Saints vs. Cardinals Prediction
Will the Saints and Cardinals rack up enough points in Arizona on Sunday to push the combined score over the total for bettors?
According to oddsmakers from online sports book BetDSI, the Cardinals are 2.5-point home favorites over the Saints while the over/under for Sunday’s game sits at 50.5 points. While the point spread hasn’t moved off the original number set by oddsmakers, the total has jumped from 50 up to 50.5.
New Orleans have had its playoff hopes dashed over the past five weeks. It started with a 25-23 loss to the Broncos on a blocked two-point conversion attempt in which Denver returned for the game-winning score. Then the Saints lost 23-20 in Carolina on a Thursday night, followed by a blowout win over the Rams, then two more losses over the last two weeks to the Lions and Bucs, respectively. Sitting at 5-8, the Saints are out of the playoff hunt and will be playing for pride over these last three weeks.
Arizona has been on a similar path over the past month. After losing back-to-back games at Minnesota and Atlanta, respectively, the Cardinals rebounded with a thrilling 31-23 victory over the Redskins but lost a heartbreaker 26-23 to the Dolphins in Miami last week. At 5-7-1, the Cardinals are too far behind the first-place Seahawks in the NFC West and have little to no chance of earning a wild card spot. Arizona is on the verge of missing the playoffs for only the second time since Bruce Arians took over as the team’s head coach in 2013 (a season in which they won 10 games but missed the playoffs in a crowded division).
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OUR PREDICTION: The over is 5-1 in the last six meetings between these two teams and is 4-0 in the Cardinals’ last four games as Arizona has struggled defensively the past four weeks. The over is also 9-1 in the Saints’ last 10 games versus a team with a losing record and despite Drew Brees’ issues last week, he and the New Orleans offense should get back on track this Sunday. The under has been cashing in recent Arizona home games but both of these teams have nothing to lose so I expect it to be a barnburner on Sunday.
NFL WEEK 15 PREDICTION: SAINTS/CARDINALS OVER 50.5