The Kansas City Chiefs and the Arizona Cardinals will face off on Saturday night as the two NFL teams prepare for the new season. Both rosters will have high expectations for the coming season after showing good potential last season. However, both will also want to make sure they take significant strides forwards so they become true contenders for the Super Bowl this year. Today's game has a scheduled start time of 9 p.m. ET and takes place from the University of Phoenix Stadium. The game can be watched online through live stream via the link below.
When these two teams faced off last season it was one of the closest games of the NFL season, with barely anything separating the sides. However, it was the Cardinals who eventually came out on top, winning the game on December 7, 2014 by a score of 17-14.
The Chiefs were served well by Alex Smith last season, as the quarterback completed 303 of 464 attempts for 3,265 yards and 18 touchdowns. However, it was Jamaal Charles who arguably made the difference in most games, and he recorded more than 1,000 yards on rush, going 1,033 on 206 carries for an average gain of 5 yards and 9 touchdowns through the season in total. Charles also received 40 passes for 291 yards in the air, scoring five touchdowns.
Although the two teams posted very similar total yards per game in offense last season - the Chiefs posted 318.8 yards per game compared to the Cardinals 319.8 yards per game - they reached those figures in very different ways.
The Chiefs averaged 198.9 yards in the air, compared to 238 per game for the Cardinals, where as the Chiefs posted 119.9 yards per game on the ground compared to just 81.8 yards per game on rush for the Cardinals.
The Cardinals know they have to be at their absolute best this season if they are to make the Playoffs. They are in an extremely tough NFC West which contains the Seattle Seahawks, the San Francisco 49ers as well as the St Louis Rams.
The Kansas City Chiefs know that they are up against one of the best teams in the league in the AFC West as well, with the Denver Broncos and Peyton Manning hot favorites to win the division again this year. In the AFC West are also the San Diego Chargers and the Oakland Chargers.
Today's game should offer some indications of where the two teams are as they continue to prepare for the new season, although clearly a strong degree of experimentation will also be involved in today's game.
The Kansas City Chiefs and the Arizona Cardinals will face off from 9 p.m. ET and can be watched online by clicking here.
