This week's Monday Night Football game features the Arizona Cardinals and Baltimore Ravens in what, on paper, looks like a lopsided matchup. The 1-5 Ravens already have John Harbaugh on the hot seat, while the 4-2 Cardinals have combined a high-octane offense with an opportunistic defense to form a dangerous opponent for anyone.
‘Monday Night Football’ 2015 live stream: How to watch Ravens vs. Cardinals online
Can Baltimore figure out how to slow down Arizona’s big-play offense?
There is one small glimmer of hope in the game, though. Baltimore's only win this year came against the Pittsburgh Steelers -- the same team that beat Arizona last weekend. Granted, the Ravens were facing Mike Vick, but it was Landry Jones who led Pittsburgh over the Cardinals, not Ben Roethlisberger.
Pittsburgh became the first team to slow down Arizona’s offense, forcing three turnovers and holding the Cardinals to 55 yards rushing -- the first time they had been under 100 all season. The Ravens might be able to do half of that -- they came into the week ranked seventh in the league in yards per rush allowed, but just 30th with four turnovers allowed.
If Baltimore can slow down the Arizona offense, Joe Flacco will still have to avoid turnovers to give the Ravens a chance. Flacco has thrown seven interceptions and fumbled three times in six games, and with a Cardinals defense that forced six turnovers two weeks ago against the Detroit Lions, he can't afford to make those kind of mistakes.
It won't help that Justin Forsett, Baltimore's lone running threat, is dealing with a lingering ankle injury. Steve Smith, though, is averaging over 100 yards per game as Flacco's top target despite sustaining several microfractures to his back earlier this season. He's 36 and a very, very tough man.
How to watch
When: 8:35 p.m. ET
Where: University of Phoenix Stadium, Glendale, Ariz.
Network: ESPN
Announcers: Mike Tirico, Jon Gruden, Lisa Salters
Online: WatchESPN, NFL Game Pass
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