Cardinals @ Patriots

Who will WIN this matchup?

Arizona Cardinals (6-4)

@ New England Patriots (4-6)

Current odds:

Arizona Cardinals: (-120)

New England Patriots: (+100)

• The line for this game is Cardinals by 1.5 points.

• The Arizona Cardinals boast the NFL’s top offense in terms of total yards and the league’s second-ranked rushing attack. While those rankings should put a smile on a coach’s face, Kliff Kingsbury found himself pondering why his high-powered club is often sluggish out of the gate. Arizona has found itself trailing after the first quarter in each of its last four games.

• The Cardinals potentially have another question on their hands, and that is the health of Kyler Murray. The dynamic dual-threat quarterback was testing his right throwing shoulder during Wednesday’s practice, six days after injuring it during Arizona’s 28-21 setback to Seattle.

• While Murray officially was listed as limited in practice, star wideout DeAndre Hopkins (illness) joined tight ends Maxx Williams (illness) and Darrell Daniels (ankle), safeties Jalen Thompson (ankle) and Charles Washington (groin) and defensive end Josh Mauro (hamstring) in sitting out the session. Hopkins, who has an NFL-best 912 receiving yards, likely will be looking into the eyes of 2019 NFL Defensive Player of the Year Stephon Gilmore on Sunday.

• Fellow wideouts Christian Kirk (team-high six receiving touchdowns) and 11-time Pro Bowl selection Larry Fitzgerald could also pose problems for the Patriots, who will have to limit an offense that has averaged a league-best 414.3 total yards per game. Running backs Kenyan Drake and Chase Edmonds join Murray (10 rushing touchdowns) in helping Arizona average 157.7 yards per game on the ground.

• Newton’s Patriots won their second straight game at the expense of Jackson and the Ravens on Nov. 15 before dropping a 27-20 decision to the Texans last Sunday. Newton threw for 365 yards against Houston, with Damiere Byrd enjoying a breakout game with six catches for a career-best 132 yards and a touchdown. Byrd leads the team in receiving yards (469), while his 32 catches are one shy of versatile running back James White.

• Fellow wideout N’Keal Harry, who had five receptions versus the Texans, was limited in Wednesday’s practice with a shoulder injury. He wasn’t alone as the Patriots listed 11 players with that designation — including Gilmore (hand), linebacker Ja’Whaun Bentley (groin), defensive end Lawrence Guy (shoulder, elbow, knee), offensive guard Shaq Mason (calf), special teams ace Matthew Slater (knee) and kicker Nick Folk (back) among others