Cardinals at Bengals
THE STORY: Four losses in six games have taken the shine off one of the league’s best stories, but the Cincinnati Bengals still have a shot at reaching the postseason for just the third time in the last 21 years. The Arizona Cardinals, on the other hand, need the equivalent of a Christmas miracle to reach the playoffs despite having won four straight and six of their last seven. Two teams heading in opposite directions clash on Christmas Eve in Cincinnati, when the Bengals try to keep their postseason hopes alive by cooling off the Cardinals. Cincinnati is tied with the New York Jets for the AFC’s final wild card spot. It needs to win its final two games and hope the Jets lose one of their final two to clinch its first playoff berth since 2009.
TV: CBS, 1 p.m. ET. LINE: Bengals -4, O/U 40.5
ABOUT THE CARDINALS (7-7): Who saw this coming? The Cardinals have risen from the ashes of University of Phoenix Stadium. All seven of their wins have come after trailing at halftime – including the last three in overtime. Arizona rallied from a 17-7 halftime deficit for a 20-17 win over Cleveland last week. Rookie Patrick Peterson had a 32-yard punt return prior to John Skelton’s 32-yard completion to Larry Fitzgerald, which set up Jay Feely’s game-winning field goal. Skelton finished 28 of 46 for a career-high 313 yards with one touchdown and one interception in place of Kevin Kolb (concussion). Kolb was limited in practice Wednesday and split repetitions with Skelton. Coach Ken Whisenhunt hasn’t announced a starter. Skelton is 4-1 in place of Kolb this season. The Cardinals’ defense has been a big reason for the turnaround. Arizona has allowed just eight touchdowns in the last seven games.
ABOUT THE BENGALS (8-6): Cincinnati has exceeded expectations behind the outstanding rookie QB-WR combination of Andy Dalton (3,012 yards, 18 TDs, 13 INTs) and A.J. Green (61 catches, 1,006 yards, 7 TDs). But the Bengals have sputtered down the stretch with their only two wins coming against teams with a combined record of 6-22. Their 20-13 win over a woeful two-win St. Louis team didn’t do much to inspire hope. Dalton was 15 of 26 for 179 yards and had a streak of 107 passes without an interception snapped. He also failed to throw a touchdown for the first time in 11 games. Green, who finished with six catches for 115 yards, suffered a separated shoulder in the game but is expected to play this week. Cincinnati’s biggest problem lately is red zone efficiency. The Bengals are 22nd in that category (48.8 percent) and even worse in the last three games (44.4).
EXTRA POINTS:
1. Green, the fourth overall pick of April’s draft, is four yards and seven catches shy of breaking Chris Collinsworth’s franchise rookie receiving records set in 1981.
2. If both teams win out, New York would win the fourth tiebreaker over Cincinnati based on strength of victory. The teams the Jets have beaten are currently a combined 45-69 compared to the 34-79 mark of teams the Bengals have defeated.
3. Arizona is in the midst of its longest winning streak since 1999.