Patriots vs. Cardinals Prime-Time Preview: Playoff Implications

The Patriots can remain in the playoffs mix with a win vs. the Cardinals.

The New England Patriots travel to face the Arizona Cardinals in prime time on Monday Night from State Farm Stadium in Glendale. Both teams are looking to snap two-game losing streaks to keep playoffs dreams alive. 

New England is currently last place in the AFC East, and outside of playoff contention after a Week 13 loss to the Buffalo Bills. The Patriots still have a chance at postseason, trailing division rival New York Jets by one game in the wild card race with the head-to-head tiebreaker. The Patriots remain in the playoffs mix with a win vs. the Cardinals.

The Cardinals are fresh off their bye week and hoping the rest shifts their momentum.  Prior to their bye, they’d lost two straight and four of their past five. Arizona's postseason chances are very slim but they have not been eliminated yet. There has been rumblings of the job security of head coach Kliff Kingsbury. 

The Patriots have a chance to right a a troubling trend since quarterback Tom Brady departed, New England is 0-3 in prime-time games this season and only 4-10 since 2020. Looking ahead, the Patriots-Raiders Week 15 matchup was bumped from Sunday Night Football; The long-awaited matchup between Bill Belichick’s Patriots and Josh McDaniels’ Raiders will move to an afternoon time slot on Sunday, Dec. 18.

New England's offensive woes have continued: The Patriots have scored one or zero offensive touchdowns in four of their last five games. A key to victory is improving on third-down, after converting only 3 of 12 in the 24-10 loss to Buffalo. 

FUN FACT: New England has made the playoffs 18 out of the past 21 years.

RECORDS: New England Patriots (6-6) at Arizona Cardinals (4-8)

ODDS: New England is a 1.5-point underdog vs. the Cardinals.

GAME TIME: Monday, December 12, 2022 at 8:15 p.m. EST

LOCATION: State Farm Stadium (Glendale, Arizona)

TV/RADIO: ESPN, 98.5 FM THE SPORTS HUB

THE FINAL WORD: Linebacker Matthew Judon after the loss to the Bills:

"It's not over yet, right? We're 6-6. We have more games to play. That's what we're going to do. We're going to go out there and we're going to play. We have to put this one behind us.”

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