Arizona Cardinals vs New England Patriots Betting Preview
Monday night, the 6-6 Patriots travel to the desert to take on the 4-8 Cardinals in an interconference showdown. Will the Patriots get themselves back in the Wild Card race? Sportsmemo NFL handicapper Eric Pauly shares his thoughts and makes a free, expert New England Patriots vs Arizona Cardinals betting pick!
Arizona Cardinals vs New England Patriots Week 14 Betting Odds
Monday, December 12 | Week 14 NFL Betting Notes |
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Point Spread: | Arizona Cardinals +2 vs New England Patriots |
Total: | o/u 43.5 Points |
Location: | State Farm Stadium in Glendale, AZ |
Game Time: | 8:15pm ET / 5:15pm PT (Odds Above Courtesy of DraftKings) |
TV: | ESPN |
Arizona Cardinals vs New England Patriots Betting Analysis
The Patriots are a fringe playoff team and find themselves in a must-win situation on Monday night. If New England can pull off the win, the Patriots will be firmly in the AFC playoff picture.
On the other hand, after a playoff appearance last year, the Cardinals are one of the worst teams in the NFC. Arizona has been in disarray in all facets of the game, and this is one of the most disappointing teams in the NFL.
Patriots Puttering Out On Offense
The Patriots season has been an actual roller coaster. Their defense has feasted on bad teams, their offense has struggled to get it going all year long, and New England has had more gaffes on special teams and defense than a Belichick-coached team is used to.
On offense, the Patriots are borderline broken. The offensive coaches in New England are not getting the job done, and this unit is one-dimensional and lacks creativity. New England is 19th in points, 24th in yards, 12th in net yards per attempt, and 26th in yards per attempt on the ground.
On a per-drive basis, this offense is 20th in time, 29th in plays, 26th in yards, and 23rd in points. This team struggles mightily on third down, and they are last in red zone offense. It is hard to win when you struggle to convert in the most important areas of the field, which is due to bad play designs and schemes.
The Patriots’ defense has been on a roller coaster this season. When playing bad teams with bad quarterbacks, this defense is one of the best in the NFL. However, when there is a step up in competition, this defense has holes.
New England has struggled against running QBs all year, and tonight, they get one in Kyler. This is a weird situation. Kyler is bad, but his mobility can hurt New England.
Considering what Justin Fields and Lamar Jackson did to this defense this season, it is tough to project how this will work out. New England may be hoping that Arizona is more incompetent than them.
If New England’s defense can adjust to a running QB, there is no shot they lose this football game. However, them making those adjustments is not a given.
Cardinals Can’t Get It Together
The Cardinals’ disaster of a season will be on national TV tonight, and the year can’t get much worse for Arizona. They can play spoiler to the Patriots season, but there is no shot this Cardinals team makes the postseason.
The Cardinals’ offense does well holding the ball and getting off plays, but what they do not do is move the ball and score points. The Cardinals are last in net yards per attempt, 19th in yards per attempt on the ground, 20th in yards, and 17th in points this season.
On a per-drive basis, this offense is 7th in time, 2nd in plays, 18th in yards, and 21st in points. Colt McCoy has played better than Murray has, and Murray’s 6.1 yards per attempt leaves a lot to be desired. This offense is 8th in the red zone but 24th on third down percentage this season.
The Cardinals’ defense has been just as bad as its offense this season. Arizona is last in points allowed and 21st in yards allowed.
The team has allowed the second most touchdown passes, and they are last in red zone defense and 28th in third-down defense. On a per-drive basis, the Cardinals’ defense is 9th in time, 11th in plays, 20th in yards, and 31st in points.
The Cardinals have a few fundamental issues that are not easy to overcome, and as a result, this is one of the worst teams in the NFL.
Arizona Cardinals vs New England Patriots Prediction
While I’m not in love with what New England does on offense, I find it hard to back the Cardinals in any situation. The Cardinals are abysmal when playing at home, and given the state of this locker room and how Kyler Murray plays, I do not think they can pull off a win today.
However, it is seriously concerning how bad New England’s defense is against rushing quarterbacks. This is the biggest storyline of the game tonight. I will give the edge to one of the best coaches in NFL history, and I expect New England to have made the necessary adjustments to pull off an outright win.
Play: New England Patriots Moneyline (-130)
Opening Line Report | NFL Week 14
Listen to Teddy Covers and Drew Martin every Monday during the NFL season as they preview opening lines for next week’s games. This past Monday they previewed Arizona Cardinals vs New England Patriots in Week 14 among other games giving their expert betting analysis.
NFL Odds Board
WagerTalk’s Live Odds Screen features up-to-the-minute lines from a variety of offshore and domestic sports books. Track the NFL point spreads, totals and betting percentages for all of the Week 14 games, including this Arizona Cardinals vs New England Patriots showdown, from your desktop or phone.
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Meet the Author
Eric Pauly, @slimeaction on Twitter, graduated from Binghamton University with a degree in Finance. Eric is a die-hard Washington Commanders and New York Knicks fan and enjoys watching and writing about the NFL, NBA and MLB. His favorite gambling movements include hitting a +1000 future on Washington to win the NFC East in 2020 and predicting Jonathan Taylor’s breakout season with a +900 ticket for him to win the 2021 NFL rushing title. Aside from the sports betting industry, and making a brilliant Cleveland Browns vs Los Angeles Chargers betting pick, Eric also enjoys good eats, dynasty fantasy football leagues, daily fantasy sports and playing the guitar.
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