NFC West Odds: Is It Time for the Cardinals To Panic?
NFC West Odds: Is It Time for the Cardinals To Panic?
The Arizona Cardinals had their NFC West Division lead cut to a single game when they lost outright as short home favorites against the division-rival Los Angeles Rams last week. Given that the Rams are the team trying to chase the Cardinals down for the division crown, that defeat was not viewed as a major shock by many. Well, Arizona lost again in Week 15. This time, the result completely shocked the NFL betting world.
Sunday saw this season’s last remaining undefeated team lose by double-digits to the last remaining winless team. Ah yes, the season of parity continues! Of course, neither the Cardinals nor the Detroit Lions came into Week 15 still carrying those designations. Even so, they were still separated by a whole nine wins in the NFC standings.
The records proved to be irrelevant on Sunday as the Lions topped the Cardinals 30-12. Oddly enough, Detroit is now a perfect 4-0-1 against Arizona over the last five seasons.
After starting the year 7-0, the Cardinals have now lost three of their last five games. Suddenly, what appeared to be an inevitable coronation as NFC West Division winners has tightened up big time. Needless to say, the most recent NFL betting odds to win the NFC West coming into Week 15 still heavily favored Arizona.
Yeah, there’s certainly not a whole lot of value there, to say the least. While the San Francisco 49ers rightfully remain a longshot seeing how the Cardinals swept the season series against them, the Los Angeles Rams are right back in the race.
The Cardinals have gone from holding a multi-game lead in the NFC West Division to potentially finding themselves tied in the standings with the Rams after Week 15 action. L.A. had its game against the Seattle Seahawks pushed to Tuesday evening.
The Cardinals announced prior to Week 15 that superstar wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins will be shut down until the postseason with a knee injury. That certainly doesn’t help QB Kyler Murray right now. Since returning from an injury of his own, Murray has struggled mightily. In the loss to the Lions, he completed just 23/41 passes and threw his third interception in the last two games.
A quick glance at Arizona’s depth chart prior to the season showed a very top-heavy roster. The Cardinals could ill-afford to lose their biggest stars to injuries, something that has transpired over the past few weeks. While Hopkins is the biggest injury to date, pass-rusher J.J. Watt is also out for the season. As a result, the Cardinals have gone from 7-0 to losing to the lowly Lions. At the current NFL betting odds, the Rams are the most attractive bet to win the NFC West Division.
NFC West Division Odds
| Team | Current Record | Odds | Implied Probability | Player | MVP Odds |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arizona Cardinals | 10-4 | -200 | 66.7% | ||
| Los Angeles Rams | 9-4 | +175 | 36.4% | ||
| San Francisco 49ers | 8-6 | +3300 | 2.9% | ||
| Jonathan Taylor | +1600 |
Henry has had a passion for sports that few can match for as long as he can remember. What started out as a five-year-old taking interest in the New York Jets and their green jerseys has since become a full-fledged career as a writer and sports betting analyst. His coverage primarily includes the NFL, MLB, NBA, NASCAR, college football, and college basketball. In 2020, he ranked among the top-10 most accurate experts ATS in the BettingPros NFL season contest. You can follow Henry’s sports work on Twitter and other social media platforms @HankTimeSports.