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Arizona Cardinals at New Orleans Saints Odds & Game Pick

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The Arizona Cardinals have been picking up steam under rookie quarterback Kyler Murray, but they head to New Orleans to face a Saints squad that has not lost with Teddy Bridgewater starting under center. With a number of key injuries to note in this game, it could make for an interesting NFC battle in the Superdome.

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Cardinals vs Saints Odds and Info

All odds taken from FanDuel Sportsbook.

  • Opening Lines: NO -10.5, O/U 49.5
  • Moneyline: ARI: (+430) | NO: (-550)
  • Spread: ARI: +10.5 (-110) | NO: -10.5 (-110)
  • Total: 47.5 – Over: (-115) | Under: (-105)
  • Location: Mercedes-Benz Superdome – New Orleans, LA
  • Start Time: 1 pm ET
  • Coverage: CBS

Injuries

  • Arizona Cardinals: RB David Johnson (Q), WR Christian Kirk (Q), DL Zach Allen (Q), LB Haason Reddick (Q), TE Maxx Williams (P)
  • New Orleans Saints: QB Drew Brees (Q), RB Alvin Kamara (Q), TE Jared Cook (Q), WR Tre’Quan Smith (Q), CB Eli Apple (Q), CB Patrick Robinson (Q)

View consensus picks from 100+ experts for the Cardinals at Saints >>

Overview

The Arizona Cardinals are winners of three straight games and have seemed to put everything together offensively. Of course, it also could be the small fact that they played the Bengals, Falcons, and Giants, three of the worst defenses in the league. Entering this weekend, it appears starting running back David Johnson will be out after getting injured more in last week’s game and failing to log any practice time so far this week. Luckily, Chase Edmonds has stepped up during his struggles, but they are still a better offense with both backfield weapons at their disposal. Rookie Kyler Murray is passing for over 250 yards per game and is using his legs a little, but it’s this offense’s inability to finish drives with touchdowns that could be a determining factor in this game.

While not officially ruled out, it looks like Drew Brees will be sidelined one more game, with the Saints having a bye next week. His absence has not slowed the team down as initially expected. Teddy Bridgewater continues to do enough offensively to win games, and the defense has continued to improve throughout the season. They have held opponents to under 300 total yards in each of the last four games, which is a recipe for success, and continue putting the offense in favorable positions to start drives. While the Cardinals look to be without their star running back, the same may be true with the Saints, as Alvin Kamara missed last week and only logged limited practice reps on Thursday. But even if he is out, Latavius Murray proved last week that he can can handle the lead role, as he ran for 119 yards and two touchdowns against the feared Bears’ defensive front.

Trends

  • Arizona is averaging 23.0 points per game (PPG) this season (No. 17 in the NFL).
  • Arizona is surrendering 27.4 PPG this season (No. 28 in the NFL).
  • Arizona is 6-2 against the spread (ATS) in its last eight games.
  • New Orleans is averaging 23.4 PPG this season (No. 16 in the NFL).
  • New Orleans is surrendering 21.0 PPG this season (No. 11 in the NFL).
  • New Orleans is 17-3 straight up in its last 20 home games.
  • The all-time series between these two teams is tied, 15-15.
  • Last Meeting: December 18, 2016 — The Saints defeated the Cardinals, 48-41, at University of Phoenix Stadium.

Prop Bet

All odds taken from FanDuel Sportsbook.

Away Team Total Points: Under 19 (-110)
The Cardinals offense has seemingly found their stride recently. They have averaged 29.0 points over their past three games, but all three of those games were against teams that ranked in the bottom six of Football Outsiders’ pass defense DVOA rankings (Giants, Falcons, Bengals). The Saints rank 12th in DVOA, and Arizona has averaged just 18.5 points against teams in the top-12 of that metric. David Johnson is also likely to miss and the Saints have held opponents to an average of 206.0 passing yards over their past three games. They should put together another terrific performance on Sunday against the Cardinals.

Bottom Line

We have seen what the Saints can do against opposing rushing attacks, holding the Bears to 17 rushing yards last week an even Ezekiel Elliott to 35 yards a few weeks ago. One of the biggest reasons for the Cardinals’ recent offensive success has been the emergence of the running game with Chase Edmonds, and with this taken out of the equation by the Saints, Kyler Murray and this passing offense has not been good enough to put up the number of points against Marshon Lattimore and this Saints’ secondary that is needed to clear the spread.

Pick: New Orleans Saints -10.5

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Check out our other NFL Sports Betting Guides for Week 8

Philadelphia Eagles at Buffalo Bills (-2)
Cincinnati Bengals at Los Angeles Rams (-11.5)
Los Angeles Chargers at Chicago Bears (-4)
New York Jets at Jacksonville Jaguars (-6)
Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Tennessee Titans (-2.5)
Seattle Seahawks at Atlanta Falcons (+7)
New York Giants at Detroit Lions (-6)
Denver Broncos at Indianapolis Colts (-4.5)
Oakland Raiders at Houston Texans (-6.5)
Cleveland Browns at New England Patriots (-11)
Carolina Panthers at San Francisco 49ers (-5)
Green Bay Packers at Kansas City Chiefs (+4.5)
Miami Dolphins at Pittsburgh Steelers (-14)

Zach Brunner is a featured writer at BettingPros. For more from Zach, check out his archive and follow him @FantasyFlurry.