The Cardinals-Seahawks game has a scoring total of 50.5 on Sunday, as both defenses have had their issues this season.
I made my game prediction, and here are three prop bets I like for the contest:
Cardinals RB Eno Benjamin over 12.5 rushing attempts (-115)
The Cardinals have been hit hard by injuries at the running back position of late. Starter James Conner and backups Darrel Williams and Jonathan Ward are all expected to be out for this game. That leaves Eno Benjamin as the player to get the lion’s share of the work.
Quarterback Kyler Murray is a rushing threat himself and will pull on zone reads occasionally, but he hands it off more often than not since a defender is usually accounting for him. Benjamin is averaging 4.5 yards per carry on the season and looked good against the Eagles last week.
The Cardinals will have a rookie and a newly-signed back or two active, but Benjamin should be the guy. And Arizona is favored, which it means it may not have to go pass-heavy like as has been the case much of this season.
It’s all about the Benjamins on this one, as 13 rushing attempts by Eno will get us paid.
Cardinals QB Kyler Murray over 1.5 touchdown passes (-120)
There always reasons to be wary of passing touchdowns with Murray, as his legs are so electric that rushing scores are a huge part of the equation when Arizona gets near the goal-line. However, I like the over on this prop for a few reasons.
The first is the Seattle pass defense, which is No. 31 in the NFL, per Football Outsiders, which should allow for plenty of opportunity through the air. The Cardinals have an over/under of 26.5 points for this game, and if they can score four touchdowns, there is a great chance that at least two come via the passing game.
Then there is the current personnel. Conner is not expected to play, and he is the team’s battering ram near the goal-line. While Benjamin has filled in nicely this season, coach Kliff Kingsbury may be more apt to throw without his touchdown machine available. Additionally, Rondale Moore is back in the flow now, and he is the type of weapon that can both break a long touchdown or be used on quick throws near the goal-line that turn into touchdowns.
Murray has only reached two touchdown passes in a pair of games this season, but I think he gets there against the Seahawks.
Total Touchdown Yards Over 87.5 (-110)
I legitimately believe there could be seven touchdowns scored in this game, which would give us plenty of chances to accumulate the touchdown yardage.
The defenses have both been pretty bad this season, and the big-play ability of DK Metcalf, Tyler Lockett, Hollywood Brown, Kenneth Walker, Moore and Murray has me feeling like a long touchdown will happen at some point.
The Cardinals have plodded their way down the field a bunch to open the season, but the Seattle defense is a sieve. Geno Smith, meanwhile, has been one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL this year and now gets another favorable matchup against the No. 27 pass defense in the NFL.
Let’s root for some big plays in a game that’s expected to be a shootout.
This week’s record: 1-2
Overall: 32-23
