With the weather looking like it will be a non-issue, the question is whether the Patriots have enough offense to keep up with the Cardinals for four quarters. There’s no question that New England has a huge coaching edge in this game with Kliff Kingsbury’s maddening decision making at times costing Arizona opportunities, but the Cardinals have proven to be the much better team over the course of the season and do not have a defense strong enough to stop Kyler Murray for four quarters. I’m not that worried about his shoulder after he finished the last game, nor does the travel concern me given the meager spread. This is not exactly a must-win for the Cardinals, but it would put them in a much more comfortable spot for the playoffs.

The weather will be perfect Sunday. Look for the Cardinals' dynamic offense -- they average 28.7 points -- to force the Patriots to keep up, and go Over.

Kyler Murray is good to go for this matchup, and as a result the Cardinals should be favored by at least three points here. The Patriots defense has been abysmal this season, ranking 32nd in DVOA and net yards per pass attempt, and I don't see them slowing down an offense that ranks fifth in points per drive. The Patriots offense has had some success of late, but the Cardinals defense is third in red-zone success rate and 11th in DVOA, putting them in a much better class of stop units than teams like the Texans and Jets. I'd take the Cardinals as high as -2.5 and would still lean that way if it gets to -3.

Arizona is clearly the more talented team and probably would win by at least a TD at home or at a neutral site vs. New England. However, there are a few factors why we will lean the Pats. First, Kyler Murray is reportedly not 100 percent with an AC joint sprain. If he were to injure that worse during the game, the Cards' backup is former Winnipeg Blue Bomber Chris Streveler. Yeah, slight downgrade. Also, the Cards are without No. 2 wideout Larry Fitzgerald due to COVID-19. There's also the 11 a.m. Phoenix time kickoff. Meanwhile, the Pats HAVE to have this to keep their slim playoff hopes alive and will get back 2019 NFL Defensive Player of the Year Stephon Gilmore from injury. He could shut down DeAndre Hopkins.

The Cardinals had a bit of a letdown last Thursday at Seattle because of their dramatic win over Buffalo. They'll bounce back this week. The Patriots run the ball well but that's it. Arizona can handle that. Kyler Murray will be too much for New England.