Kickoff: Sunday, 8:30 p.m. ET
Line: Arizona -5.5, Total: 48

Two Super Bowl LI contenders face off on Sunday night, with Jimmy Garoppolo making his primetime debut.

The 2015 Patriots finished atop the AFC East for the seventh-straight year (and the 12th time in the last 13 years), winning their first ten games and finishing 12-4. An uninspiring playoff win over Kansas City was followed by a tough 20-18 loss in Denver, in a game riddled with atrocious offensive line play and a series of questionable coaching decisions. QB Tom Brady is suspended until Week 5, bringing third-year QB Jimmy Garoppolo into the spotlight. Though Garoppolo would never be confused for his four-time champion mentor, he has an accurate arm, decent mobility, a great coaching staff and the league’s best TE at his disposal. Beyond TE Rob Gronkowski and slot WR Julian Edelman, questions linger about who will be called on to produce among New England’s other skill players. The Pats’ defensive line seems to be depleted, but head coach Bill Belichick has a knack for turning unheralded defenders into gems. An impressive 13-3 season earned Arizona a first-round bye in last year’s playoffs, and an overtime win over Green Bay put them one game away from a Super Bowl appearance. A 49-15 embarrassment at Carolina, a game in which QB Carson Palmer committed six turnovers, was a bitter end to a great run. Palmer’s vertical passing game, buoyed by a trio of play-making WRs, is arguably the NFL’s most effective system, and second-year RB David Johnson is expected to ascend to stardom as Arizona’s featured back. The Cardinals D is loaded with talent in the secondary, and creates big plays by moving game-changers around the formation. Arizona made significant upgrades up front in hopes of producing a fearsome pass-rush. These teams most recently met in 2012: As 13-point road underdogs, Arizona pulled off an improbable Week 2 upset, winning 20-18 in Foxboro when K Stephen Gostkowski missed a 42-yard FG attempt with five seconds remaining. New England is 6-1 ATS & SU as an underdog since 2014, and 47-23 ATS (38-32 SU) as an underdog with Belichick as head coach. Arizona is 8-2 ATS & SU in September under head coach Bruce Arians. The Patriots will be without QB Tom Brady (suspension) and RB Dion Lewis (knee), and DL Rob Ninkovich (triceps) is doubtful.

The genius of New England head coach Bill Belichick is his ability to change the gameplan week-to-week, anticipating opponents’ approaches and praying upon their weaknesses. With QB Tom Brady suspended, QB Jimmy Garoppolo will be asked to play conservatively and limit mistakes. He’s looked like an accurate passer with good mobility the past two preseasons and, while he’s not a master at reading defenses like Brady is, he should have success in the Pats’ well-designed spread passing game. TE Rob Gronkowski (72 receptions, 1,176 yards, 11 TD) is almost un-coverable in the middle of the field, WR Julian Edelman (61/692/7 in 9 games) is a tough matchup for any opponent and newly-acquired TE Martellus Bennett will likely have a big role. With Dion Lewis (knee) sidelined, third-year RB James White (40 receptions, 410 yards, 4 TD) should earn an increased role in the passing game. Burly RB LeGarrette Blount (703 rushing yards, 7 total TD) figures to play a big role early in the year, though the offensive line was an issue for the Patriots a year ago, and starting RT Sebastian Vollmer is out with a shoulder injury. New England’s defense ranked 10th with 19.7 points per game allowed last season. With DE Chandler Jones (12.5 sacks) traded to Arizona and DE Rob Ninkovich (6.5 sacks) nursing a torn triceps, DE Jabaal Sheard (8 sacks) keys the pass rush. LB Jamie Collins (league-leading 5 forced fumbles) is an athletic, do-everything beast, while CB Malcolm Butler and S Devin McCourty anchor a solid, bend-but-don’t-break secondary.

Arizona’s offense finished second in scoring (30.6 points per game) and first in yardage (408 yards per game). The Cardinals lead the league in passing yards per attempt (8.2), and everything Arizona does is predicated on QB Carson Palmer’s deep passing game. Big-bodied WR Michael Floyd (52 receptions, 849 yards, 6 TD) and pint-sized burner WR John Brown (65/1,003/7) are big-play threats on the outside who open up space for WR Larry Fitzgerald (109/1,215/9) underneath. RB David Johnson is expected to have a monster year as a runner and receiver after averaging 132 yards from scrimmage in five starts to close last season. Veteran backup RBs Chris Johnson and Andre Ellington are excellent change-of-pace perimeter runners. Arizona’s aggressive defense was second in the NFL with 33 takeaways last season, while holding opponents to 19.6 points per game (7th in the NFL). Acquiring OLB/DE Chandler Jones (12.5 sacks with New England) via trade and drafting DT Robert Nkemdiche in the first round could give Arizona a formidable pass-rush. CB Patrick Peterson has developed into an elite shutdown corner, and DB Tyrann Mathieu (5 INT), when not sidelined with knee problems, is one of the best safeties in the league. If leading tackler ILB/SS-hybrid Deone Bucannon continues to give opponents fits, Arizona can have one of the league’s best defensive units.