The Sports Xchange

Arizona Cardinals (4-1) at Pittsburgh Steelers (3-2)

Sunday, 1:00 p.m. ET, at Heinz Field, Pittsburgh – TV: FOX

*TV announcers: Thom Brennaman, Troy Aikman, Peter Schrager

*Keys to the game: Rather than head back to Phoenix following last week’s victory in Detroit, the Cardinals traveled to West Virginia to practice at The Greenbrier resort in West Virginia. They have been on the road for two weeks, but coach Bruce Arians is confident his team will be rested and focused.

On the field, the Cardinals will pound early with RBs Andre Ellington, Chris Johnson and David Johnson in an effort to wear down a young Steelers defense that has already chalked up 16 sacks. Pittsburgh is ranked 15th in total defense, with DLs Cameron Heyward and Stephon Tuitt rarely coming off the field. Arizona wants to wear down that pair and set up QB Carson Palmer to comfortably step into his throws while dissecting a vulnerable secondary.

QB Ben Roethlisberger (shoulder) was listed as out Friday, so Mike Vick will get the call for the third consecutive game for Pittsburgh. Vick really only moved the ball effectively on two drives at San Diego last week. But it was enough, as he did a good job of protecting the ball and letting RB Le’Veon Bell take on the brunt of the workload. The Cardinals’ 11th-ranked run defense will attempt to flip the script and put the game on Vick’s arm, and it’s critical for Pittsburgh not to fall in a deep early hole.

*Matchup to watch – Palmer vs. Steelers S Robert Golden: Golden played 67 snaps after Will Allen left Monday night’s game with an ankle injury. On Friday Allen was declared ou of Sunday’s game. A third-year veteran, Golden will need to be cognizant of his assignments, especially if Palmer is able to work off play-action to a strong group of playmakers.

*Player spotlight – Cardinals LB Markus Golden: The rookie second-round pick was on the field for 45 percent of the defensive snaps last week, and his learning curve takes an accelerated path with Alex Okafor sidelined by a calf injury. Veterans LaMarr Woodley and Dwight Freeney will contribute primarily as pass-rush specialists, while Golden will be asked to contribute more to base packages.

*Fast facts: Arians spent eight seasons (2004-11) as an assistant with the Steelers, including the final five as offensive coordinator. … Bell leads the NFL with 16 games of at least 100 yards from scrimmage since the start of the 2014 season.

FRIDAY INJURY REPORT

ARIZONA CARDINALS

–Out: LB Alex Okafor (calf)

–Questionable: G Mike Iupati (back), S Rashad Johnson (thigh, hip), LB LaMarr Woodley (chest)

–Probable: CB Justin Bethel (foot), WR John Brown (hamstring), TE Darren Fells (hip), S Tony Jefferson (neck), S Tyrann Mathieu (heel), WR J.J. Nelson (shoulder), T Jared Veldheer (ribs)

PITTSBURGH STEELERS

–Out: S Will Allen (ankle), QB Ben Roethlisberger (knee, coach’s decision to not practice Friday), LB Ryan Shazier (shoulder)

–Questionable: CB Cortez Allen (knee), LB Jarvis Jones (hip)

–Probable: LB James Harrison (illness), C Doug Legursky (back)

WHO WILL WIN AND WHY

The Steelers stole a victory at San Diego, but the offense doesn’t have the firepower under backup QB Mike Vick to keep up with the league’s top-ranked offense.

*Our pick: Cardinals 31-23.