The NFL season kicks off in just a few months and with the schedule finally released, football fans can look forward to what the season has in store.
It is going to be a tough game for the Cardinals season opener as they travel to take on the Tennessee Titans. The Cardinals NFL week 1 game will mark the first time the team has started off their season against an AFC team on the road since 1997.
NFL Week 1: Cardinals Vs. Titans Game Preview
The Cardinals NFL Week 1 game will be a good test for the newly rebuilt team led by coach Kliff Kingsbury. It will be the first Cardinals game for newcomers like J.J Watt, Malcolm Butler, Rodney Hudson, and the 2021 draft picks.
The game will also give fans an insight into if quarterback Kyler Murray and wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins can pick up where they left off with their on-the-field magic. (Who could forget last season’s Hail Murray?)
Road games are always tough, but especially against the Tennessee Titans who have had a winning season every year since 2016 and finished off the season last year with 11 wins and a playoff spot.
The Cardinals finished 8-8, after starting off 5-2 last season. And having a 5-10-1 season the year before.
The good news for Cardinals fans? The Cardinals only allowed 22 points per game last year, where the Titans allowed 27 points per game. But the Titans are a high-scoring team and are going to make the Cardinals’ defense work the entire game.
The game will come down to the Cardinals stopping Titan’s running back Derrick Henry from rushing for over 100 yards and doing everything they can to put points up on the board
How To Watch/Listen To The Cardinals NFL Week 1 Game
- Date: Sunday, September 12
- Time: 1:00 PM EST
- Location: Nissan Stadium in Nashville, Tennessee
- TV: CBS
- Commentators: TBD
- Radio: WGFX 104.5 FM The Zone (Titans)/ Arizona’s Sports Station 98.7 FM (Cardinals)
Cardinals Vs. Titans Complete Game Odds
The current opening spread by DraftKings has the Cardinals at +2.5 and the Titans at -2.5. The current Moneyline sits at the Cardinals at +122 and the Titans at -144. As for the game total, DraftKings currently has it at 51.5. The Cardinals are at +4000 to win the Super Bowl and the Titans are also currently at +4000 to win the big game.
The Cardinals are looking to finally make it back to the playoffs for the first time since 2015, but it is going to be a difficult road. Their first game is going to be close, with them currently the underdog at +2.5. When it comes to the rest of the season, DraftKings has the Cardinals at +600 to win the NFC division and +2000 to win the NFC Championship and a trip to the Super Bowl.
As for the Titans, things are looking a little promising for them, sitting at +130 to win the AFC South division and +1800 to win the AFC Championship.
Players To Watch In Week 1
Every first game of the season is not only a look into how the teams are going to do this year, but which players are going to shine. (And which ones you want to have on your Fantasy Football roster!)
The Arizona Cardinals
The Arizona Cardinals are coming off a busy off-season, making trades and signing free agents left and right.
J.J. Watt, A.J. Green, Rodney Hudson, and James Conner will all suit up for the Cardinals for the first time and are players to keep an eye on. Malcolm Butler will also be playing his first game as an Arizona Cardinal, after playing three years with the Titans. Of course, if any of the 2021 draft picks get any playing time during the Cardinals’ week 1 game, those players will want to try to shine as all eyes will be on them.
Returning players Chandler Jones, Kyler Murray, DeAndre Hopkins, and Christian Kirk will take the field under coach Kliff Kingsbury again. Kingsbury’s coaching calls are going to be looked at closely since he made so many questionable ones last year, some that possibly cost the team a playoff spot.
The Tennessee Titans
The Tennessee Titans made it to the AFC Championship two years ago and made it to the playoffs last year, being eliminated in round 1 against the Baltimore Ravens.
The Titans offense continues to impress, with their star running back Derrick Henry rushing for over 2,000 yards last season. Quarterback Ryan Tannehill also seems to continue to run the offense effectively, leading the team to the playoffs since being named the team’s starter in 2019, where he was also named NFL Comeback Player of the Year.
The Titans did lose some key players this year but were able to add Bud Dupree to their roster. The one area the Mike Vrabel’s Titans can improve? Their defense. Remember, they did end up allowing 27 points per game last season.
NFC West NFL Week 1 Games
The NFC West is always a tough division to win. One of the wild card playoffs spots usually always goes to a NFC West team, making it a competitive division from week 1.
BetMGM has the Cardinals as a +2.5 underdog against the Tennessee Titans in week 1, but how does the rest of the NFC West division games stack up?
The Los Angeles Rams will be the only NFC West team opening up their season at home. They will be taking on the Chicago Bears and BetMGM has the Rams favored to win at -7.
The San Francisco 49ers will be traveling to take on the Detroit Lions and their new quarterback, who was a former quarterback for the 49ers’ division rivals, the Rams. It doesn’t look to be too close of a game, with BetMGM listing the 49ers as favorites at -7.5.
The Seattle Seahawks play the Indianapolis Colts on the road. The Hawks will be led by returning quarterback Russell Wilson, and the Colts will have a new quarterback after Phillip Rivers retired this off-season. The game is going to be close, with BetMGM listing the Seahawks as underdogs at +2.5.
Cardinals Super Bowl Odds
The Cardinals NFL week 1 game might not officially impact the chances of the team getting to the Super Bowl. However, to earn a wild card spot in the NFC, they need to win as many games as possible. Even though it isn’t a tough division game or even a conference game, a win will help them get closer to the playoffs.
DraftKings has the Cardinals at +4000 to win the Super Bowl and FanDuel has them at +4400.
As for the Titans, their chances for making it to the Super Bowl aren’t much better, with the Kansas City Chiefs standing in their way in the AFC. DraftKings has the Titans at +4000 to win the Super Bowl and FanDuel has them at +3500.
Even though a loss won’t crush the team’s dream of making the playoffs, The Cardinals have a lot riding on game 1. Not only do they need to try to get a win, their on the field performance will be closely looked at, as they try to prove that all of their off-season rebuilding was worth all of the work.
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