Las Vegas Raiders vs. Arizona Cardinals Prediction, Pick, and Odds: Can Davante Adams Shine Again in Week 2?
Las Vegas Raiders vs. Arizona Cardinals Prediction, Pick, and Odds: Can Davante Adams Shine Again in Week 2?
In Week 1, we learned a lot about how each NFL team measures up to the rest of the field. Arizona hosted Kansas City, and it was not a great showing for the home team. The Chiefs put up 44 points on the road, with Patrick Mahomes returning to MVP form. The Cardinals offered next to no resistance from a defensive standpoint — even if you take their opponent into account, the defensive effort was lacking. The point total could have been worse, had the Chiefs not taken their foot off the gas in the fourth quarter.
Meanwhile, the Raiders visited the Chargers, the team that they eliminated from the playoff race in the final game of the 2021 regular season. The Chargers held a two-score lead for a large portion of the game, with the Raiders cutting the lead to five late in the fourth quarter. As a whole, it was a disappointing performance by Las Vegas's offense — Derek Carr threw three interceptions, and the offense (spare for Davante Adams) seemed out of sync for most of the game.
So, what should we expect when the Cardinals visit the Raiders on Sunday? I think that it's likely to be a high-scoring affair, due to the lack of talent on each team's secondary and the quality of both passing offenses. Here are our picks, predictions, and odds for this weekend's matchup between the Cardinals and the Raiders.
Raiders vs Cardinals Start Time, Where to Watch, and Odds
- Date: September 18, 2022
- Game Time: 4:25 pm ET
- Where to Watch: CBS
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Las Vegas Raiders vs. Arizona Cardinals Prediction
Despite the fact that the Raiders were held to 19 points against the Chargers, Las Vegas's offense is primed for a big week against Arizona. As a baseline, the unit did move the ball with some success in Week 1, scoring points on four of their 11 drives. Two things killed their offense in key spots: interceptions and sacks.
The three interceptions cannot be excused — Carr had a poor outing, and he'll need to bounce back in Week 2. However, the six sacks that the Raiders allowed were largely a function of the Chargers' elite front. The Cardinals' pass rushers are much, much worse. Expect the Raiders to string long drives together with consistency on Sunday.
The other reason that Las Vegas will be able to move the ball with ease is that Arizona has an abysmal secondary. My model has it as the third-worst in the league, which is a far cry from the high-caliber Chargers secondary that the Raiders' passing offense faced in Week 1. The Chiefs exposed this weakness — Mahomes completed 30 of 39 passes for 360 yards and five touchdowns.
The game proved that none of the Cardinals' cornerbacks are capable of holding their own against strong aerial weapons. Unfortunately for them, the Raiders have plenty of those. In Week 1, superstar receiver Davante Adams posted 10 catches for 141 yards and a touchdown. He's in line for another strong outing. Hunter Renfrow should bounce back after being rendered a non-factor by LA, and Darren Waller remains one of the league's premier aerial threats at tight end. If Las Vegas's line can hold up, the offense as a whole could be in for a huge day.
I also expect Arizona to build on their Week 1 performance from an offensive standpoint. The Raiders' defense is unspectacular, and it will be vulnerable to the vertical attacks that the Cardinals were unable to execute against the Chiefs. Kyler Murray didn't have a bad game, but he was limited to the short passing game because of how well KC executed their defensive game plan. The Raiders lack the defensive personnel to limit the Cardinals in a comparable way — Arizona should put up a reasonably high point total on Sunday.
The total for this game was hovering around 52 on release and has since been hammered down to 51.5. I think there's a good chance that it will rise again before game time, closing around 52 or even 52.5. This game has shootout potential, and the market hasn't sufficiently priced that in.
Las Vegas Raiders vs. Arizona Cardinals Pick
Pick: Cardinals/Raiders Over 51.5 (+105) (Bet $105 to win $100)