Arizona offense vs. New York defense

	CARDINALS OFFENSE
	Ranking in the NFL:
	Run	30
	Pass	26
	Tot. Yds.	29
	Scoring	29
	Int's allowed	18
	Sacks allowed	18
	JETS DEFENSE
	Ranking in the NFL:
	vs. Run	24
	vs. Pass	27
	Total yds. allowed	28
	# of Ints.	8
	# of Sacks	8
	Turnover differential	-4

A rotating door along the Cardinal offensive line has placed the Arizona offense in a difficult position. Rookie Lonnie "L.J." Shelton got his first start at LOT last weekend against the Patriots and showed some promise, but the Cardinals' line is playing terribly as a group. ROT Anthony Clement has only been starting at his position for a few weeks, while the interior of the Arizona line is being pushed around by opposing defenses.

The play of the line has prevented the Cardinals from getting either their passing or running games on track. QB Dave Brown, who replaced starter Jake Plummer, was abominable, going 12 of 33 for 107 yards, no touchdowns and two interceptions.

This week, the Cardinals need to try and get the team's running game going. The best way to do so would be behind Shelton and Clement, both of whom are capable of dominating at the point of attack. Unfortunately, the Jets, anchored by a solid linebacking corps, are tough against the run and will bring a variety of stunts and blitz packages to keep the inexperienced Arizona tackles confused. To loosen up the Jets backers, Brown needs to find some chemistry with his talented corps of wide receivers. If Brown can throw the ball downfield early, things could open up for the running game.

The Jets played a solid defensive game against the Raiders two weeks ago, but somehow came up on the short end of the score. Breakdowns along the defensive line allowed Raiders QB Rich Gannon to get outside of containment and rack up several huge gains at critical points in the game.

Additionally, the Jets secondary must raise its level of play after giving up 352 yards to the Raiders' air attack -- much of which was accrued while Gannon was scrambling. Because of Arizona's talent at WR, expect Jets defensive coordinator Bill Belichick to use a balanced defense, and at least initially, use the front seven alone to generate pressure on Brown, with the safeties helping the corners protect against the deep ball. If the front seven is incapable, the Jets must begin to take more risks and get the safeties and corners involved with pressuring the QB.

New York DCs Aaron Glenn and Ray Mickens must have good games against a talented receiving corps, but a key role will be played by nickel corner Corey Sawyer, as the Jets will undoubtedly be facing a large number of three-receiver sets.

Against a team like the Cardinals that has a talented secondary, the Jets need to get back to their bread and butter -- running the football. RB Curtis Martin has had a great year thus far, and is on pace to rush for over 1400 yards. The Jets should try to run Martin behind ROT Jason Fabini and rookie ROG Randy Thomas, both of whom are solid run blockers and are capable of dominating at the point of attack. Fabini will be lined up across from undersized rookie LDE Thomas Burke, who has been filling in for Andre Wadsworth, and should have a strong day. With the running attack established, Mirer will be able to use play action and look up top, but expect Parcells to be conservative if the running attack is effective.

Arizona's defense, decimated by injuries, has continued to battle to keep the Cardinals in games, only to see the offense unable to put points on the board. LDE Andre Wadsworth has been battling a gimpy knee and a severe case of turf toe, and only played two series last week against the Patriots. His replacement, rookie Thomas Burke, has been holding his own, but is not the caliber player that Wadsworth is. His lack of size is a liability against the run and his upfield burst when rushing the passer pales in comparison to Wadsworth's.

Starting DT Mark Smith is sidelined following knee surgery and his linemate Eric Swann is limited in the number of plays he can be on the field. This has left the Cards with a defense that can be run against and that is almost certainly what the Jets will try to do this week. With no other way to stop the run than by putting eight men in the box, LDC Aeneas Williams will be given the responsibility of playing New York WR Keyshawn Johnson in single coverage for much of the game. How Williams fares against Johnson will largely determine how close this game turns out to be.

On the other side of the field, LDC Tom Knight has not been playing well in recent weeks and will need some help from the secondary. Expect Arizona to try to use a variety of stunt packages to stop the run and pressure the passer before the team resorts to the blitz, as the Cardinals won't be keen on leaving the weak-side corner in single coverage on very many occasions.