Last Updated on October 10, 2010 6:50 pm by drew
Saints vs. Cardinals Odds
Rookie quarterback Max Hall gets his first start for Arizona in Week 5 as he takes on the defending Super Bowl Champion New Orleans Saints at 4:05PM ET.
The Saints are 3-1 this season while the Cardinals are 2-2. The game will be played at University of Phoenix Stadium and air on FOX. The Saints have won six of the last nine against Arizona and three of the last five in Arizona.
Oddsmakers from online sportsbook Sportsbook.com have made New Orleans a 6.5-point favorite on the road at Arizona. The over/under has been set at 44.
The spread in this game was as high as 7.5 points but in the end has returned to its opening line of 6.5 points. The over/under started at 46.5 points but has slowly dropped to 44.
New Orleans is 3-1 this season with the lone loss coming against Atlanta. The Saints have had all four games decided by five points or less. The offense has not been what many would expect as they are averaging just 19.8 points and 344 yards per game. The rushing game has struggled with injuries to Reggie Bush and Pierre Thomas as the team is averaging just 73.3 yards per game on the ground. Drew Brees has thrown for 1,131 yards and seven touchdowns to lead the offense. The defense is giving up 18 points and 334.5 yards per game, including 138 rushing yards per game. Jonathan Vilma leads the defense with 28 tackles and an interception while Sedrick Ellis has three sacks.
The Cardinals are making a change at quarterback as their offense is averaging just 14.5 points and 251.5 yards per game. Hall has thrown for just 85 yards in two games and he will have to rely on his running game, led by Tim Hightower, who has 233 yards and two touchdowns this season. Despite their offensive struggles, the Cardinals are 2-2 and tied for first in the NFC West. On defense, Arizona is giving up 29.5 points and 388 yards per game, including 154 rushing yards per contest. Paris Lenon is leading the defense with 39 tackles, one sack, and one interception while Adrian Wilson has 17 tackles with two interceptions.
Trends favor Arizona in this game as the Cardinals are 7-1 against the spread in their last eight games in October and 5-0 ATS in their last five as a home underdog of 3.5-to-10 points. New Orleans is just 1-6 ATS in their last seven games following a straight up win and 2-9 ATS in their last 11 against the NFC.
Running back Pierre Thomas will be out again this week for the Saints while safety Roman Harper is questionable with a hamstring injury. For Arizona, wide receiver Early Doucet is questionable with a groin injury while Steve Breaston is out with a knee injury.
Over 16,000 bets have been made on this game with the Saints getting 80% of the wagers at -6.5 against the Cardinals
Make sure you check out our official odds page to get up-to-the-minute point spreads and over/under totals for each and every game in college football this week.