Although just 1-8 on the season, the Arizona Cardinals could turn things around quickly, thanks to the return of quarterback Kyler Murray and the possible return of running back James Conner. Will it be enough to get by an Atlanta Falcons team trying to get back to the .500 mark and stay in the NFC South Division race?
Falcons vs. Cardinals Betting Lines, Start Time, and More
All odds from DraftKings Sportsbook.
- Spread: Falcons -2
- Moneyline: Falcons (-125), Cardinals (+105)
- Over/Under: 43.5
- Game time: 4:05 PM ET
- Location: State Farm Stadium
- Channel: CBS
Falcons vs. Cardinals Prediction
While the Falcons come into this matchup as the team with the better record and the playoffs still within their grasp, it’s the Cardinals that will steal most of the attention in this game with Murray back under center in Arizona.
But Murray alone will not make a difference for Arizona in this contest unless the Cardinals’ defense shows signs of life in an otherwise lifeless season.
Murray is taking over an offense that ranks 31st in passing offense (162.7 YPG), 31st in yards per pass attempt (5.7), and 28th in passer rating (76.9).
He’ll be going up against a Falcons defense that ranks 10th in the league against the pass, allowing 197.1 yards per game. They have allowed 17 touchdown passes (29th in the NFL), have only four interceptions (T-26th), and rank 23rd in opponent passer rating (95.7).
The return of Conner will also be a welcomed sight for the Cardinals, although they have been able to rack up rushing yards this season — Arizona ranks eighth in rushing offense at 127.0 ypg. The lone exception was last week when the Browns held the Cardinals to only 41 rushing yards — and 58 yards total.
The Falcons will run Taylor Heinicke at quarterback this week. Heinicke didn’t set the football world on fire last week, even though he threw for 268 yards against the Vikings. He also completed just 55% of his passes, threw an interception, and finished with a mediocre passer rating of 75.3.
Perhaps the bigger question to the Falcons’ offense is when will rookie running back Bijan Robinson become a key part of their offense again.
Robinson remains the team’s leading rusher, but backup running back Tyler Allgeier leads the team in rush attempts over Robinson — 116 to 103. Allgeier also has been getting the scoring chances on the line more often than Robinson. In the red zone, Allgeier has 25 total carries this season to Robinson’s nine.
No matter what the situation is for the Falcons on offense, they’ll have to figure out a way to move on a Cardinals defense that has been improving of late. After allowing 376.7 total ypg over their first six games, the Cardinals have allowed just 304 ypg over their last three games.
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As for injury news entering this matchup, the Falcons are expected to get back wide receiver Drake London (groin), who leads the team in receptions and receiving yards.
The biggest injury news for the Cardinals has already been addressed — the return of  Murray and the possible return of Conner.
The Falcons are a remarkably inept 0-7 against the spread this season against non-divisional opponents. As for the Cardinals, they are 4-2 against the spread against non-divisional opponents and 3-1 ATS as a home underdog.
I’m expecting Murray to make a splash in his return to action, and a return by Conner would be important. But whether Conner can go or not, I still like the Cardinals against a Falcons team that is just 2-5 since their 2-0 start.
Give me the home team here.
Best Bet: Cardinals +2 (-110 at DraftKings Sportsbook)
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