Five keys for Cardinals win against Bills

With a win over the Buffalo Bills on Sunday, the Arizona Cardinals will have won their ninth straight game at home.

They haven’t done that since 1925…

A win would also put the Cardinals at 5-1, which would be their best start since they were 5-1 back in 1976.

How do they achieve these marks?

The offensive line has to play much better than they’ve played over the past two weeks.

The line’s given up 17 sacks combined to the Dolphins and the Rams over those weeks. They cannot allow Kevin Kolb to take that kind of punishment against a Bills defense that features Mario Williams, Kyle Williams and Marcell Dareus. These guys know how to get to a quarterback.

Kolb can’t throw 50 passes against Buffalo.

The running game took a shot losing Ryan Williams earlier this week, so LaRod Stephens-Howling, William Powell and Alfonso Smith are gonna have to step it up, along with the offensive line against a defense that loves to give up rushing yardage, and who’s down Mark Anderson, their starting right defensive end due to injury.

The Bills are turnover prone, and the Cardinals need to take advantage of that.

Buffalo has 13 turnovers so far this season, eight by the hands of quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick.

The defense needs to set up a permanent tent in the Bills backfield on Sunday, meaning stay in Fitzpatrick’s face and force him into more turnovers.

Also, the Bills running game is very strong. They’re fifth in the league in rushing yards per game. The front seven needs to squash any sort of attack from C.J. Spiller, Tashard Choice and Fred Jackson. Make the Bills one-dimensional on offense and see what happens then.

If the Bills are turnover prone, then
the Cardinals cannot be.

If they can play smart football, which they’ve done for the most part, and be on the plus side of the turnover battle, then that keeps the Bills offense off the field, giving Kolb and company more chances to get yards and points.

Don’t underestimate this Bills team.

Just because they’ve had two rough weeks back-to-back doesn’t mean they won’t come into University of Phoenix Stadium and out with a victory if you don’t take them seriously.

Each player needs to stay focused on their jobs and what they need to do to get that fifth win and go out and execute as perfectly as possible.