Updated

Updated · CBS Sports · Oct 23

Cardinals Predicted to Upset Broncos With 6 or 7 Field Goals as Bo Nix Averages 5.6 Yards

Updated

Updated · CBS Sports · Oct 23

Cardinals Predicted to Upset Broncos With 6 or 7 Field Goals as Bo Nix Averages 5.6 Yards

Q: Will the Jets' historically bad red-zone offense finally cost them against a winless Dolphins team desperate for a lead?

Yes—the Jets’ red-zone failures are the kind of weakness that can finally swing a game to Miami, even against a Dolphins team that is 0-5 and still has not held a lead all season. The evidence is stark. New York is last in the NFL in red-zone touchdown rate at 37.5%, with only 6 touchdowns on 14 trips. Those failures have been driven by penalties, conservative play-calling and limited use of Garrett Wilson near the goal line. Geno Smith has protected the ball overall, but inside the 20 he has just two touchdown passes and only 2.9 yards per attempt. That leaves the Jets settling for field goals and keeping opponents alive. That matters more than usual against Miami because the Dolphins do not need a big offensive performance to stay in it. They have struggled badly, scoring only 70 points in five games, but they are coming off a bye, appear to be getting healthier, and could get help from returning contributors around Malik Willis. In a divisional game, a single early scoring drive or short field may be enough to give Miami its first lead. The Jets are also under pressure because their situational play has been poor beyond the red zone, especially late in halves. If New York again turns scoring chances into field goals instead of touchdowns, it lowers the margin for error and gives a desperate Dolphins team a realistic path. So the red-zone issue is not just a flaw on paper; it is the exact type of flaw that can cost the Jets this matchup.

3 articles · Updated · CBS Sports · Oct 23

Arizona is forecast to beat Denver in Week 7 without scoring a touchdown, relying instead on six or seven field goals for a second straight upset-style win.
Bo Nix's limited downfield passing underpins that call: his 5.6 yards per attempt are the NFL's lowest among full-time starters, and his 4.9 air yards per attempt are the shortest through six games in 20 seasons.
That lack of a deep threat is expected to let the Cardinals play more aggressively on defense and give Jacoby Brissett-led Arizona enough room to win despite its own shaky offense.
Arizona already pulled off an 18-16 Week 6 upset of the Rams without reaching the end zone, scoring all 18 points on six field goals as 13.5-point road underdogs.