After an embarrassing opener, the Arizona Cardinals will look to bounce back in Week 2 against the Las Vegas Raiders.
Las Vegas is a solid favorite to win this game, and both sides are looking to avoid an 0-2 start.
Since 1990, only 11.3% of teams that have started with two straight losses have gone on to make the playoffs. There is a better chance now with seven playoff slots, but it would still be an uphill climb.
I made a game prediction over in my Week 2 picks article.
I'm 13-4 against the spread this year thanks to that backdoor cover by the Chargers.
Check out my predictions for Sunday:https://t.co/ZmVcVq5U0d
— Kyle Odegard (@Kyle_Odegard) September 16, 2022
To add some extra spice to the game, here are four prop bets I like, all of which happen to be on Arizona’s offense, as I really don’t know what to expect from the Cardinals’ defense on Sunday.
Hollywood Brown over 59.5 receiving yards (-110)
Brown caught only four passes for 43 yards and a touchdown on six targets in his first game with the Cardinals, but I think those numbers spike in Week 2, for a couple reasons.
The first is the wide receiver situation. DeAndre Hopkins will be suspended for five more games, while Rondale Moore is out because of a hamstring injury. With tight end Zach Ertz still nursing a calf ailment, Brown should be the top target for quarterback Kyler Murray, and his big-play ability can rack up yards in a hurry. Brown was on the field for 95 percent of the snaps last week and that doesn’t figure to change.
Secondly, there was this quote from Murray at his weekly media session when asked about Brown: “We’ve gotta do a better job of getting him the ball, moving him around, just making it tough for defenses. You watch around the league and you look at all these guys catching 10-plus balls per game, getting 10-plus targets per game. How do you do that? We’ve got to design it, scheme it up, move him around. It’s fixable. He had four catches or whatever. It’ll get better.”
Murray obviously has designs of getting Brown the football, and Las Vegas does not have a great secondary. The over is the clear play here.
Kyler Murray over 29.5 rushing yards (-114)
The fleet-footed quarterback had five carries for 29 yards in the opener, but they all came very early. Once the Cardinals fell in a huge hole against Kansas City, he threw a lot, and it didn’t make sense for Murray to put himself in harm’s way by running the ball.
This game is likely to be more competitive, which will keep his legs in play throughout. There should be at least a couple designed runs, and I bet Murray will rack up some decent scramble yardage.
He was pressured at the incredible rate of 64.9% by the Chiefs on Sunday, according to Pro Football Reference. In his first three professional seasons, Murray had never been pressured 38% of the time in a game. If Justin Pugh plays left guard instead of Sean Harlow, the line will be better, but there are concerns that were present before the season.
The Raiders boast the elite pass-rushing duo of Chandler Jones and Maxx Crosby, who may be flushing Murray out of the pocket with regularity. That’s not a good thing for the rhythm of the Arizona offense, but it is a boon for Murray’s rushing potential.
Kyler Murray’s Longest Completion Under 35.5 yards (-111)
The aforementioned Brown certainly has the ability to get loose for a big gainer, but there aren’t very many explosive options besides him in the lineup. A.J. Green is basically just a 50-50 jump ball guy at this point in his career, while Ertz has good hands but isn’t going to be evading many defenders any longer. Greg Dortch has some wiggle but he’s mostly used on short routes out of the slot.
Murray throws such a beautiful deep ball that he doesn’t need yards-after-catch to surpass this figure, and that’s the worry. But without Hopkins or Moore, plus the departures of explosive players like Christian Kirk and Chase Edmonds this offseason, I like the under.
James Conner over 13.5 rushing attempts (-120)
Conner only carried the ball 10 times in the opener, but that’s because the Chiefs led by two touchdowns before anyone blinked. While Eno Benjamin looked good in garbage time, this still feels exclusively like Conner’s show.
Arizona’s lack of passing game weapons and protection concerns could make coach Kliff Kingsbury be more run-heavy, and Conner will be the benefactor. He only averaged 2.6 yards per carry in Week 1, which followed a 3.7 yards-per-carry average last season. The Cardinals may eventually start giving Benjamin more work, but after signing Conner to a three-year, $21 million contract this offseason, it likely won’t be this early.
Conner sets up to be the Arizona workhorse in this one, which is why the over at DraftKings is the play.
Prop bets record this week: 2-1
Overall: 5-4
