How well will the Arizona Cardinals be able to play in bad weather?
With their fairly-new $455 million stadium, the Arizona Cardinals are now accustomed to playing with their retractable roof, air conditioning and crazy atmosphere. Simply put, their stadium is built to utilize their speed and keep them nice and dry for a prolific passing attack.
So the question surrounding this dome team is: can they play football outside in facing harsh elements?
Or better yet, is a field covered in snow considered home-field advantage for others and a disavantage for Arizona?
Back in 2008, during the Cardinals’ magical run all the way up to the Super Bowl game, Arizona was dubbed the “worst team to make it into the playoffs.”
It was unquestionably one of the season’s biggest surprises among many. Riding the highs of making the playoffs, a feat that comes once in a blue moon for this franchise, along with actually hosting the NFC wildcard game, gave the home team enough of a boost to outlast the Falcons, consequently opening the door for discussion concerning the Cardinal’s ability to beat a quality football team when it counts.
But seeing is believing and the journey has been long having defeated the Atlanta Falcons, the Carolina Panthers and the Philadelphia Eagles. The Cardinals defied the experts as well as the odds and transformed a few doubters into believers.
There remains a lot of unanswered questions surrounding the Cards’ to win games in any circumstance. While their dome can control the environment at home, it may also prevent them from adjusting to playing in less than perfect
True, their Cinderella season took them one win away from caputuring the biggest prize in football. But none of these games were played in adverse wheater conditions. Theirs were played inside in the comfort of a dome or in mild weather conditions.
This begs the question whether or not Arizona is merely a dome team or can play and win games in the snow and in the mud.
No question that the Cards are a much more effective team when playing in the desert. Not so much on the road.
When the field is wet, slippery, cold and windy, can the Cardinals compete in these tough elements which some teams call home? Or will they fold like they did two years ago?
In 2007, the New England Patriots were chasing a perfect season. In 2008, they were chasing a playoff spot. Unquestionably, a lot can change in a year, but one thing remains certain, when it snows at Gillette Stadium, the Patriots are that much harder to beat. The Arizona Cardinals traveled on the East Coast and found that out the hard way.
The Pats jumped to an early lead, while the Cardinals were still trying to find their footing. This left the door open for running back LaMont Jordan to start the game with two rushing touchdowns.
Cardinals quarterback Kurt Warner, failed to get anything going offensively, completing a measly 6-of-18 passes for 30 yards, while his counterpart Matt Cassel was slinging passes like they were snow balls. Cassel finished with 345 yards and three touchdown passes.
Playing in the snow definitely favored the Patriots as they had no problems adjusting to the elements. The Cardinals were going up against a pretty good defence, in New England, but it was the adverse weather conditions that ultimately slowed down Arizona’s high powered offense. The Cardinals were trapped in the perfect storm and lost that game 47-7.
The main reason why the Cardinals have had success in the past two years stems from their ability for the quarterback to get the ball in the receivers hands and let those athletes make plays. Passing is synonymous with Arizona’s game plan. They lack a physical running game and that is the key ingredient in tough climate games.
Bettors should definitely keep this in mind during the upcoming season. There's a difference between playing in a dome, and playing on a cold New England field.
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