NFL Picks: Arizona Cardinals at Philadelphia Eagles
Every week I seem to say something about how good the Arizona Cardinals are. By now, you’re probably tired of me repeating something about Carson Palmer bringing balance to a team with great receivers, solid running back depth, and great coaching. It’s getting boring to write about how this aggressive secondary leads an exciting and capable defense. We say every week that the Arizona Cardinals are one of the best teams infootball… and it’s true.
The Philadelphia Eagles scare me here because their season is on the line. They’re home, it’s cold, and the Eagles have been a little better of late. They’re home dogs, which tends to mean there’s value. On national television, they might show up here in a big way. Vegas is betting on a cover here, despite a -3.5 spread, with 75% of the money coming in on the Cardinals and 81% of the money line. That’s another trap.
That said, I don’t see how the Eagles will move the ball. Even if the weather bothers the Cardinals, which I don’t think it will, and even if the crowd makes a difference, this Eagles offense is inconsistent. I think these corners will hawk mediocre Eagles receivers and DeMarco Murray hasn’t been a good fit in this system. The Eagles offense with a backup quarterback will make mistakes tonight.
I think the Arizona Cardinals show up and cover the spread. I also like a teaser to +3.5 in case Philly can keep this one close. The computer sees 5-star underdog value on the Eagles and a 76% chance for a cover, but the Cardinals are 66% favorites to win. To me, there’s enough conflict in the algorithm to ignore some of the more ominous signs here and move forward on the better team.
Cardinals 31 – Eagles 20
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