If you’re fired up about the Arizona Cardinals stellar regular season and you’re looking for reason to back the Cards when they take on Green Bay in their quickly approaching NFC divisional showdown, then you’ve come to the right place.
You see, thanks to this expert NFL betting analysis on why you should bet on the Arizona Cardinals to beat the Green Bay Packers, you’re going to find out just why Arizona holds all the cards (pun intended).
Okay, with kickoff time for this intriguing pairing quickly approaching, let’s get started.
NFL Betting Lines: Green Bay vs. Arizona -7
When: 8:15 PM ET, Saturday, January 16, 2016
Where: University of Phoenix Stadium, Glendale, Arizona
Carson Palmer is Elite!
Even after suffering his second ACL tear a year ago, Carson Palmer is still, clearly elite. The Cardinals’ veteran signal-caller finished fourth in passing yards (4,671 yards), third in quarterback rating (104.6) and tied for second in touchdown passes (35) to earn the second Pro Bowl berth of his career.
Now in his 13th season, Palmer set a career-high in passing yards and TD passes while posting the second-lowest interception percentage of his career.
Why You Should Bet On Arizona’s Underrated Skill Position Players
Now in his 12th season, veteran wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald had a ‘bounce-back’ and Pro Bowl campaign by catching 109 passes for 1,215 yards and nine touchdowns following three straight years of failing to reach the 1,000-yard plateau.
In addition to Fitzgerald, who earned a Pro Bowl berth for his efforts, Arizona has a handful of other very good, if underrated, skill position players. Running back David Johnson stepped in admirably for injured former starter Chris Johnson by rushing for 581 yards and a healthy 4.6 yards per carry average while adding 36 receptions for an additional 457 yards and four scores.
Wide receiver John Brown caught 65 passes for 1,003 yards and seven touchdowns to give Arizona two 1,000 yard receivers while Michael Floyd caught 52 passes for 849 yards and a stellar 16.3 yard per catch average.
The Cards Have A Smothering Defense You Can Bet On
Arizona has an absolutely smothering defense that ranked inside the top 10 in all four major defensive statistical categories, including fifth in total defense (321.7 ypg), eighth against the pass (230.4 ypg), sixth against the run (91.2 ypg) and seventh in points allowed (19.6 ppg).
The Cards had four defensive players earn Pro Bowl berths including cornerbacks Justin Bethel and Patrick Peterson, interior defensive lineman Calais Campbell and free safety Tyrann Mathieu.
Bruce Arians, Arizona Cardinals head coach.
Bruce Arians…Best in the Business?
Bruce Arians has gone 34-14 in three seasons as the head coach of the Cardinals, but he also went 9-3 as the interim head coach in Indianapolis when Chuck Pagano had to take time off because of his bout with cancer.
Arians is beloved by players – and quarterbacks everywhere, including Pittsburgh’s Ben Roethlisberger, Indy’s Andrew Luck and Palmer, just to name a few.
While New England’s Bill Belichick is widely recognized as the best coach in the NFL today, I have absolutely no doubt that Bruce Arians is as elite – and as good – as they come.
ATS Betting Success!
The Cardinals also have plenty of ATS success that suggests they’ll cover the spread against the Pack.
The Cardinals are 4-0 ATS in their last four home playoff games, 15-5-1 ATS in their last 21 games following an ATS loss, 5-2 ATS in their L/7 playoff games and a robust 21-9 ATS in their last 30 games against their NFC counterparts.
Recent History!
Last but not least, Arizona’s 38-8 absolute beatdown of Green Bay in Week 16 as a 6-point road favorite no less should serve as a warning for all Packers fans and betting enthusiasts that believe they can cover the spread as road dogs.
