Sunday, December 2, 2012

Week 13 AFC East game picks: Cardinals at Jets

Lead writer Nick St. Denis and AFC East Daily contributors Dan Begnoche and Sean Donovan pick the New York Jets' home bout with the NFC's Arizona Cardinals.

Nick's take:
The Jets stink as of late, but there are worse teams. The Cardinals are one of them. Arizona is down to its third-string quarterback, a rookie sixth-rounder named Ryan Lindley, and his four-interception debut last week didn't breath much life into a team that has lost seven straight after a 4-0 start. Arizona will play scared on offense, and its top-teir pass defense will go to waste against a Jets offense that won't need to throw the ball a whole lot.
Prediction: Jets 24, Cardinals 6

Sean's take:
The Jets can't seem to catch a break these days. Luckily, this week they get a visit from an Arizona team averaging just 16.4 points per game, which is next-to-last in the NFL. If Rex Ryan stays true to his roots of aggressive defense and his offense stays at least a little stable in this one, it should be a comfortable win for Gang Green.
Prediction: Jets 21, Cardinals 3

Dan's take:
Despite last week's embarrassment at the hands of the Patriots, the Jets' schedule looks promising for a turnaround, starting with the Cardinals, who have shown little sign of slowing their own tailspin. Lindley makes his second start Sunday after an abysmal game last week, and with a rushing attack that's been near invisible, New York should breeze through this one. That's of course if Ryan and his team can get their turnover situation under control.
Prediction: Jets 27, Cardinals 13