NFL Games to Circle: Chandler Chasing Kyler as Jones Hosts Cardinals in Vegas
While this offseason was dominated by big moves on the offensive side of the ball, one of the league’s top pass rushers crossed the state border, flipped west divisions to the counter conference, and traded desert for more desert.
Chandler Jones signed a three-year, $51 million deal with the Las Vegas Raiders, which ended a six-year sackfest in Arizona. Now the former Cardinal will get an early-season shot at sacking a quarterback he’s never dumped into the grass, in an NFL game anyways.
Arizona Cardinals @ Las Vegas Raiders – Sunday, September 18th at 4:25 PM ET
Just two weeks into his 11th NFL season Jones will get a shot at wrapping up his former quarterback, Kyler Murray, and show the franchise that let him walk in free agency that he has plenty left in the tank. Murray has been on the sidelines as a first-hand witness to see Jones put many a pivot on their back.
The brother of former UFC light-heavyweight champion Jon Jones rewrote Arizona’s record book in his tenure. Chandler holds the Cardinals’ top-two single-season performances by a pass rusher, registering 19 sacks in 2019 and 17 in 2017. The imposing defensive end is also the club’s all-time leader in sacks (71.5) and forced fumbles (23). He started last season with a bang, tying Arizona’s club mark with five sacks in one game as he terrorized Tennessee.
Jones was wreaking havoc well before arriving in Phoenix with four years in New England under his belt. He leads the NFL in sacks (107.5) and forced fumbles (33) since entering the league in 2012.
Midway through September, Jones will get a chance to track down the elusive Murray, so keep an eye out for his sacks player prop closer to kickoff. In the meantime, FanDuel Sportsbook has the Raiders as -2 point home favorites and -124 on the moneyline.
