NFL Monday Night Football: New England Patriots at Arizona Cardinals Betting Preview
State Farm Stadium in Glendale, AZ – 1:15 AM – Tuesday 13th December
Patriots at Cardinals Betting Odds
Patriots to win outright: 4/5 with Betfair
Cardinals to win outright: 21/20 with BetUK
Spread: Patriots -1.5 – 17/20 with 888 Bet | Cardinals +1.5 – 19/20 with 888 Sport
Points Total: 43.5 (Over: 10/11 | Under – 10/11)
Let’s be honest, the majority of people who are massively invested in this matchup are people worried about if they can make it into the fantasy playoffs with some big performances. It’s been rough going for fans of both of these franchises for large swathes of this season, and both are in their own slumps coming into this one. The Patriots have lost their last two and are in desperate need of a win if they are to stay in the playoff hunt at 6-6, while the Cardinals are 4-8, with losses in four of their last five games. Cardinals GM Steve Keim and coach Kliff Kingsbury are clinging on for dear life, and if this season ends badly, they will almost certainly be looking for new jobs in 2023. The Cardinals are coming off a bye week and finally have DeAndre Hopkins, Marquise Brown, James Conner and Kyler Murray all on the field at the same time, which should be a huge plus for them, while the Pats have some injuries, notably Jakobi Meyers officially out and Damien Harris doubtful.
Patriots at Cardinals Picks
Moneyline – Patriots
Spread – Patriots -1.5
Points Total – Under 43.5
Despite the injuries, I’ve gone with the Patriots to win tonight. They’re just a better-coached team from top to bottom and crucially they still have something to play for. This Cardinals team may as well pack it in because they’re essentially playing for draft position at this point. The New England Patriots offence against the Cardinals defence is the most ‘stoppable force vs movable object’ game we’ve seen in a while, and I’m expecting Rhamondre Stevenson to get through a lot of work tonight as he runs through this weak Arizona run defence. Arizona will benefit from having a fully healthy set of skill position players, but the play calling has been so dreadful at times this season that I don’t think it will make a huge amount of difference against a very solid and well-coached Patriots D.
Patriots at Cardinals Prop Bets
Rhamondre Stevenson Anytime Touchdown – 4/6 with bet365
Expect the Patriots to run a lot of their offence through Rhamondre tonight, who could grab this touchdown through the air or on the ground.
Matthew Judon Over 0.5 Sacks – 8/11 with Unibet
One of my favourite picks every time the Patriots have featured in our previews, Judon has had a monster year.
James Conner Over 2.5 Receptions – 27/50 with Betway
Though we saw them give up tons of yardage against the Vikings the last time we previewed the Pats, expect Belichick to have the secondary playing a lot tighter tonight, leading to dump-offs for Conner.
Kyler Murray Under 35.5 Rushing Yards – 5/6 with William Hill
I’d be shocked if containing Kyler Murray isn’t central to the Pats’ plans – expect them to leave a QB spy to account for the threat on the ground.
Mac Jones Over 224.5 Passing Yards – 5/6 with Sky Bet
Jones has shown that in even in low-scoring affairs (see the 10-3 win over the Jets), the Pats can still move the ball through the air.
DeAndre Hopkins Longest Reception Over 23.5 Yards – 5/6 with PaddyPower
Whilst Hopkins will be the main focus of the secondary, expect him still to get his tonight. A big play threat and a weapon in YAC, I really like this pick.
