The Cardinals and Raiders are both coming off disappointing losses to start the season. However, each team played a top-tier squad from the AFC, as the Raiders lost to the Chargers and the Cardinals dropped a home contest against the Chiefs. In other words: we probably shouldn’t read too much into those defeats.
There’s no major concern with either loss, as they were both anticipated. The bigger issue is how both teams lost. Regardless of last week, no team in the NFL wants to start their season 0-2, as it drastically drops their chances of making the playoffs. This is as important of a game as each of these teams will have early in the season.
In this article, I’ll break down the odds for this game, and you’ll find my favorite Cardinals vs. Raiders predictions.
Cardinals vs. Raiders Predictions
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Cardinals vs. Raiders Odds
| Team | Spread | Moneyline | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cardinals | +5.5 | +195 | O 51.5 (-105) |
| @ Raiders | -5.5 | -230 | U 51.5 (-115) |
Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook as of 2:30 p.m. ET on Sep. 15.
Game Info
- Date: Sunday, Sep. 18
- Time: 4:25 p.m. ET
- Location: Allegiant Stadium – Las Vegas, NV
- TV: CBS
Cardinals vs. Raiders Trends
Let’s take a look at some relevant betting trends for the Cardinals vs. Raiders:
- Arizona covered 55.6% of its games in 2021.
- Las Vegas only recorded an 8-10 ATS record last season.
- Both of these teams failed to cover in their only game in 2022.
- As of Thursday afternoon, 45% of the bets and 57% of the handle were on Las Vegas -5.5 spread.
- DraftKings also reports that 60% of the bets and 74% of the handle is on over 51.5 points.
- Arizona hit the under in 55.6% of their contests last year.
- Las Vegas also recorded an 8-10 over/under record in 2021.
Offensive Versatility For Las Vegas
The Raiders have plenty of offensive weapons at their disposal this season. They retained Josh Jacobs, Darren Waller, and Hunter Renfrow while adding Davante Adams to their group of receivers. They also added Brandon Bolden to their backfield in the offseason.
Although they have plenty of weapons, that wasn’t on display in their first game. Davante Adams saw a 46% target share in their first game. He looked great with 10 receptions for 141 yards and a touchdown on 17 targets.
The Adams family will be in the house on Sunday!@tae15adams couldn't hide his excitement about his family coming to town 🙌 pic.twitter.com/5tfwniVpGj
— Las Vegas Raiders (@Raiders) September 14, 2022
This isn’t to take anything away from Adams, but the Raiders will need to get their other weapons more involved in the future. The former Green Bay Packers wide receiver is one of the best in the NFL, but he can’t handle this offense entirely on his own.
Waller and Renfrow both flashed last season, and Jacobs recorded 5.7 yards per carry in Week 1. Carr isn’t the same quarterback as Aaron Rodgers, and teams will be able to game plan slightly more toward Adams this season.
Las Vegas will need to open up their offense a bit more moving forward. Once Waller and Renfrow are considered the same threats as last season, everything will open up for Adams as well.
Kyler Murray To Bounce Back
Kyler Murray’s numbers weren’t terrible last week, but he did the majority of his damage once the game was completely out of hand. Overall, he ended with 193 yards and 2 touchdowns on 34 attempts. He also added 29 yards on the ground.
Murray has found success early in the season throughout his career. In 2021, he posted 689 yards with 7 touchdowns and 3 interceptions in his first two games of the season. He also recorded 51 yards and two touchdowns on the ground in those games.
Captain Kyler.
🗣@K1 pic.twitter.com/HxsfSgsiu5
— Arizona Cardinals (@AZCardinals) September 14, 2022
After the Chiefs got out to an early lead last week, the Cardinals’ offense became relatively one-dimensional. James Conner averaged only 2.6 yards per carry, although he did find the end zone.
After his massive contract, there are plenty of questions Murray has to answer. This will be an opportunity for him to answer those questions. The Arizona defense isn’t likely to get drastically better, meaning it will be on Murray’s arm (and legs) to keep them in this game.
Cardinals vs. Raiders Predictions
The Raiders are expected to feature a solid offense this season. There’s little reason to believe their struggles against a top defense will continue against a team like Arizona.
This game is too important for a team like the Cardinals, who have high hopes to make the playoffs in 2022. There are also high expectations for Murray, who continues to show promise as one of the top quarterbacks in the NFL.
Both of these offenses sputtered a bit in the first week, and I’m expecting that to change this week. There should be plenty of offensive production, making the over a great play this weekend.
Pick: Over 51.5 total points | -105 at DraftKings Sportsbook
