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Friday before the Chiefs, and a certain comfort

So here's the trip to Kansas City, to play a Chiefs team averaging more than 36 points a game, to have part of the week-long buildup to the game about how the large point spread. The Cardinals have had a bye week coming off a win while knowing arguably their most difficult game on the schedule was coming next.

"It's a very comforting position to go into a game no one expects you to win," Larry Fitzgerald said.

That's the thing that pops to mind, when someone isn't marveling at what the Chiefs have been able to do offensively. Andy Reid's team has a huge game against the Rams next week and, as clichés go, this falls squarely into the trap variety. How this all plays out, how the Cards handle things defensively, how Josh Rosen can play in Arrowhead, I mean, the Cardinals might have some comfort without any pressure, but it's exactly how uncomfortable they can make the Chiefs – and the longer they stay in the game, that pressure most certainly would build – is what would give the Cardinals a chance.

"Everyone is writing us off," cornerback Patrick Peterson said. "The game still needs to be played."

-- The Chiefs look like they will get pass rusher Justin Houston back, to team with Dee Ford, who is having his best season. The Cardinals, meanwhile, should have their entire offensive line starting again for the first time in a bit, now that they had a bye week to rehab some injury issues.

-- The depth on the offensive line could change, though. With John Wetzel out for the year with a neck injury, the Cardinals have to find a new reserve tackle. That likely falls to rookie Korey Cunningham, the seventh-round pick who up until this point figured to "redshirt" this season – much like first-round pick D.J. Humphries did in 2015.

"He told me just to stay humble," Cunningham said of Humphries in a conversation of potential year-long sitting. "Same thing I'm doing now, that's basically what he did. He said it actually worked out for the better, having that year to learn. Looking back, he said he wouldn't change a thing."

But Cunningham insisted he'll be ready if needed, at he may be, at least in a backup role.

-- Bruce Arians will be a part of the three-man booth calling the game for CBS. I won't get to hear it live, but it will be very interesting to hear how he dissects the Cardinals in 2018, whether it is praise or criticism.

-- Fitz was asked if he'd ever consider being a game analyst once he retires. "No," he said. "The hours don't match the salary."

-- How the Cards distribute their defensive assignments against an offense with three giant weapons – wide receiver Tyreek Hill, running back Kareem Hunt and tight end Travis Kelce – will be something to watch. The question will be how much Peterson might be assigned to Hill, who is arguably the fastest player in the league.

"He's literally a cheetah," Peterson said of the receiver who has @cheetah as his Twitter handle. "He goes from zero to 60 in the blink of an eye. I think it might be a Florida thing. I'm a little older, I don't have that zero-to-60 anymore, but I think it's a Florida thing."

(In case you couldn't tell, both Pat P and Hill are from Florida.)

-- The weather figures to be chilly in Kansas City (in the low 40s) but the precipitation is supposed to stay away on game day. But if the Cards do have weather with which to deal – there are still games in Green Bay and Seattle – coach Steve Wilks waves it away.

"When you start thinking about (weather) … I haven't really even addressed it," Wilks said. "We've talked about the seven-studs as far as cleats, but other than that, you've got to go play football."

-- The Cardinals have only played in Kansas City five times in the regular season. Ever. They have not won there, but there was a tie. The only two trips in the 2000s have not gone well at all – a 49-0 loss in 2003 and a 31-13 loss in 2010.

-- Speaking of 2010, the Cardinals are pulling out a move from 2010 with the decision to wear white jerseys with red pants against the Chiefs. The last time that happened was Dec. 19, 2010, in Carolina. That game didn't go all that well, a 19-12 loss in rookie John Skelton's first NFL start, when he was outdueled by – wait for it – Jimmy Clausen.

-- With Fitz closing in on Terrell Owens for the second-most receiving yards in NFL history, it's a good time to note two quarterbacks were able to complete passes to both Fitz and T.O. in their careers – Carson Palmer and Tim Rattay.

-- Fitz also needs 14 more receptions to surpass Jerry Rice for the most catches ever for one franchise. Fitzgerald has 1,268 so far in his career.

See you Sunday.

Arizona Cardinals wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald (11) works in motion during an NFL football game against the Carolina Panthers, Sunday, December 19, 2010. The Panthers won the game, 19-12. (AP Photo/Paul Abell)
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