A year removed from winning 13 games and going to the NFC Championship Game, the Arizona Cardinals took a major turn for the worst last season. Bruce Arians squad managed a disappointing 7-8-1 record and had their two year playoff streak snapped. The betting public looks to be all in on Carson Palmer and company heading into the regular season with the opener of 8 wins already being bet up to 8.5 with heavy juice still supporting the high side of that number.
Arizona Cardinals Futures Odds at BookMaker.eu
Cardinals Over 8.5 Wins -128
Cardinals Under 8.5 Wins +106
2017 Cardinals Offense Preview
It begins and ends with running back David Johnson whose burst onto the scene since entering the NFL a few years back. The Northern Iowa product shined last season rushing for 1,239 yards on 293 carries, and adding another 879 yards on 80 receptions as a pass catcher out of the backfield. In total, the third year back scored 20 touchdowns and is currently going as the No. 1 or 2 pick in most fantasy drafts.
For the offense to really flow, the offensive line needs to hold up its end of the bargain. It didn’t do that last season allowing 41 quarterback sacks and 127 QB hits. Carson Palmer isn’t getting any younger, and if he’s knocked out for a prolonged period of time, it will leave the offense in the hands of either Blaine Gabbert or Drew Stanton. If the passing attack is to take advantage of the speed to burn it has at wide receiver, improvement is a must for the offense to get back on track.
2017 Cardinals Defense Preview
James Bettcher’s stop unit ranked third in the league in both yards allowed per rush and pass attempts last season. Some integral pieces to that puzzle have moved onto other teams, mainly Calais Campbell, but most of the pieces return which has Arizona still possessing one of the best stop units in the business. Patrick Peterson and Tyrann Mathieu will spearhead the secondary as one of the best cornerback/safety combos in the game provided the latter can remain healthy.
Last year’s first round draft pick Robert Nkemdiche and Rodney Gunter will be counted on to replace Campbell up front, while Karlos Dansby and Antoine Bethea were brought in to plug the holes from other personnel losses. This unit hasn’t looked good defending the run in the preseason, but it’s yet to take the field with its full complement of players. There still might be some growing pains early on regardless.
2017 Arizona Cardinals Schedule Analysis
With potentially two gimme games lined up against both the San Francisco 49ers and Los Angeles Rams, the only worthy adversary, if going by the odds to win the division, will be none other than the hated Seattle Seahawks. Split with them, and the opportunity will be theirs to take within the division.
That said, they’re matched up with what many believe to be the most competitive division in the NFL in the NFC East but get both games against Dallas and New York at home. On top of that, they also have four games slated to go against the much improved AFC South. It’s certainly not the easiest of schedules to navigate, but four of their final six games will be played in the desert where they’ve gone 17-6-1 straight up the last three seasons.
The Final Verdict
I’m just not buying what the betting public is trying to sell with this club leading up to the regular season. Carson Palmer is one bad shot away from his career coming to a close, and while Larry Fitzgerald has cemented himself as a true Hall of Famer, I just don’t foresee the issues on the offensive line being rectified enough for the Cardinals offense to return to being one of the best in the game. The defense certainly has some nice pieces to it, but as a whole, it might be the third best unit in the division. David Johnson is a heck of a specimen and will likely take care of his fantasy backers should he remain healthy, but the offense will be a train wreck should Palmer mimic last year’s output or go down to injury. Way too many warning signs for my taste.
NFL Odds: Arizona Cardinals Under 8.5 Wins +106
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