Bucs, Cardinals, Trying to Accentuate Positive

Football Betting Lines

11/02/2007 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - When it comes to their seasonal prospects, teams in the National Football League often walk the fine line between unbridled optimism and sheer panic.

For evidence of that fact, take the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Arizona Cardinals, who will meet this Sunday at Raymond James Stadium.

The homestanding Buccaneers were not believed by many to be an NFC contender during the preseason, and a season-opening 20-6 loss in Seattle seemed to confirm that status. But three straight wins and the struggles of the Falcons, Panthers, Saints quickly changed the stakes for Jon Gruden's team, which was thrust into the position of front-runner in the NFC South just one year after a 4-12 disaster.

But the Buccaneers have not played that role well, having dropped three of their last four, including a narrow home loss to Jacksonville (24-23) last Sunday. Still, the collective fortunes of their division brethren give Tampa Bay an excellent chance of re-claiming sole possession of the NFC South lead with a win over Arizona (4-3 Carolina is at Tennessee). Hence the notion of optimism.

A loss, however, could send the Buccaneers into the bye with a three-game losing streak and a spot in third place in the division behind the Panthers and currently streaking Saints, who are 3-4 and at home against the Jaguars Sunday. Thus the potential for panic.

The Arizona Cardinals find themselves in an amazingly similar situation as their Week 9 opponent. Arizona also came into the year with low outside expectations following a 5-11 campaign, also seemed to arrive ahead of schedule when they began the year at 3-2, and also saw their prospects take a hit with back-to-back losses, to the Panthers (25-10) and Redskins (21-19).

And, just like the Bucs, the Cardinals can improve their standing and their chances with a win on Sunday. Ken Whisenhunt's crew enters play just a game back of 4-3 Seattle (at 4-3 Cleveland in Week 9) in the mediocre-at-best NFC West, with three of its next four games coming within the friendly confines of University of Phoenix Stadium.

Who will walk off the field Sunday drinking from a Gatorade cup that is half- full?

SERIES HISTORY

Arizona has an 8-7 edge in its all-time series with Tampa Bay, breaking a deadlock in the series with a 12-7 home win when the teams last met, in Week 17 of the 2004 season. The Buccaneers won the previous meeting, a 19-18 nail- biter in Florida in 1997. The Cardinals are 0-2 in Tampa Bay since last winning there in 1988.

Gruden is 1-2 against Arizona in his career, including 1-1 while with Oakland (1998-2001). The Cardinals' Whisenhunt will be meeting both Gruden and the Bucs for the first time as a head coach.

WHEN THE CARDINALS HAVE THE BALL

Arizona saw its season flash before its collective eyes against Carolina back in Week 6, when quarterback Kurt Warner (883 passing yards, 6 TD, 3 INT) went down with ligament damage in his non-throwing elbow in a loss. But Warner, who was already subbing for injured opening day starter Matt Leinart (out for the year, collarbone) threw on a brace and gave it a go two weeks ago against Washington, throwing for 282 yards on 27-of-41 passing with two touchdowns and three turnovers in a comeback that ultimately fell short. Warner is one week healthier after last week's bye, and will also have both Larry Fitzgerald (46 receptions, 1 TD) and Anquan Boldin (30 receptions, 5 TD) at his disposal for a second straight week. Boldin returned to the lineup in Week 7 after missing three games with a hip injury, counting two touchdown catches among his eight grabs. Fitzgerald had six receptions for a game-high 87 yards in the loss. The Arizona running game has come alive with the power-football-favoring Whisenhunt at the controls of the offense, averaging 103.1 ground yards per game behind the running of Edgerrin James (603 rushing yards, 4 TD). James has gone over 80 yards in five of his seven starts in 2007.

Tampa Bay's overall strength has been on defense this year, where Monte Kiffin's unit ranks second against the pass (173.1 yards per game) and eighth overall (297.6 yards per game). Still, the Bucs had their missteps in that area last week, allowing Jacksonville quarterback Quinn Gray to engineer a game-winning eight-play, 53-yard drive that culminated in a brilliant one- handed touchdown catch by Matt Jones in the fourth quarter. Later, on a critical 3rd-and-6 play from the Jacksonville 7-yard line with 3:17 left, the Bucs allowed Gray to complete an 18-yard dump-off to fullback Greg Jones, a conversion that moved the chains in the clock in ways that proved fatal to the Tampa cause. Complicating matters for the Bucs was a knee injury that has knocked cornerback Torrie Cox out for the year, and an Achilles problem that figures to sideline Greg Spires for a few weeks. The team's most consistent defensive players this year have been middle linebacker and top tackler Barrett Ruud (78 tackles, 1 INT), multi-purpose defensive end Jovan Haye (36 tackles, 4 sacks), and cornerbacks Ronde Barber (33 tackles) and Phillip Buchanon (34 tackles, 2 INT).

