Arizona Cardinals at Las Vegas Raiders Betting Preview/Prop Picks
16 September 2022
Time: 4:25 pm ET
Dunkel Ratings: Arizona 131.456; Las Vegas 126.908
Dunkel Line & Total: Arizona by 4 ½; 46
Vegas Line & Total: Las Vegas by 5 ½; 52
Dunkel Pick: Arizona (+5 ½); Under
The Arizona Cardinals had a tough start to their 2022-23 season. They were easily beaten 44-21 by the Kansas City Chiefs at home in Week 1.
Now, they'll travel out to Las Vegas, which isn't far, to take on the Las Vegas Raiders. If some mistakes from last week are cleaned up, they'll be in a good spot. If not, the Cardinals could find themselves going 0-2 to start the year.
The Las Vegas Raiders also had a loss to start the year, which is slightly surprising. They had a good game going for themselves but failed to end it with a win. After a 24-19 loss, it's back to the drawing board for Derek Carr and the Raiders.
Carr struggled throughout Week 1 and will need to clean up several miscues. Although they lost, they come in as 5.5-point favorites.
Arizona Cardinals: Poor defense is what led to last week's loss
By the end of the first half, the Arizona Cardinals were down 23-7 to the Kansas City Chiefs. Instead of blaming the offense for not keeping up, this blame goes to the defense.
Patrick Mahomes of the Chiefs passed for 360 yards and five touchdowns against the Cardinals. If Arizona wants any chance of winning this game, they'll need to iron out their secondary.
On offense, the Cardinals didn't do too bad in the second half. Overall, QB Kyler Murray finished the game with 193 passing yards and two touchdowns.
He didn't turn the ball over once, which was also impressive. They played a clean game offensively; it was their defense that let them down. The good news is the Raiders don't have nearly the offensive firepower as Kansas City.
Las Vegas Raiders: Derek Carr needs to clean up miscues
Just like the Cardinals' defense needs to clean up their act, so does QB Derek Carr. Carr went 22-37, throwing for 295 yards with two touchdowns and three interceptions.
Anyone will tell you that throwing three interceptions is essentially giving away the game. The Raiders also didn't bother to get the running game going, either. They ended the day with just 64 yards rushing.
As they head into this game, they should focus on a few bright spots from Week 1. For starters, the connection between Carr and Davante Adams. Adams had ten receptions for 141 yards and a touchdown.
If they can incorporate the running game, Adams could have an even better stat line. The Raiders' defense also kept the Chargers to 24 points, an impressive feat in itself.
Arizona Cardinals at Las Vegas Raiders Betting Preview
The Raiders had a few positive things to build on from last week, especially on offense. They had a good game, but the turnovers are what lost it for them.
Derek Carr has a habit of forcing the ball into spaces that he shouldn't. Because of this, we expect to see a few interceptions from him this week as well. Keep in mind, the Cardinals are 2-1 in their last three against Las Vegas.
Arizona needs to fix a few things defensively, but they were also playing the Chiefs. Any team is going to struggle to contain Patrick Mahomes.
They come into this game as 5.5-point underdogs, and it might be a risky pick, but we'll take them. We'll also take the under since the total has gone under in four of Arizona's last six games.
DunkelIndex Free Pick: Arizona Cardinals +5.5, UNDER
Prop Picks
Las Vegas (-110) UNDER 28.5 Points
Las Vegas averaged 21.8 points per game last season on offense, which ranked No. 18 in the NFL. That average remained relatively steady at 22.2 points per game at home. Scores have gone UNDER in five of the Raiders’ last seven games as a Vegas home favorite.
With Dunkel predicting an Arizona victory by the score of 26-21, take the Raiders (-110) to finish UNDER their Vegas team total of 28.5 points against the Cardinals.
Kyler Murray (-115) UNDER 254.5 Passing Yards
Las Vegas allowed 223.0 passing yards per game last season on defense, which ranked No. 12 in the NFL. That average decreased to 219.8 passing yards per game at home.
With Dunkel predicting the final score staying UNDER the Vegas point total, take Murray (-115) to finish UNDER 254.5 passing yards versus the Raiders.
Keep up with your latest NFL news coverage and betting pick previews at The Dunkel Index.
All Media on this page by Associated Press.
