Kansas City Chiefs vs. Arizona Cardinals Betting Preview

Friday night will feature an AFC vs. NFC matchup of Western division teams as the Kansas City Chiefs (1-0) take on the Arizona Cardinals (1-0). The Cardinals will host this one at State Farm Stadium, with kickoff scheduled for 8:00 pm ET.

Both of these teams won their preseason opener by the exact same score, 19-16.

For the Kansas City Chiefs, they were able to beat the San Francisco 49ers. In the win, Patrick Mahomes had very little action, but Chad Henne was able to throw for a touchdown while Anthony Gordon (79 yards) and Shane Buechele (76 yards) both got some work in. Buechele did pick up a touchdown on the ground as he rushed for 13 yards.

For the Arizona Cardinals, Chris Streveler (107 yards) and Colt McCoy (69 yards) got the work under center. On the ground, Eno Benjamin rushed for a touchdown and 50 yards on just five carries. Streveler also got some work with his feet picking up 55 yards on 10 carries.

The Chiefs are the favorites Friday despite playing on the road. They are -160 to win while the Cardinals’ moneyline sits at +135. The spread features the Cardinals +3 (-110), and the over/under for total points is 41 (-110).

By The Numbers

Last season, the Chiefs were the better of the two teams offensively. They ranked sixth, averaging 28.5 points per game. The Cardinals ranked 14th, averaging 25.6 points.

On defense, it was once again the Chiefs with the advantage. They ranked 10th in scoring defense, allowing just 22.8 points per game to opponents. The Cardinals were just a couple of spots behind them at 12th, allowing 22.9 points.

Current Season Odds

Kansas City is currently the favorite to win the AFC West (-290) and to win the AFC (+250). The Cardinals are +600 to win the NFC West (worst odds in the division) and +1800 to win the NFC.

In terms of winning the Super Bowl, the Chiefs are the favorites to win Super Bowl LVI with odds of +500. The Cardinals are +4800 to win it all this season.

Chiefs Look To Stay Hot On The Road

After losing to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers last season, the Chiefs are on a quest to return as Super Bowl champions. Despite just being a preseason game, that quest continues Friday.

Kansas City is 11-1 straight up in their last 12 games. With such a superior road record, it is no wonder they are favorites despite being the road team. While he only threw two passes last week, expect Mahomes to get a little more work this week. He still will probably not play in the second half, but it wouldn’t be surprising to see him get a few series.

Last season, Mahomes threw for 4,740 yards, 38 touchdowns, and just six interceptions. He also rushed 62 times for 308 yards and another couple of scores.

Will Cardinals’ Unleash Offensive Weapons?

After not playing at all in their first week’s matchup, Cardinals’ fans are anxiously awaiting to see their offensive weapons on full display Friday. Like the Chiefs, they will probably not play long, but Kyler Murray, DeAndre Hopkins, AJ Green, and bshould see some action.

For Murray, he is coming off of a season where he threw for 3,971 yards, 26 touchdowns, and 12 interceptions. He also rushed 16 times for 133 yards and 11 touchdowns.

At wide receiver, AJ Green will be joining Hopkins as a veteran wide receiving option for Murray. Last season, Green caught 47 passes for 523 yards and two scores with the Cincinnati Bengals. While the 33-year-old is no longer the player he once was, if he can stay healthy, it is still a big acquisition for the offensive unit.

Hopkins enjoyed a lot of success in his first year with Arizona. As Murray’s primary target, he caught 115 passes for 1,407 yards and six scores.

James Conner is also in his first year with the Cardinals after starting his career with the Pittsburgh Steelers. He will return to action after just coming off the COVID-19 list. Last season, Conner rushed 169 times for 721 yards and six scores.

Take Arizona And The Points

This is an interesting matchup as Arizona could be one of the surprise teams in the NFL this season. With many of their starters getting reps, they could steal this one from the Chiefs. Furthermore, while the Chiefs are just trying to stay healthy ahead of the regular season, there are a lot of Cardinals’ players still playing for their NFL lives.

With the extra motivation and playing at home, taking the Cardinals +3 at home isn’t a bad gamble.