If you had your money on Kliff Kingsbury being the first coach fired you unfortunately lost that bet. But the way things are going for the underachieving Arizona Cardinals his departure could be imminent. The Cards look to end a two-game losing streak and win at home for the first time when they entertain the New Orleans Saints in the Week 7 edition of Thursday Night Football.
Both clubs are in desperate need of a win sitting at 2-4, but they are still within striking distance of division leaders just a game off the pace. Oddsmakers expect a tight one with the Cards pegged as a 1-point favorite on the opening NFL betting line.
The Week 7 Thursday Night Football contest between the New Orleans Saints and Arizona Cardinals will take place at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, AZ at 8:15 p.m. ET on October 20, 2022 and will be shown on Prime Video.
NFL Week 7 Odds | Saints vs Cardinals
New Orleans Saints +1
Arizona Cardinals -1
Over/Under 45.5
Odds Analysis
The opening line isn’t much of a surprise with the Cards sitting as a 1-point home favorite as they look to end an eight-game overall home losing streak. They were 0-7 ATS during the first seven games of that skid until covering the 5.5-point line in a 20-17 loss to Philadelphia in Week 5. The Saints led the favored Bengals for most of Sunday’s game before Cincinnati rallied for nine points in the final four minutes to hand New Orleans a 30-26 defeat and their first cover loss in three games. With significant injuries to key offensive performers, the Saints still cashed the OVER for a third straight game and for the fourth time overall. As a result the opening total of 45.5 is the largest in any Saints game this season.
New Orleans Saints
As we always say injuries are a part of the game, but the Saints are dealing with a number of them at the same time. There’s a possibility that Jameis Winston returns for Thursday’s showdown after missing the previous three contests allowing veteran Andy Dalton to take command. Both have 1-2 records in their three starting assignments, though Dalton was hindered in the passing game with receivers Michael Thomas, Jarvis Landry and Chris Olave all out of the lineup last week. As a result the Saints managed only 171 yards through the air.
There is a risk/reward factor when deciding between the QBs. Winston has a stronger arm and is more agile, but he’s tossed five interceptions in his starts. Dalton has been intercepted once in his 84 pass attempts. The passing game will continue to sputter with the top receivers out meaning Alvin Kamara becomes an even bigger part of the equation. Kamara ran for 99 yards and the Saints totaled 228 yards on the ground against the Bengals. Despite the injuries the offense averages over 382 yards and 23.5 points and would be better if not for leading the NFL with 13 giveaways.
Arizona Cardinals
Kyler Murray is making a lot of money to produce at a much higher level than he has so far this season. And you’d expect the unit to score at least one touchdown against a Seattle defense that is far from the best in the NFL. But the perplexing saga of the Cardinals offense continued on Sunday when Murray failed to lead the offense into the end zone for the second time already this season in a 19-9 loss to the Seahawks. Arizona matched its second-lowest point total in the Kingsbury era and they’ve yet to score 30 points after tallying at least that many nine times last season.
While it’s not all Murray’s fault he’ll take most of the blame as the engineer. He threw for 222 yards on Sunday and has more than 250 passing yards in only two games. He’s also tossed a pick in three straight contests. Since their dramatic OT comeback win over the Raiders in Week 2, the Cards are averaging just 16 points while cashing the UNDER in five straight games. Marquise Brown exited Sunday’s game with an injury prompting the team to acquire Robbie Anderson from Carolina. And we could see DeAndre Hopkins back with his suspension over.
Saints vs Cardinals Predictions
No matter how you slice it Murray is a threat and will give the Saints problems with his mobility. The absence of Hopkins hurt since there seemed to be great chemistry with him and Murray last season and he’ll bring something to the offense that’s been missing. Neither team has been strong on defense, giving me confidence to back the OVER. And honestly I’m not sold on the Saints’ QB rotation no matter who starts. I’ll lay the point and take the Cards to end their home slide.
Prediction: Arizona Cardinals -1 and OVER 45.5
