Everything with this matchup between the Arizona Cardinals and the New York Jets is up in the air. As of Friday afternoon, the Jets facility had been shut down after the team had one player test positive. No news has come out on who the player is, and it’s fair to wonder if the game will need to be rescheduled.
This game is off the board as of right now, but we have enough information to handicap this Week 5 crossover matchup, assuming it takes place.
View consensus odds from all major sportsbooks for Week 5 of the NFL >>
Details
- Opening Lines: Cardinals -7
- Current Line: Off the board
- O/U: Off the board
- Location: MetLife Stadium
- Start Time: 1:00 p.m. ET
- Television: FOX
- Last Meeting: October 17, 2016, Cardinals 28-3
View consensus picks and matchup notes from top betting experts for the Cardinals at Jets >>
Overview
Both teams enter this contest on a losing streak. The Jets continue to look more inept by the week and most recently lost a heartbreaker to the Denver Broncos on Thursday Night Football. Arizona jumped out to a 2-0 start but has since dropped games to Detroit and Carolina.
The big story in this one is the Joe Flacco getting the start for the Jets with Sam Darnold out due to a shoulder injury. Flacco hasn’t started a game since Week 8 last season with Denver and made his first appearance since then last weekend in a brief relief stint of Darnold. Oddly enough, the line barely budged after the news, with some books moving the spread to Arizona -7.5, if at all. Le’Veon Bell is expected to be back from a hamstring injury, but it’s unknown whether he’ll be full-go or eased back into action.
While we know the Jets are horrible, we don’t exactly know what the Cards are yet. After knocking off San Francisco and Washington in impressive fashion, Arizona has fallen back to earth hard. Last week, the Cardinals put up only 262 yards against a generous Carolina defense.
Carolina’s game plan was to force Kyler Murray to throw the ball short. Murray completed 24 passes and threw for 3 touchdowns, but averaged just 4.29 yards per attempt. DeAndre Hopkins hauled in 7 passes for only 41 yards. The Cardinals had only two plays of at least 25 yards in the entire game. The lack of big plays is a big deal for Arizona’s explosive offense.
Trends
- Adam Gase is 12-7-1 ATS as a home underdog in his head coaching career.
- Kliff Kingsbury is 1-3 ATS as a favorite and lost his only game as a road favorite last week.
- The Jets are 1-4 ATS in their last five games.
- The Cardinals are 3-1 ATS in non-conference games under Kingsbury.
Bottom Line
The line feels spot on to me, assuming it reopens at -7. The Jets are a dumpster fire whose only strength is its run defense. Flacco’s washed up, immobile, and playing behind an offensive line that’s struggling to gel. That could spell disaster against an Arizona defense that’s racked up 11 sacks.
Arizona’s offense should get back on track against a Jets defense that struggles to cover and rush the passer. Murray and Hopkins should be in store for big days especially.
However, I just can’t lay the lumber with Arizona right now. I need to see a strong performance before I can consider backing them as a big road favorite.
What I will do is take Arizona in the first half at -3.5 or better. The Jets have a tendency to get the doors blown off early, and have been out-scored 76-26 in the first half this season.
The Pick: Arizona first half -3.5 or better
View the top deposit bonuses and promo codes for each sportsbook >>
Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google Podcasts | Stitcher | RadioPublic | Breaker | Castbox | Pocket Casts
Whether you're new to sports betting or a betting pro, our Sports Betting Strategy and Advice page is for you. You can get started with our 101 section - including Common Sports Betting Terms - or head to more advanced strategy - like 10 Tips to Become a Sharper Sports Bettor - to learn more.
Matt Barbato is a featured writer at BettingPros. For more from Matt, check out his archive and follow him on Twitter @RealMattBarbato.