The Arizona Cardinals are looking to start a season 2-0 for a second consecutive year when the Minnesota Vikings head to the desert this Sunday. Arizona sports betting apps are favoring the Cardinals in the Week 2 game.
The Cardinals won their first game since sports betting in Arizona launched Sunday, shellacking the Tennessee Titans in Nashville, 38-13. Arizona was a decided underdog entering that game.
Fast forward a week and the Cardinals are a unanimous favorite to beat the Vikings, with DraftKings Arizona, BetMGM Arizona and FanDuel Arizona all listing the Cardinals at -3.5 (-110) as of Thursday morning.
Arizona NFL betting and Arizona Cardinals betting were in place on Sept. 9 when the NFL kicked off the season.
The two squads will kick off from Glendale’s State Farm Stadium at 1:05 p.m. Arizona time Sunday, with FOX carrying the contest nationally.
Arizona Cardinals to Watch
The Cardinals’ offensive success starts and likely ends with third-year QB Kyler Murray, who entered the 2021 season with the 10th-best odds at winning the NFL MVP award.
The former Heisman Trophy winner lived up to the hype in Week 1, throwing for 289 yards and four touchdowns, while gaining 20 yards with a touchdown on the ground in the 25-point win.
Murray’s connection with All-Pro wideout DeAndre Hopkins was once again on full display in the Music City, with Hopkins snagging six catches for 83 yards and two touchdowns.
Aside from that dynamic duo, the Cardinals will rely on running back Chase Edmonds, who led all players with 63 yards on 12 carries in Week 1.
Defensive coordinator Vance Joseph will look to exploit Minnesota’s offensive line the way he did on Sunday, when the Cardinals had six sacks, with defensive end Chandler Jones setting a franchise record with five sacks in the victory.
The Cardinals will likely have a favorable matchup in the trenches this Sunday as well, as the Vikings surrendered three sacks in a 27-24 overtime loss to the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 1.
Keeping An Eye on Kirk Cousins & Co.
The Vikings lost to the Bengals in Week 1, despite veteran QB Kirk Cousins finishing the day with 351 yards and a pair of touchdowns passing.
Cousins completed 73.5% of his passes in the loss and averaged 7.2 yards per completion for the Vikings.
A big problem for Minnesota’s offense was the lack of a consistent running game. The Vikings finished with 67 rushing yards.
The one-dimensional performance put Cousins and company in a lot of disadvantageous second- and third-down positions, paving the way for Cincinnati to spring an upset as a 3-point underdog, according to Caesars Arizona.
NFL Offers to Keep an Eye On
Several operators, such as Las Vegas-based WynnBET Arizona, have deals in place that involve Murray and the Arizona Cardinals.
WynnBET is offering bettors +100 odds that Murray will score a touchdown of any variety in Sunday’s home clash, with a maximum bet of $20 allowed on the wager.
Others are sure to follow WynnBET’s lead here, though so far, it's the only operator to announce such a deal for Arizona bettors.
You can keep up to date by checking out the Arizona sports betting promos page.
