Scott Hanson

Player correspondent Keith Brooking believes the Arizona Cardinals’ run defense will not be as effective today as it was last week against his Atlanta Falcons.

Brooking says Atlanta’s offense had some issues with cadence and snaps because of the noise with the closed roof at University of Phoenix Stadium, which let the Cardinals’ defensive line get off on the ball simultaneously with the Falcons’ offensive line. No worries with that today for the Carolina Panthers.

With injured Cardinals WR Anquan Boldin out, Brooking says the Panthers almost certainly will roll their coverage over to Larry Fitzgerald, take their chances with Steve Breaston on the other side and put a huge burden on RB Edgerrin James to generate offense with the running game.

A couple more notes:

• The Cardinals were 2-0 when Boldin was out with a facial fracture in weeks 5 and 6.

• There’s a bit of a breeze on the field, with intermittent rain. For what it’s worth, Cardinals QB Kurt Warner is much more comfortable in a controlled climate. I’m told he almost always asks for the roof to be closed for home games in Arizona … even when the weather is nice.

Enjoy the game!

– Scott Hanson is reporting from Charlotte, N.C.

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