The Arizona Cardinals offense looked nothing like the offense that led them to the Super Bowl last year.  In their 20-16 loss against the San Francisco 49ers the offensive rhythm was just not their for quarterback Kurt Warner and the rest of the Cardinals offense.  One of the main reasons for this was the lack of protection for Warner, as he was hurried and rushed out of the pocket on numerous occasions and was sacked three times.

The Cardinals defense will have a tough task in containing Jaguars running back Maurice Jones-Drew, as he was the only bright spot for the Jaguars offense in their week one loss.  The Cardinals did a good job of containing the talented running back Frank Gore to only 30 yards last week, so they hope they can do the same to Jones-Drew.

I expect the Cardinals offense to look much better this week, more like the offense that won the NFC Championship last year.  This is about as close to a “must win” game you can get this early in the season, and the Cardinals are looking to send a message to the Jaguars and the rest of the league.  The Cardinals proved last week that they contain a talented running back, so I think they will be able to keep Jones-Drew from doing too much.  The Jaguars defense did look pretty solid last week, so they will be able to slow the Cardinals offense down some.  I think the Cardinals have too much for the Jaguars to handle though and they will edge out a close win.

FINAL SCORE PREDICTION:  Cardinals 28, Jaguars 17

I think this number is a tad low for the Cardinals because of the fact that head coach Ken Whisenhunt picked the right QB to start.  If Leinart was the starting QB I would have suggested the under but Kurt Warner is a winner and he’s healthy now.  This could be the year that the Cardinals finally make the playoffs so bet the over win confidence.

I think the Cardinals are going to be a better football team than they were last season but it won’t show up in their record.  The Cardinals offensive and defensive lines are sub-par and that will negate the fact that they have Matt Leinart, Larry Fitzgerald, Anquan Boldin and Edgerrin James at the skill positions.  They also have had serious injury problems in the pre-season with OLB Chike Okeafor and RT Oliver Ross suffering season ending injuries.

The current over/under for the Cardinals is 8 wins.  The Cardinals are currently 27-1 to win the Super Bowl, and 11-1 to win the NFC.

My suggestion is to take the over on the win total.  The Cardinals have a weak schedule and made a ton of upgrades to the roster.  My feeling is they will win at least 10, maybe more.

The Cardinals are not intimidated by the “Black Hole” in Oakland.  The Cardinals have marched in there three straight times and covered the point spread.  The Raiders have a weak secondary and don’t rush the passer very good.  So Warner or Leinhart will be throwing the pill deep all day long to Bolden and Fitzgerald.

This game will be a blowout!