The Houston Texans and Arizona Cardinals are playing live on the Week 1 NFL preseason schedule and the matchup from University of Phoenix Stadium starts at 8:30 pm ET and has these two teams looking to start the season on a solid note in 2014 after both missed the playoffs last year and the new look Texans will have Jadeveon Clowney in his pro debut.
The Texans come into the game after being just 2-14 last year and now they are looking to bounce back with Bill O'Brien at head coach and they have Andre Johnson back in the fold after a tough offseason. The team was ranked third in passing yards allowed per game last season and now they are looking to get their offense right this year and it comes after a tough season in 2013 and the team lost 14 straight games after starting off 2-0 and that was a very tough thing to deal with and now Matt Schaub is gone after his trade to the Raiders.
The Cardinals missed the playoffs last season but just barely and it comes as they play in the toughest division in football with the Seahawks and 49ers and that means Arizona will have to be even better this season. The team was first in the league in rushing yards allowed per game and they were 13th in passing with Carson Palmer coming in and now he is looking to have another strong year after going for 4,274 yards last season.
The team opens up with the Texans and then plays against the Minnesota Vikings before matching up with the Bengals and then the team finishes the preseason schedule with the San Diego Chargers. The early schedule has the Chargers on Monday night football before playing the Giants and then the team hosts the 49ers before a bye week and then they go on the road to play against the Denver Broncos.
The Cardinals had a sick defense last season and they feel like they can be a surprise team in the NFC West and don't be surprised if they win the wild card over somone like the 49ers, yeah I said it, I think their time is up this year. The Texans feel they were better than their 2-14 record last season and now they have the chance to prove it with a new head coach and quarterback and this will be the first game for both teams this season.
Check here for the Houston Texans and Arizona Cardinals live coverage from the NFL.
