Cardinals vs. Saints: NFL preseason betting odds, preview, and pick
New Orleans Saints quarterback Jameis Winston passes against the San Francisco 49ers. (Photo by Dan Anderson/Zuma Press/Icon Sportswire)
August 27th, 2021
The Arizona Cardinals and New Orleans Saints will look to make final personnel decisions and get reps for key players in their third and final NFL preseason game Saturday night.
The Saints are favored by four in this game, which is expected to be a low-scoring affair.
This game has been moved to Saturday at noon, as Tropical Storm Ida is expected to impact the Gulf Coast, and could hit Louisiana as a hurricane Sunday.
Cardinals hoping for better offensive performance
Arizona enters the game off a 17-10 defeat to the Kansas City Chiefs, where the Cardinals first-team offense gained negative yards.
Quarterback Kyler Murray was less than impressive, completed just one of his four passes, and was sacked twice.
Kyler Murray took the field vs. the Chiefs for his first preseason action this year, but the Cardinals went three-and-out on all three of his series. https://t.co/knB1t6EzdM
— USA TODAY Sports (@usatodaysports) August 21, 2021
However, Murray will sit out the final game, along with most of the starters on both sides of the ball. That means Colt McCoy should see plenty of snaps, after he completed 13 of his 18 pass attempts for 113 yards and an interception against the Chiefs.
Arizona has one major decision left on offense, and that is on the running back depth chart. Expect plenty of carries for both Eno Benjamin and Jonathan Ward, as they duel for the third running back spot on the roster.
The Saints have found a quarterback
According to Adam Schefter of ESPN, Jameis Winston has beat out Taysom Hill to be the starting quarterback in New Orleans.
Jameis Winston has been named the Saints' starting quarterback and will make his first start for New Orleans on opening day vs. Green Bay Packers, per sources.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) August 27, 2021
In a 23-21 victory over the Jaguars, Winston completed all but one of his 10 pass attempts, for 123 yards and a pair of touchdowns, and he led the Saints to points in two of his three drives.
Hill looked uncomfortable in his dropbacks against Jacksonville, and while his stats were decent, the offense sputtered when he took snaps. He also took far too long to get rid of the football, and he does not have the downfield arm Winston possesses.
Saints vs. Cardinals injury report
| New Orleans Saints | Arizona Cardinals |
|---|
Tre’Quan Smith: Questionable (hamstring) | Rondale Moore: Out (ankle) |
Tommylee Lewis: Out (injured reserve) | Robert Alford: Out (COVID-19 protocol)) |
Alvin Kamara: Doubtful (knee) | Justin Pugh: Out (COVID-19 protocol)) |
Ken Crawley: Out (undisclosed) | Jordan Phillips: Out (undisclosed) |
Cardinals and Saints trends
- The Cardinals are 2-4 SU and ATS in their last six preseason games.
- The Saints are 1-5 ATS in their last six preseason games.
- The Saints are 3-3 SU in their last six preseason games.
- The Under is 5-1 in the Cardinals’ last six preseason games.
- The Under is 4-1 in the Saints’ last five games overall.
The verdict
I expect the New Orleans offense to play well against an Arizona defense that will play few starters, if any, for significant minutes.
The Cardinals should be able to move the ball a bit easier than they did against the Chiefs, but a focus on the run game should make it easier for the Saints to slow them down.
I will ride with the home team, and the Saints will cruise to a comfortable win.
Score Prediction: New Orleans 24, Arizona 13
NFL preseason pick: Saints -4
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