On the other side of the ball, Bradford has been impressive in his outings in the preseason, but the regular season is a different animal and many eyes will be watching and waiting to see how the rookie will handle the situation. He has displayed that he can make all the throws asked of him thus far.
Offensively for the Cardinals, they have relied heavily on the pass under Warner, and that likely won’t change over night against the Rams. The Rams proved to be vulnerable against the pass at times during the preseason, and with the duo at receiver for the Cardinals in Larry Fitzgerald and Steve Breaston, the big-play potential is there. Fitzgerald is arguably the best receiver in the league, and Anderson will look to get him the ball as often as possible. Fortunately for Anderson, he has Chris Wells in the offensive backfield who is plenty capable of getting yardage on the ground and provide more balance on offense.
For the Rams on offense, running back Steven Jackson is the best thing going for Bradford. Handing the ball off to him is sure to relieve a lot of the pressure, as the Cardinals will have to put a premium on stopping the run. If the Cardinals have to commit eight to the run, that could free up the both the field and the playbook for the Rams.
Conversely, on defense for the Cardinals, stopping Jackson will likely be their top priority in this one. Bradford has played well so far, but he is still a rookie, and this is still is first regular season start.
USA Online Sportsbooks and NFL Weekly Betting Lines have set the Cardinals as a four-point favorite in this one, with the over/under resting at 39 points. The line for the game opened a 3 1/2 in favor of the Cardinals, but the over/under has dropped three points since its initial opening of 42 points.
