve/Covid-19 list and WR Marquez Valdes-Scantling is nursing an ankle injury and is unlikely to play. Packers All-Pro CB Jaire Alexander is out with a shoulder injury and CB Kevin King is doubtful with a shoulder-back injury. Additionally, All-Pro OG David Bakhtiari isn’t likely to return quite yet from his 2020 season-ending knee injury. Pack QB Aaron Rodgers spoke about adapting to injuries. As the Packers are 6-0 when Adams is out, “We’re not a better team without him, for sure…we just found a way,” Rodgers said.
On offense, Green Bay will likely need to use WRs Cobb and St. Brown, TE Robert Tonyon, and RB Aaron Jones coming out of the backfield as a receiver to make up for the loss of Adams.
The offensive worries are only half the story for the Packers. Defensive coordinator Joe Barry will miss the game after a positive Covid test. And then, there is the monumental task of stopping arguably the NFL’s most dangerous QB, Kyler Murray. Murray leads the League (among active QBs) with a 116.8 QB rating and has thrown for 17 TDs vs 5 Ints. The real danger is when he scrambles. Murray is usually the fastest player on the field and at 5’9” he can make teams look like they’re trying to catch a water bug. Murray has rushed 43 times this season for 126 yards but his real water bug-like skills come into play when he is scrambling and extending pass plays and he has an outstanding completion % of 73.5 this season.
Arizona is having its own injury problems. J.J. Watt, 3-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year, is out for the Cardinals and will miss the rest of the 2021 regular season. Wednesday the team announced Watt needs shoulder surgery.
Injuries moved the betting line as the game opened with the Cards -3 to -3.5 in Vegas. The line jumped to 6 and then settled at 6.5 in most casinos and books with the Adams’ Covid situation news. The line did not move following the Watt news.
Some Series History:
During their franchise history, the Cardinals have moved twice. They played on Chicago’s south side in 1921 (mostly at Comisky Park), left for St. Louis in 1963, and in 1988 the Cards flew west to their current home in Phoenix/Glendale, Arizona. Here’s a look at some of the series history between these 2 teams.
Packers vs. Cardinals All-time Head-to-Head (and other) stats:
Wins all-time: 45/26 inc. 3 playoff (4 tie)
Playoff wins: 1/2
Since 2000: 5/5
Points scored: 1395/1058
In Chicago/St. Louis/Arizona: 17-16 inc. 2 playoff (4 tied)
Super Bowl wins: 5/0
- First Ever Meeting: Nov 20 1921, in Chicago: 3-3 tie
- Last Meeting: Dec 2, 2018, in GB: AZ 20 – GB 17
- Cardinals longest win streak: 7 (1946-1949)
- Packers longest win streak: 15 (1937-1946)
- Aaron Rodgers vs Cardinals: 2-4 including 2 playoff losses
- Kyler Murray vs Packers: N/A
- Last meeting 12/8/2019: Green Bay 20 at Chicago 15 (Attendance-77,296-sellout)
- Last meeting in AZ: 2016 Div Playoffs: GB 20 – AZ 26
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