Arizona Cardinals (-3) at Seattle Seahawks, Total 43 |
Arizona was just a point away from being 2-0 this season, dropping a 22-21 contest to the Washington Redskins as 4.5-point road underdogs. Cardinals betting are 2-0 against-the-spread this year, but have been out-gained in both contests by a combined 214 yards.
It’s been a tough go for the defense through two weeks, giving up 422 yards to a rookie quarterback in the season opener, while surrendering 291 yards and two touchdowns to Washington’s Rex Grossman a week ago.
“There a lot of mistakes we are making,” commented Cardinals safety Kerry Rhodes. “It’s kind of mind-boggling.”
Offensively, the trade to acquire quarterback Kevin Kolb seems to be working out, as he’s thrown for 560 passing yards in the first two contests. He has also been careful with the football in throwing four touchdowns and just a single interception.
He will be going up against a defense that has surrendered 437 yards through the air this season and has yet to force a turnover. It will likely be a day spent in the air for the offense, especially in targeting wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald.
The NFL betting odds have placed the Cardinals as a road favorite, as the team is 5-10 ATS in that role the last two years.
Seattle has been outscored by a 57-17 margin in dropping the first two games of the season, failing to cover as six and 13.5-point road underdogs versus the 49ers and Steelers respectively. The team has been out-gained by 247 yards on the season.
One of the main story lines in this game will be the fact that Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll was interested in acquiring Kolb during the preseason, but ultimately stuck with having Tarvaris Jackson. “We looked at him two years ago, so we’ve watched him very carefully and he’s shown the ability to make big plays,” stated Carroll in practice this week.
This will be the 25th regular-season meeting between the two sides, as the Seahawks have tallied an 11-13 mark, winning both contests a year ago, including a 22-10 win in Seattle as 6.5-point home favorites.
Getting something going on the ground is a priority in practice this week, as the team ranks last in the league in averaging 47.5 rushing yards per game. Starting tailback Marshawn Lynch has gained just 44 yards on 19 touches.
The Seahawks are 7-19 ATS as an underdog in their last 26 tries, including 2-2 ATS when getting three or less points in front of the home fans.
When making your NFL picks this weekend, it’s important to note that Seattle betting is 7-3 ATS in this series and the ‘over’ is 10-4 in the last 14 meetings overall.
