PERSONNEL NEWS

Strategy And Personnel

The Sports Xchange

October 18, 2018 at 12:09 am.

PLAYER NOTES

–LG Mike Iupati missed practice on Tuesday with a back injury he suffered last Sunday against the Vikings. If he can’t play Thursday night against the Broncos, the starting job likely will go to John Wetzel, a swing tackle who also has seen time at guard a year ago. Iupati’s regular backup, newly-acquired Jeremy Vujnovich, suffered a hamstring injury upon replacing Iupati in the Vikings game and also missed practice on Tuesday. “We move guys around, whether it’s on scout team for looks on the defense or you rest certain guys. Not everyone takes every single snap in practice,” offensive coordinator Mike McCoy said. “You always prepare for those things.”

–RG Justin Pugh suffered a broken left hand in the Minnesota game but stands a good chance to play Thursday night against Denver after practicing on Tuesday with a protective glove on the hand. If he can’t play Thursday night, backup Daniel Munyer will get the call. Asked if Pugh can block with his sore hand, offensive coordinator Mike McCoy said, “I believe so. He’s been practicing and doing a nice job with it, so we’ll see come Thursday. I believe he can do it.”

–The Cardinals made a series of moves with the practice squad. On Monday, they signed OL Coleman Shelton and RB Brandon Wilds and released WR Bernard Reedy and RB Jalen Simmons. On Tuesday, they signed OL Kyle Friend and released OL Will House.

PLAYER SPOTLIGHT: S Tre Boston is dealing with sore shoulders and ribs following Sunday’s 27-17 loss at Minnesota, but he’s been one of the Cardinals’ better defenders this season and leads the team and is tied for the NFL lead with seven other players. He picked off his third one against the Vikings, giving him 11 for his career. Eight of those have come in his last 22 games, all with the Cardinals. Prior to joining Arizona last season, Boston had just three picks in his first 42 career games.

GAME PLAN: Look for the Cardinals to not only try to exploit Denver’s porous run defense, which ranks last in the league allowing an average of 161.3 yards per game, but to use a hurry-up offense to let rookie quarterback Josh Rosen get into the flow of the game and show some of his creativity on the fly. For that to work, the Cardinals’ beat-up offensive line will have to hold up long enough for Rosen to make plays and that’s no guarantee. Arizona also needs to find a way to get veteran wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald more actively involved in the game plan and so far, that hasn’t happened.

Defensively, the first thing the Cardinals need to do is try to find a way to stop the run and they haven’t been able to do that with anyone thus far. In their six games, they’ve allowed the opposition to run for 100 or more yards five times, including a season-high 195 yards by the Vikings last Sunday. Rookie tailbacks Phillip Lindsay and Royce Freeman are capable of doing the same thing if the Cardinals keep straying from their assigned gaps and can’t tackle. Like the Vikings, the Broncos also feature three quality receivers who can do damage and the problem there is that All-Pro cornerback Patrick Peterson can’t cover all three of them.
MATCHUPS TO WATCH

–Cardinals RT Andre Smith vs. Broncos WLB Von Miller. This might be the only real matchup to watch considering Miller’s track record and the impact he can make in a game every single time he rushes the passer. Smith is dealing with an elbow issue and a sore hamstring and Miller could have a field day if the Cardinals aren’t careful.

–Cardinals DT Corey Peters vs. Broncos C Matt Paradis. Peters might be the aging starter on the Cardinals’ defense, but he’s been playing his best football the last couple of weeks and if he can keep the pressure coming up the middle it might make the difference in this game, which could swing the fortunes of the coaching staff for either club. Peters spoke up this week about teammates not getting the job done on defense and has vowed to lead by example.

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