Kliff Kingsbury and was thought to be a hot commodity this season after a fast start. Kingsburgy went 5-10-1 in his first season after being hired with a losing record as a college head coach (a much-criticized move), but was given a pass as a first-year coach with first-year quarterback Kyler Murray. In his second season, Arizona had jumped into a playoff position and even took down the red-hot Buffalo Bills thanks to a miracle play from Murray and newly-acquired DeAndre Hopkins (dubbed the “Hail Murray”).
The wheels fell off the wagon in the final quarter of the season and the Cardinals missed out on the playoffs behind an 8-8 record. Almost as inexcusable was their Week 17 loss to the Rams, who started a quarterback with no NFL snaps under his belt. All of a sudden, the hot commodity is under fire and wearing his stay in Arizona thin. While he’s likely bought himself another year in Phoenix, Year 3 is vital to Kingsbury and Murray alike. Their upcoming offseason will be one to keep an eye on as to what the Cardinals plan to do to make the playoff jump.
They have a bunch of contracts to deal with upcoming, including stars Patrick Peterson, Kenyan Drake, and Haason Reddick. With plenty more players set to enter free agency, fans better hope against a mass exodus of the Cardinals while also hoping for a new-look team in 2021.
Arizona Cardinals odds
Cardinals futures odds
Cardinals Super Bowl odds
The Arizona Cardinals were eliminated from the NFC playoffs in Week 17.
Cardinals NFC West odds
The Arizona Cardinals have been eliminated from the NFC West race.
Arizona Cardinals 2020 schedule and betting odds
| Week | Date (Time) | Opponent | Opening Spread |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sunday, Sep. 13 (4:25 p.m. ET) | at San Francisco | 49ers -8.5 |
| 2 | Sunday, Sep. 20 (4:05 p.m. ET) | vs. Washington | Cardinals -6.5 |
| 3 | Sunday, Sep. 27 (4:05 p.m. ET) | vs. Detroit | TBD |
| 4 | Sunday, Oct. 4 (1 p.m. ET) | at Carolina | TBD |
| 5 | Sunday, Oct. 11 (1 p.m. ET) | at NY Jets | Jets -1 |
| 6 | Monday, Oct. 19 (8:15 p.m. ET) | at Dallas | TBD |
| 7 | Sunday, Oct. 25 (4:05 p.m. ET) | vs. Seattle | TBD |
| 8 | BYE | ||
| 9 | Sunday, Nov. 8 (4:25 p.m. ET) | vs. Miami | TBD |
| 10 | Sunday, Nov. 15 (4:05 p.m. ET) | vs. Buffalo | TBD |
| 11 | Thursday, Nov. 19 (8:20 p.m. ET) | at Seattle | TBD |
| 12 | Sunday, Nov. 29 (1 p.m. ET) | at New England | Patriots -5.5 |
| 13 | Sunday, Dec. 6 (4:05 p.m. ET) | vs. LA Rams | TBD |
| 14 | Sunday, Dec. 13 (1 p.m. ET) | at NY Giants | Giants -1.5 |
| 15 | Sunday, Dec. 20 (4:05 p.m. ET) | vs. Philadelphia | Eagles -1.5 |
| 16 | Sunday, Dec. 27 (TBA) | vs. San Francisco | TBD |
| 17 | Sunday, Jan. 3 (4:25 p.m. ET) | at LA Rams | TBD |
How to bet on the Arizona Cardinals
Futures
The Cardinals don’t have much of a futures market quite yet for this year, but the future is bright. To be clear, NFL futures bets refer to season-long propositions on which team will win a Super Bowl, conference, or division.
Sportsbooks also offer props on how many wins a given team will record; the Cardinals number sits at 7 with -110 odds at DraftKings Sportsbook). If Arizona wins 8 or more games, a $20 bet on the Cardinals to go over that total would pay out $38.50. If the Cardinals win exactly 7 games an over or under bet would be returned.
Moneyline
There are many ways to bet on the Cardinals during the regular season, including a moneyline bet on their individual games. The moneyline is a way to pick the winner regardless of their margin of victory. The Cards were underdogs in 15 of their 16 games last season, and there were some really good payouts in the five instances they won as underdogs. The biggest payout came in Week 16 when the Cards were +322 on the moneyline at Seattle. They won, 27-13, and a $10 bet on the moneyline would have paid out $42.20.
Point spread
The Cardinals were also pretty good in terms of covering the point spread. These spreads are usually set around a key number (3, 7, or 10 points in the NFL) to inspire action on either side of the line. Arizona was listed as an underdog by 7 or more points 6 times last season and went 3-1-2 ATS in those games. They tied the point spread twice by losing, 36-26, to the 49ers when they were listed as +10 and losing by 7 (31-24) in their season finale when they were +7 at the Rams.