WHEN THE BUCCANEERS HAVE THE BALL

Quarterback Jeff Garcia (1771 passing yards, 8 TD, 3 INT), lauded for his efficiency and an aversion to mistakes in each of his first seven starts in a Tampa uniform, was neither efficient nor mistake-free against Jacksonville last week. Garcia completed just 19-of-41 passes in the loss, also throwing his first three interceptions of the year after entering the day with 189 pass attempts and no picks in 2007. Two of the INTs were absolute killers, the first going the other way for an Aaron Glenn touchdown in the second quarter, and the final coming on 4th-and-10 on Tampa's ill-fated final drive. Garcia's 45.5 passer rating was his worst of the campaign to date. Joey Galloway (33 receptions, 4 TD) and Ike Hilliard (39 receptions, 1 TD) have been Garcia's top targets all year, and Maurice Stovall (6 receptions, 1 TD) managed a career-high five catches for 47 yards last week after an ankle injury to Michael Clayton placed him in a more prominent role. Clayton is expected to miss the Arizona game as well. On the ground last week, starter Earnest Graham (330 rushing yards, 3 TD, 24 receptions) posted 62 yards on 14 carries, and ex-Chief Michael Bennett (45 rushing yards, 1 TD) had his first truly positive day as a Buc when he scored a touchdown on a 19-yard run in the third quarter.

The Cardinals have not received a great deal of national accolades for their defensive play, but enter Week 9 ranked a respectable 10th in the NFL overall (304 yards per game) and ninth against the pass (195.6 yards per game). That unit will be in better shape this week if playmaking linebacker Karlos Dansby (44 tackles, 2.5 sacks), who missed the Washington game with a sprained knee, can return for the Tampa game. Dansby is considered questionable for Sunday. Dansby, fellow linebackers Gerald Hayes (42 tackles, 1 sack) and Calvin Pace (35 tackles, 2 sack, 1 INT), and defensive tackle Darnell Dockett (25 tackles, 6 sacks) have been the most reliable members of the front seven this season. Dockett has more than one-third of Arizona's 17 sacks on the year. A young and talented secondary could be the strength of the Cardinal defense. Safety Adrian Wilson (41 tackles, 2 INT) is widely considered to be team's best defensive player, and cornerback Roderick Hood (24 tackles, 2 INT) has shown playmaking ability in his first year with the team since arriving from Philadelphia as a free agent this past offseason.

FANTASY FOCUS

Arizona has the larger number of sure-fire fantasy starters in this game, with Warner, Fitzgerald, Boldin, and probably James appearing in lineups in most leagues. Still, be aware that Tampa has been stingy against the pass this year, so don't expect the Cardinal passing game to move with its usual proficiency. On the Tampa side, it's backup central. Garcia and Graham will give you something but won't run wild, and Galloway is hit-or-miss. Neither kicker in this game is a particularly enticing start either. The defenses are better than you think, but don't look for any five-turnover or seven-sack assault kind of games for either.

OVERALL ANALYSIS

Given the state of both of their divisions, neither team can realistically look at this game as a must-win, though both would like to halt their recent slides before they get out of hand. Tampa is the team that should have slightly more urgency in that regard. Losing two straight home games prior to a bye week would have spirits awfully low in and around the organization, and three of the Buccaneers' next four are on the road. Arizona, meanwhile, returns to Glendale next week to start a four-game stretch that includes seemingly winnable home games against the Lions, 49ers, and Browns, so it's hardly desperation time. In a game that's fairly evenly-matched, except that situation to aide Tampa Bay's concentration level, as Garcia and company make a couple of big plays late that help wrap the game up for the Bucs.

Sportsbook Betting Lines Predicted Outcome: Buccaneers 26, Cardinals 14