The Denver Broncos (2-4) travel to Arizona to take on the Cardinals (1-5) as Week 7 begins this Thursday night (8:20 p.m., FOX). Many casual NFL fans will probably tune out, but there appears to be a great wagering opportunity in this one. Oddsmakers have installed Denver as 2.5-point road favorites, while the betting total is listed at 41.5 points.
Arizona has been a league-wide laughingstock, but their backers have been laughing all the way to the bank of late as the Cardinals have covered in three of their last four, with a push occurring on Sunday in a 10-point loss to the Vikings.
David Johnson has struggled for the Cardinals, failing to record a 100-yard game in 13 straight outings, but he draws a great matchup with the Broncos’ league-worst run defense. Isaiah Crowell and Todd Gurley have had career days against Denver’s run stoppers in two straight contests. If Johnson can get going, that will set things up for Josh Rosen, who had his best start under center by yardage in Week 6.
Denver’s offense has been led by their rookie running backs, Phillip Lindsay and Royce Freeman. Case Keenum has had an uneven year as the signal caller, tossing eight INTs compared to just seven TDs. The Broncos’ ground game should get some traction in this one, as the Cardinals are next-to-last in run prevention this year, but Keenum will have to make some throws in order to pull out this road victory. He’ll be up against it in that department, as Arizona has allowed the fifth-fewest passing yards in home games this season. Additionally, the Cardinals’ defense has surrendered just six touchdowns through the air all year, tied for second in the NFL. Keenum will also face a fearsome pass rush, led by Chandler Jones, which has accumulated 16 sacks. That’s the fifth-best mark in the league through six weeks. Denver’s offensive line has already allowed 15 sacks this year, just 19th-best in the game, and lost left guard Ron Leary to a torn Achilles on Sunday.
The Broncos are currently the least-reliable NFL team from a betting standpoint when they play on the road, as they’ve dropped 11 of their last 12 against the spread away from Mile High. Arizona, by contrast, has covered in four of their last five at home. As an underdog, they’re 13-6-1 against the spread in their last 20 home games. The Cardinals are much better than they were when the season began, so take them to cover on Thursday night.
Prediction: Cardinals win, 23-16
You can bet on Cardinals versus Broncos right now at SugarHouse if you are in the state of New Jersey.
The play: Cardinals +2.5
