The Arizona Cardinals put Kyler Murray’s contract drama to bed before the start of training camp, paying $230 million to shoo that dark cloud away from the 2022 season.
The Cardinals’ upcoming campaign is far from devoid of drama, however. Top receiver DeAndre Hopkins is suspended for the first six games due to PED use and the defense lost two impactful leaders this offseason.
The NFC West got a little weaker with the departure of Russell Wilson, and Arizona’s NFL odds have it on the cusp of another double-digit win season and playoff appearance. We dig into how things will go down in the desert with our Arizona Cardinals 2022 betting preview.
Arizona Cardinals futures odds
| To win Super Bowl | +4,000 |
| To win conference | +2,000 |
| To win division | +400 |
| Season Win Total O/U | 9.0 (Under -145) |
| To Make Playoffs | Yes +105 / No -125 |
Best futures bet: Under 9 wins (-145)
You can find this win total down to 8.5 at many mainstream books, and really, this season-long futures bet will be won and lost in the first three weeks of play. If the Cardinals can avoid a 0-3 start versus KC, Vegas, and L.A. — even going 1-2 in those first three games — the door is open for nine wins. Arizona is, of course, without DeAndre Hopkins for the opening six weeks, and we saw just how much he’s missed with the Cardinals going 8-2 SU with NUK and 3-5 SU without (yes, Kyler Murray missed time/played hurt in that span) last year.
A rough stretch of schedule to finish off the regular season may doom anyone getting involved with the Over on Arizona’s win total. The Cardinals, who are notorious for stumbling down the stretch, play three of their final four games on the road and that lone homestand is against Tom Brady and the Bucs.
Arizona Cardinals betting overview
What will win bets: Early overreaction
Arizona has one hell of an opening schedule, and it wouldn’t shock me to see this team start 0-3 considering it hosts Kansas City, visits Las Vegas, and hosts the L.A. Rams to begin 2022. A potential slow start would be a major shift in gears for a team that has started so hot the past two years, and the absence of Hopkins would also add to the opinion that the sky is falling in the desert.
Ahh, there’s no overreaction quite like September overreaction in the NFL. From there, the oddsmakers’ ratings for Arizona will shift and public perception of the Cardinals could sway some of those tighter spreads on the upcoming schedule. Arizona follows that nasty three-game stretch with winnable games at Carolina, vs. Philadelphia, at Seattle, vs. New Orleans, at Minnesota, and vs. Seattle — all of which have current spreads that range from Cardinals -7 to +2. A possible slow start could turn out cash for Cardinals backers come October. So, stay tuned…
What will lose bets: Passive Pass Rush
The loss of linebacker Chandler Jones in free agency could really hit the Cardinals hard. This defense did a number on rival passers in 2021, registering 41 sacks with a pressure rate of 25.9% behind Vance Joseph’s blitz-heavy approach (fourth highest blitz percentage at 33.6%).
There’s talk that Joseph will dial up the extra pass rushers to 11 in order to make up for the loss of Jones, as well as LB Jordan Hicks, after the team didn’t bring in any new talents to fill those gaps. Arizona is looking internally for other linebackers to step up, but the defensive line isn’t great and the Cardinals find themselves up against a number of top offensive lines in their biggest games of the year.
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Arizona Cardinals game-by-game odds
The Cardinals have an interesting schedule in terms of how you peel back the onion. Standard strength of schedule (based on last year’s results) hands over the second-hardest slate in the NFL, and it is a doozy: with 10 games against teams that made the playoffs last year.
That has Arizona pegged as a favorite in just seven games, with one pick’em on the board (vs. Bolts in Week 12), putting forth a projection of 7.5 wins versus a win total as high as nine at some books. However, my QB SOS — which breaks down the schedule in terms of quarterback competition — ranks the Cardinals’ 2022 calendar at No. 17.
And while Arizona trades in a home game for a neutral-site showdown with San Francisco in Mexico City, it plays many of its toughest non-divisional foes inside State Farm Stadium (KC, PHI, NOLA, LAC, NE, TBY) and is either a short favorite or short dog in those contests. That said, this team is just 3-6-1 SU and 3-7 ATS between -3 and +3 at home since Kliff Kingsbury took over in 2019.
| 1 | vs. Kansas City | +3 | 53 |
| 2 | @ Las Vegas | +2.5 | 51 |
| 3 | vs. L.A. Rams | +2 | 50.5 |
| 4 | @ Carolina | -2.5 | 48.5 |
| 5 | vs. Philadelphia | -2.5 | 49.5 |
| 6 | @ Seattle | -3 | 46.5 |
| 7 | vs. New Orleans | -3 | 47 |
| 8 | @ Minnesota | +2 | 49.5 |
| 9 | vs. Seattle | -7 | 46.5 |
| 10 | @ L.A. Rams | +5.5 | 51 |
| 11 | vs. San Francisco (Mexico) | +1.5 | 48 |
| 12 | vs. L.A. Chargers | PK | 51 |
| 13 | BYE | ||
| 14 | vs. New England | -3 | 49 |
| 15 | @ Denver | +3.5 | 48.5 |
| 16 | vs. Tampa Bay | +3 | 52 |
| 17 | @ Atlanta | -5.5 | 49 |
| 18 | @ San Francisco | +3 | 46.5 |
Arizona Cardinals pro betting insights
Hitman, professional bettor (@Hitman428)
Down on Arizona compared to market. The Murray film study talk concerns me, as does the Hopkins suspension. Arizona also has arguably the league’s worst corner situation.
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