New England Patriots at Arizona Cardinals Betting Preview
Monday Night Football pits two teams who came into the season with playoff aspirations but have fallen short thus far, in the New England Patriots (6-6) and the Arizona Cardinals (4-8). The Cardinals will host this one at State Farm Stadium, with kickoff scheduled for 8:15 pm ET.
New England comes into this one having lost two in a row, including a 24-10 loss to Buffalo last week. In the loss, Mac Jones threw for just 195 yards and a touchdown. Rhamondre Stevenson led the ground game with ten rushes for 54 yards.
Arizona has also lost two in a row, including a 25-24 loss to the Chargers the last time out. Kyler Murray threw for 191 yards, two touchdowns, and an interception in the defeat. He also rushed for 56 yards and a score.
The Patriots are slight favorites in this one as the road team. They are -120 to win, while the Cardinals’ moneyline sits at +102. The spread features Arizona +1.5 (-110), and the over/under for total points is 43.5.
Patriots Look To Get Back Over .500
After losing their last two games, the Patriots come into this one 6-6, good for last in the AFC East. At 3-3, both at home and the road, they have at least been consistent in their mediocrity. Still, Bill Belichick and the gang will look to get back over .500 on the season as they take on the Cardinals in primetime.
Quarterback Mac Jones will try to get the Patriots’ 20th-ranked offense going Monday. Currently, they are averaging 20.8 points (22.3 on the road).
For Jones, he has thrown for 1,963 yards, seven touchdowns, and seven interceptions in nine games played. His favorite target to date has been Jakobi Meyers, who has 50 receptions for 593 yards and three scores.
On the ground, Rhamondre Stevenson has done most of the heavy lifting for the Patriots. He has 161 rushes for 734 yards and four touchdowns. He also has 56 receptions for 383 yards and another score.
The defense is what keeps the Patriots in games. They currently rank seventh overall, allowing just 18.8 points per game to opponents (21 on the road).
Cardinals Have To Improve At Home
On the road, the Cardinals have a respectable record at 3-2. It is at State Farm Stadium where they have the problems. Coming into Monday night’s game, they are just 1-6 as the home team.
Defensively, they have been one of the worst teams in the NFL. They currently rank 31st overall, allowing 26.8 points per game to opponents (27.9 at home).
On offense, they are in the middle of the pack as they rank 16th, averaging 22 points per game.
Leading the offense under center is quarterback Kyler Murray. In 10 games, he has thrown for 2,359 yards, 14 touchdowns, and seven interceptions. He has also rushed for 415 yards and another three scores.
Coming off of their bye week, the team’s wide receiving group should be a bit more healthy, giving Murray some viable options like DeAndre Hopkins and Marquise Brown.
Take New England To Win On The Road
It is hard to trust either of these teams right now, but in a matchup of inconsistency, I will take the defense.
In this case, that means taking New England and their top-10 defense against a team in Arizona that has just struggled to get it figured out, which has led to emotions starting to boil over.
It should also help New England’s poor offense that they are going against an even worst defense.
It might not be the prettiest of games, but take New England to win straight up (-120).
