The Arizona Cardinals didn’t have Kyler Murray. Or DeAndre Hopkins. Or even A.J. Green. But the Cardinals didn’t have a problem beating division rivals, the San Francisco 49ers.
Arizona is now on top of the league with an 8-1 record and is looking to take on a team with a losing record. There is no such thing as an easy game, but the Cardinals should have no problem getting a victory on Sunday, even if Murray and Hopkins are out again.
LV Raiders vs NO Saints | Moneyline | Point Spread | Total Points |
---|---|---|---|
LV Raiders | +130 | +3.0 (-115) | O 43.0 (-110) |
NO Saints | -154 | -3.0 (-105) | U 43.0 (-110) |
AZ Cardinals Preview (8-1)
With the absence of the Cardinals’ top players, other players stepped in to get the job done. ASU Alumni Eno Benjamin had his first NFL touchdown. But it was James Conner who was the real game-changer. The run game was highly relied upon with Colt McCoy filling in for Murray and with no DHop.
And Conner didn’t disappoint with three touchdowns. He now joins five other players in franchise history to have 10 or more rushing touchdowns in a season. Conner is also only the third player to have 10 or more rushing touchdowns in the first season with the team. And he is just getting started, with plenty of games left to be the leader of the record. This also might become an interesting prop bet to look into. It is definitely a good idea to take Conner as the first to score a touchdown in the next game. Last game, the odds of Conner scoring the first touchdown was at +1000.
The defense was also on fire against the 49ers. Chandler Jones became the franchise’s all-time sack leader and got some help from Markus Golden who had THREE out of the defense’s five sacks. This means the Panthers’ offense is in trouble because I don’t see Arizona’s defense slowing down.
Unfortunately, Injuries are still an issue with the Arizona Cardinals. Kyler Murray and DeAndre Hopkins are still questionable for Sunday. You can add safety Budda Baker, running back Chase Edmonds, and wide receiver Rondale Moore to that list, too. But there is a part of me that thinks this might be a good chance to rest Murray and Hopkins. With the team averaging 30.8 points per game, I think they can get the victory without those two.
The odds for this game are not available (nfl, betmgm)
Carolina Panthers Preview (4-5)
The Panthers are struggling this season with a 4-5 record. They went up against the New England Patriots last week and lost 6 to 24 with Sam Darnold passing for only 172 passing yards, no touchdowns, but THREE interceptions.
To put it gently, Darnold has been horrendous this year and he isn’t getting much help. Christian McCaffrey is back after suffering an injury at the start of the season. He had 52 rushing yards and 54 receiving yards last week but failed to score a touchdown. Add on the ten penalties for 83 yards and it was a long game for the Panthers.
And it looks like a new quarterback will be taking the field against Arizona. This could be good or bad news, but Sam Darnold is out with an injury and P.J. Walker is in as QB1. It might be good for a change, but Walker hasn’t had the most successful past. With or without Dardol, I still don’t think they will come close to beating the Cardinals. With Carolina averaging only 19 points per game along with just 3.8 rushing yards per attempt, I just don’t see how they can keep up. And either does sportsbooks with the Cardinals being a double-digit favorite on the road.