The Cardinals are slight underdogs at home against the Patriots. One of these clubs is coming off a bye, and the other was convincingly defeated on Thursday Night Football in Week 13. Will the rested Cardinals put their best foot forward? Will the Patriots right the ship after a thorough butt-whooping in their previous game? We’ll take a look at both clubs and provide our favorite Cardinals vs. Patriots predictions below.
Cardinals vs. Patriots Odds
| Team | Spread | Moneyline | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Patriots | -2 (-110) | -125 | O 43.5 (-110) |
| @ Cardinals | +2 (-110) | +105 | U 43.5 (-110) |
Odds via WynnBET as of 1 a.m. ET on Monday, Dec. 12. Check out our exclusive WynnBET Promo Code to redeem your $100 risk-free bet today!
Game Info
- Date: Monday, Dec. 12
- Time: 8:15 p.m. ET
- Location: State Farm Stadium — Glendale, AZ
- TV: ESPN
Cardinals vs. Patriots Trends
- The Cardinals opened as 1.5-point underdogs, moved to 1.0-point underdogs briefly, returned to a 1.5-point underdog, and presently sit as a 2.0-point underdog.
- The Cardinals are 5-2 against the spread in their last seven games following a straight-up loss.
- Arizona is 5-2 against the spread in their last seven games after accumulating more than 350 total yards in their previous game.
- The Patriots are 2-7-1 against the spread in their last 10 games after allowing more than 350 total yards in their previous game.
- New England is 1-4 against the spread in their last five Monday games.
Arizona’s Offense is Healthy and Intriguing
The Cardinals are an underwhelming 4-8 this year. Their defense is lousy. However, the offense is intriguing. Sure, according to Pro-Football-Reference, the Cardinals are only 16th in scoring offense (22.0). Still, a mid-pack scoring offense is somewhat impressive, considering Colt McCoy started two games, DeAndre Hopkins was suspended for six games, and Marquise Brown has missed six games.
The Cards had Nuk and Hollywood in the offense together for the first in time Week 12. In their first game together, Arizona had a rock-solid 24 points. They’ve since had a bye week to tinker with the offense and further adjust to having two game-changing options in the passing attack. In addition, slot wideout Greg Dortch is likely a slight upgrade from a washed-up A.J. Green and cardio king Robbie Anderson. Kyler Murray has ample weapons at his disposal to stress New England’s defense with his arm. Further, he can give them fits with his legs.
New England’s Defense is Possibly Overrated
The Patriots have excellent defensive numbers. First, according to Football Outsiders, the Patriots are third in total defense Defense-Adjusted Value Over Average (DVOA), third in pass defense DVOA, and seventh in rush defense DVOA. Second, New England is seventh in yards allowed per play (5.0) and tied for seventh in scoring defense (18.8 points per game).
Despite Football Outsiders’ defensive metrics being weighted, New England’s defensive resume is unimpressive upon a deeper inspection. The Patriots have feasted on cupcakes and played much less impressive against even moderately competent quarterbacks. They’ve destroyed Mitch Trubisky, Jared Goff (on the road and with a banged-up Amon-Ra St. Brown), Jacoby Brissett, Zack Wilson (twice), and Sam Ehlinger. Meanwhile, they’ve lost to Tua Tagovailoa, Lamar Jackson, Aaron Rodgers, Justin Fields, Kirk Cousins, and Josh Allen.
The teams that beat the Patriots scored 20, 37, 27, 33, 33, and 24 points. Thus, they allowed an average of 29.0 points per game and a median of 30 points per game to the only decent quarterbacks they’ve faced. Even if you’re not the biggest fan of Murray, he’s markedly better than the quarterbacks who New England’s perplexed and fits in the group of ones who’ve beaten the Patriots this year.
Cardinals vs. Patriots Predictions
The 6-6 Patriots seem to be smoke and mirrors. In addition, they’ve been flummoxed by mobile quarterbacks. Jackson, Fields, and Allen led their clubs to 11, 19, and 14-point victories.
New England’s offense also isn’t anything to write home about. Instead, they’re 24th in total offense DVOA, 18th in yards per play (5.4), and tied for 19th in scoring offense (20.8).
Despite the difference in their records, the Cardinals and Patriots are probably in roughly the same tier. So, I’ll take the points for the home team that’s also coming off their bye.
Pick: Cardinals +2 | -110 at WynnBET