Arizona Cardinals at New York Giants preview

October 24, 12:03 AMNew York Giants ExaminerZac Wassink

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Tom Coughlin

AP Photo/Bill Feig

The Arizona Cardinals travel to the Meadowlands to face the New York Giants this Sunday night. Kickoff is scheduled for around 8:30 depending on how long Bob Costas wants to talk beforehand and the game can be seen nationally on NBC.

Injuries: Shocking news for New York Giants fans as the official website of the Giants lists LB Michael Boley, CB Aaron Ross and DT Chris Canty are listed as "Out" for the Cardinals-Giants game.

The Giants will win...

because the forecast isn't nearly as bad as what was originally reported. As of the writing of this Cardinals-Giants preview, the Weather Channel website is reporting that it will be 53 degrees and the wind will only be three miles an hour. Of course, this forecast can change before I'm done typing this sentence. Nevertheless, this is quite favorable for quarterback Eli Manning.

Even if it is less windy on Sunday night than it currently is near Giants Stadium (windy and rainy, actually. What a night.), the Giants must run the ball more efficiently. Ahmad Bradshaw is currently averaging 6.2 yards a run on 68 total carries thus far. In comparison, Brandon Jacobs is averaging 3.6 yards on 107 attempts. Jacobs also only has one rushing touchdown (Bradshaw has three). Jacobs has vowed to be better starting this Sunday night but you can expect Ahmad Bradshaw to see more touches.

On defense, the Giants need to just ca-rush Kurt Warner. Warner has been sacked ten times in 2009, which is about average for the NFL this football season. Perhaps you may not have noticed that Larry Fitzgerald and Anquan Boldin play for the Cardinals. The Giants will have to hit Warner early and often because if he has time in the pocket, things are just going to get ugly.

The Giants will lose...

Did I mention Larry Fitzgerald and Anquan Boldin? How about Steve Breaston? If you think the Saints owned the Giants' secondary last Sunday, just wait until the aforementioned trio takes the field Sunday night. In all seriousness, though, the Giants must blitz, blitz, blitz because their defensive backs are not stopping the Arizona wide receivers. The thought alone has been keeping me up at night.

If the weather is indeed worse than the current forecast, you have to worry about Eli Manning. The history is there to suggest that Manning will struggle on a cold, windy night in the Meadowlands.

The Arizona Cardinals are a football team still looking for that signature win of the 2009 NFL season. This would definitely be it. "Statement win" would not even begin to describe the Cardinals going into New Jersey and defeating the football Giants. Expect the Cardinals from last week, not the Cardinals from week one.

Prediction:

Here's the deal with the New York Giants. Head coach Tom Coughlin may actually cripple a man in the locker room if the Giants play as poorly as they did against the best football team in the league, the New Orleans Saints. Regardless of how great the Saints are, the Giants still made costly mistakes and the Saints took advantage of pretty much each one of those mistakes. None of that Sunday night, fellas.

Were this game in Arizona, I would strongly consider taking the Cardinals. I can't see Arizona beating the Giants in the Meadowlands on a Sunday night in late October. I think it will be an interesting game to watch but I'm going with Big Blue for a big bounce back win.

Giants 26

Cardinals 21