Total (over/under)
All NFL games also have an assigned point total based on the expected final score between the two teams. Cardinals games usually range between 44 and 52 points with their highest total last year set at 52.5 in a home game against Atlanta. The Cardinals won that contest, 34-33, for a combined total of 67 and a cashed ticket for bettors who took the Over. Sometimes the point total is set on a whole number, such as 49, and occasionally the total will hit that number exactly, resulting in a push. But usually games go Over or Under the total, and the Cardinals fast pace of play should lead to more possessions, more points, and more games going Over.
Prop bets
Markets on the performance of individual players are called proposition bets and there is already a market for Kyler Murray’s performance at DraftKings Sportsbook. Look for the tab called “Player Totals” and you can find a prop bet for Murray’s total passing yards this season at 3,950.5 yards (-110 odds). The same odds apply to Murray tossing Over or Under 24.5 TD passes this season. If you take the Over and Murray throws at least 25 TD passes (he threw 22 last year), a $10 bet would pay out $18.
Parlays and teasers
Bettors can combine wagers during the NFL season using advanced techniques called parlays and teasers. A parlay combines multiple bets into one wager with multiplied odds, but it’s risky since the parlay will pay nothing if even one of those bets fails to cash. You can combine the point spread, moneyline, and point total on the same game or multiple games to find the combination in which you are most confident.
If you’re still not confident enough in the parlay, you can change it to a teaser, which moves the point spreads and totals in a favorable direction to increase the margin of error. All bets still have to cash for a teaser to be successful, but the odds are much greater when a team that was favored by -2.5 has been “teased” to a +4.5 underdog. The payouts are smaller than a parlay because of that movement.
Cardinals 2019 recap
Record: 5-10-1
ATS: 9-5-2
After opening the year with a rare tie against Detroit, the Cardinals went into a bit of a freefall with nine losses over their next 12 games. Those who believe in moral victories will point to Arizona giving the mighty Ravens a close game, edging the Falcons in October, and only losing 28-25 to the conference champion 49ers on Halloween. Arizona closed the year with a win over Cleveland and a spoiling road win at Seattle before dropping the finale at the Rams. They finished well behind the rest of the NFC West with a 5-10-1 record.
Stud CB Patrick Peterson was suspended for Arizona’s first six games and the Cardinals secondary never recovered, finishing 27th in DVOA pass defense. They were solid in rush defense, but still finished dead last in yards allowed and time of possession allowed per drive. The fast pace of Kingsbury’s offense certainly didn’t help, as the Cardinals offense finished 29th in time of possession. Murray steadily improved and kept the offense near the middle of the pack in most metrics, but the rookie QB led a unit that finished 29th in red zone scoring.
The Cardinals were 7-4-1 against the spread (ATS) after their initial 3-game skid, and finished 5-1-2 ATS on the road. Arizona was 9-4-2 ATS when listed as an underdog and 7-3 ATS out of the division, but an even 2-2-2 in NFC West matchups. Cardinals games went over the assigned point total 9 out of 16 times and in six of their 10 games out of the division. The young offense ranked fourth in pace of play and we should see that trend continue in Murray’s second season.
Cardinals 2020 offseason moves
Key re-signings: Kenyan Drake, RB (transition tag); Larry Fitzgerald, WR (one year, $11 million); Max Garcia, OG (one year, $1.25 million); Marcus Gilbert, OT (one year, $1.1 million), Chris Banjo, S (one year, $1.2 million)
Key trade: David Johnson, RB (to Texans for DeAndre Hopkins, WR)
Key free-agent losses: Cassius Marsh, DE (to Jaguars); Damiere Byrd, WR (to Patriots); Pharoh Cooper, WR (to Jaguars), Joe Walker, LB (to 49ers)
Key free-agent signings: Jordan Phillips, DT (from Bills); Devon Kennard, LB (from Lions); De’Vondre Campbell, LB (to Falcons)
Key draft picks: Isaiah Simmons, LB (1st round); Josh Jones, OT (3rd round)
Kenyan Drake broke out after the Cardinals acquired him from the Dolphins during their Week 8 bye. The all-around back produced 162 scrimmage yards in his debut against the 49ers and eventually supplanted David Johnson as the starter before finishing his campaign with 363 rushing yards over Arizona’s final 3 games. That production clearly convinced the Cardinals front office to deal Johnson and they got a huge return in the form of DeAndre Hopkins. Pairing Hopkins, speedy WR Christian Kirk, and keeping veteran Larry Fitzgerald on board with a one-year deal creates some truly exciting weaponry around Murray in Kingsbury’s fast-paced system.
The Cardinals also tried to address their issues in the intermediate areas by signing multiple LBs and drafting Clemson stud LB Isaiah Simmons with the No. 8 overall pick. Houston product Josh Jones was an absolute steal for the Cardinals in the third round and they’ll hope that he can bolster an offensive line that will be asked to do a lot of pass protection this season.