Patriots Vs. Cardinals Preview: Best Bets For ‘Monday Night Football’
New England currently is a 2.5-point road favorite
With Week 14 of the NFL regular season nearly complete, let's try to finish strong with a "Monday Night Football" matchup between the New England Patriots and the Arizona Cardinals.
The Patriots, who opened as a 1.5-point favorite, currently are a 2.5-point road favorite, according to the consensus data on the NESNBets.com live odds page.
Now, let's examine three bets to make for this clash between two playoff hopefuls. We'll start with the point spread.
Patriots -2.5 (-110, DraftKings Sportsbook)
The Patriots come into the game still in the mix for a wild-card spot in the AFC despite being on a two-game losing streak. After proving capable of being explosive against the Vikings on Thanksgiving night, the Pats offense sputtered again last week in a loss to the Bills. Quarterback Mac Jones was visibly and verbally frustrated with the conservative play-calling and New England was only able to muster 10 points. The Cardinals are also on a two-game losing skid. Quarterback Kyler Murray returned from injury last week against the Chargers, but it was Los Angeles signal-caller Justin Herbert who stole the show with a game-winning drive to beat Arizona. Now, both teams will feel that sense of urgency as they try to make their respective playoff pushes. In a desperate spot, I'll always side with the better quarterback and head coach combination. There is no question that Murray is a better player than Mac Jones, but when paired with Bill Belichick as opposed to Kliff Kingsbury, I give the edge to New England. I'll lay the points for the Pats to get a tough win on the road -2.5 at -110 available on DraftKings.
Over 44 total points (-110, DraftKings)
My prediction for how this game will play out is that both teams will have a balanced attack and try to pick their spots for chances on splashy, game-breaking plays. Both teams have had success offensively with that balanced approach. James Conner is averaging 23 touches for Arizona in his last three games and Rhamondre Stevenson has put up at least 110 yards or a score in six of his last eight games. The New England defense remains one of the league's premiere units, but Arizona ranks in the bottom half of the league statistically. This feels like a 26-23 win for New England so give me the Over 44 total points at -110 on DraftKings.
Rhamondre Stevenson Over 79.5 rushing yards (-115, DraftKings)
My final bet for the contest is on a player who I believe will be the difference between winning and losing for the Patriots and that is Stevenson. In every Patriots win this season, Stevenson ran the ball effectively. During this current losing skid, Stevenson has only had 23 attempts combined in two games. The Patriots must feed him carries and sustain drives against the Cardinals. If they can do that effectively, not only can New England win the time of possession and keep the chains moving, but they can also keep Murray on the sidelines. I'll take my chances betting on Rhamondre Stevenson Over 79.5 rushing yards at -105 available on DraftKings.
