Arizona (2-3) at Green Bay (3-2)
Sunday, 1 p.m. EDT, Fox
BetMGM NFL odds: Packers by 5.
Against the spread: Cardinals 3-2; Packers 3-2
Series record: Packers lead 46-26-4
Last meeting: Packers beat Cardinals 24-21 in Arizona on Oct. 28, 2021
Last week: Cardinals won 24-23 at San Francisco; Packers won 24-29 on the road over Los Angeles Rams
Cardinals offense: overall (14), rush (4), pass (T-24), scoring (12)
Packers offense: overall (T-4), rush (3), pass (10), scoring (8)
Cardinals defense: overall (25), rush (28), pass (18), scoring (27)
Packers defense: overall (21), rush (11), pass (23), scoring (14)
Turnover differential: Cardinals plus-1; Packers plus-7
Cardinals player to watch
WR Michael Wilson caught five passes for a team-high 78 yards in last weekend’s win over the 49ers. The second-year player out of Stanford doesn’t get the same hype as rookie teammate Marvin Harrison Jr., but the more attention Harrison receives from opposing defenses, the more room Wilson has to operate. At 6-foot-2 and 213 pounds, he combines speed, strength and athleticism that are all excellent for a No. 2 option.
Packers player to watch
S Xavier McKinney has intercepted a pass in each of his first five games with the Packers. He actually has an interception in six straight games, if you include the pass he picked off while playing for the New York Giants in their 2023 season finale. The only other players since 1990 to have an interception in six straight games were Carolina’s Doug Evans (2001), Minnesota’s Brian Russell (2003) and Dallas’ Trevon Diggs (2021).
Key matchup
Cardinals running game vs. Packers run defense. The Cardinals rushed for 169 yards in their upset of the 49ers, with James Conner gaining 86 yards on 19 carries and Kyler Murray running for 83 yards and a touchdown on seven attempts. Run defense has been one of the Packers’ biggest weaknesses for most of the past few years, though they’ve shown progress in that area so far this season. The Packers allowed 134 yards on 28 carries against the Rams, with Kyren Williams rushing for 102 yards on 22 attempts.
Key injuries
Cardinals OL Will Hernandez (knee) was put on injured reserve this week and is out for the season. … Cardinals rookie DL Darius Robinson (calf) was activated from IR this week but remains out for this game. … Cardinals WR Zay Jones (hamstring) also is out. … Cardinals OT Kelvin Beachum (hamstring), OL Christian Jones (ankle), K Matt Prater (knee) and CB Garrett Williams (groin) are questionable. … Packers TE Luke Musgrave (ankle) has been placed on injured reserve and will miss at least Green Bay’s next four games. … Packers DL Devonte Wyatt (ankle) will miss a second straight game. … Packers CB Jaire Alexander (groin), OL Jordan Morgan (shoulder), DL Arron Mosby (shoulder), OT Rasheed Walker (knee) and WR Christian Watson (ankle) are questionable. Morgan has missed three straight games, Alexander’s been out for two games and Watson didn’t play against the Rams.
Series notes
The Packers’ 2021 victory in Arizona snapped the Cardinals’ three-game winning streak in this series, which included a 26-20 overtime triumph in a divisional playoff game on Jan. 16, 2016. In that 2021 game, Murray was 22 of 33 for 274 yards with two interceptions and Conner rushed for 22 yards and two touchdowns on five carries. The Packers got two touchdown completions from Aaron Rodgers to Randall Cobb, who both are no longer with the team. The previous time the Cardinals visited Lambeau Field, they won 20-17 on Dec. 2, 2018.
Stats and stuff
Murray ran for a 50-yard TD for the Cardinals’ first TD in last week’s win over the 49ers. According to NFL NextGen Stats, he hit 21.27 mph on the run, which is the fastest speed recorded for a QB over the past eight seasons. …. The Cardinals have been called for just 19 penalties through five games, which is the fewest in the NFL. … The Packers rank third in the NFL in rushing yards while the Cardinals are No. 4. … Murray has thrown 101 TD passes, which ranks fifth in franchise history. He recently passed Kurt Warner on the team’s list. … Cardinals S Budda Baker had a team-high 12 tackles vs. the 49ers. It was the 29th game of his career with 10 or more tackles. … Cardinals DL Bilal Nichols will play his 100th career game on Sunday. He’s played four seasons with the Bears and two for the Raiders before coming to Arizona over the offseason. … The Packers had 96-yard drives the past two weeks against Minnesota and the Rams. According to Elias Sports Bureau, it’s the first time in the past 45 seasons that the Packers had a drive of at least 95 yards in back-to-back weeks. … Packers RB Josh Jacobs has 402 yards rushing to rank fourth in the NFL. … The Packers’ plus-7 turnover margin puts them in a tie with Buffalo for the best in the league. … Packers WR Jayden Reed has 414 yards receiving and 110 yards rushing. He’s the sixth player ever to have at least 400 yards receiving and 100 yards rushing in the first five games of a season. The others are Washington’s Wilbur Moore (1943), the New York Giants’ Frank Gifford (1959), Philadelphia’s Timmy Brown (1965), San Francisco’s Paul Hofer (1980) and San Francisco’s Roger Craig (1985). … Packers TE Tucker Kraft has three TD catches to match San Francisco’s George Kittle and Baltimore’s Isaiah Likely for the most among tight ends. Kraft’s 66-yard score against the Rams matched the third-longest touchdown catch by any Packers tight end in the Super Bowl era, according to the Elias Sports Bureau. The only longer ones were a 78-yarder by Paul Coffman in 1979 and a 72-yarder from Tom Crabtree in 2012. Jackie Harris also had a 66-yarder in 1993.
Fantasy tip
Kraft’s recent production shows he has become a must-start tight end every week if you have him on your roster.
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