Jets vs. Cardinals 2016: Game time, TV schedule and team news for 'Monday Night Football'

The NFL has blamed a recent ratings decline on a lack of compelling primetime matchups. A Monday Night Football showdown between a 1-4 Jets team and the 2-3 Cardinals probably isn't the game to reverse that trend, but it should provide the launching point for a disappointing playoff hopeful's postseason rally.

Arizona started the season with the league's fifth-best odds to win Super Bowl LI but has staggered out of the gate. An opening night loss to a Tom Brady-less New England team was followed by a 33-18 depantsing by Buffalo and a narrow defeat to Los Angeles that dropped the Cardinals into the NFC West cellar. An injury to starter Carson Palmer has left the team unstable behind center, but Drew Stanton was able to guide them to a convincing win over San Francisco in Week 5.

Stanton, however, is not the answer to Arizona's woes. The longtime backup completed just 11 of his 28 passes for just 128 yards in a win over one of the league's least efficient teams. If the Cardinals are going to turn around their 2016 and make a return to the playoffs, they'll need Palmer back -- and they'll need him to be better than he was to start the season.

Palmer's late-career renaissance carried Arizona to last year's NFC Championship Game and made him a strong Comeback Player of the Year candidate, but the quarterback we've seen in 2016 doesn't measure up. His first four games of the year make him look more like the disgruntled passer who languished in Oakland in 2011 and 2012. He's accounted for more turnovers (eight) than passing touchdowns (six) and his 58.8 completion percentage is the second lowest of his career. If he can't will his 36-year-old body back into last season's form, Arizona's streak of playoff appearances could be stopped at two.

New York, on the other hand, has been historically bad with passing on both sides of the ball:

Jets ranked #32 in both passer rating+passer rating allowed. That hasn't happened over a full season since '89 Cowboys (1-15).@NFLResearch

— Andrew Siciliano (@AndrewSiciliano) October 13, 2016

The Jets scrambled to re-sign Ryan Fitzpatrick on the eve of this season's training camp. The move has failed to pay dividends. The veteran passer made history by firing off six interceptions in a Week 3 loss to Kansas City; it was the first time anyone had thrown more than five since 2007. A look at the Harvard graduate's pro career suggested his 31-touchdown campaign in 2015 was an outlier rather than a trend. His awful performance in 2016 backs it up.

New York's deficiency against the pass was more difficult to predict. Darrelle Revis has fallen from an All-Pro coverage monster into a slightly above-average cornerback who has struggled to stay healthy. He's unlikely to take the field on Sunday thanks to a hamstring injury, leaving Buster Skrine, Marcus Williams, and rookie fourth-round pick Juston Burris to pick up the slack.

They have yet to rise to the challenge. Last week, the Jets allowed Ben Roethlisberger to spring for 380 passing yards and four touchdowns in a 31-13 beatdown. If Palmer is fully recovered from his concussion issues, he'll face a New York secondary primed to allow his return to Pro Bowl status.

How to watch New York Jets vs. Arizona Cardinals

Time: 8:30 p.m. ET

Location: University of Phoenix Stadium, Glendale, Ariz.

TV: ESPN

Announcers: Sean McDonough, Jon Gruden, Lisa Salters

Online Streaming: WatchESPN

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