Will the offenses dominate in Glendale?
Although it may not feel like it yet, the second half of the season begins with the tenth game day of the NFL. Time to take a look back at the first half of the regular season and possibly adjust the season goals. The latter could actually apply to the two teams facing each other in Glendale, Arizona, this Sunday. We are talking about the Cardinals and Jets, whose season outlook in September was at least as different as their current situation.
Because after nine matches, the Arizona Cardinals are in first place in the NFC West. Few would have believed that of Jonathan Gannon’s team, which has won four of its last five games. Recently, the franchise has even gone three times in a row undefeated, which between the Cardinals and Jets also explains the odds distribution in the markets.
The first half of the season for the organization from the Big Apple, on the other hand, was rather poor. Although the team around superstar quarterback Aaron Rodgers is in second place in the AFC East, they are already four wins behind Buffalo in the race for the division title.
We definitely expect an evenly matched duel between the Cardinals and Jets, which is why our main tip is not directly related to the outcome of the game. You can place this bet with Admiralbet, for example. You can also get a great deposit bonus from Admiralbet.
Arizona Cardinals – Statistics & current form
Arizona took advantage of the bye week of their division rivals from San Francisco to move into the top spot in the NFC West. They defeated the Chicago Bears 29-9 last week, putting in a strong performance all round. In particular, the 29 points against a defense that had previously allowed only 17 points on average and a maximum of 21 points, bodes well for the upcoming tasks.
Variable offense characterizes the forecast for the Cardinals!
Of course, like all football teams, the offense is dependent on quarterback play. Right now, Kyler Murray is delivering at all levels, as needed for the matchup. He was hardly involved in the designed running game twice recently, but then impressed – for example against the Dolphins – with over 300 yards through the air. His reliable targets are usually rookie wide receiver Marvin Harrison and tight end Trey McBride. Both have over 400 receiving yards each and Harrison now has five touchdown catches to go with that.
However, the Rungame is always impressing again. This is also underlined by the statistic that Arizona, with 5.2 yards per attempt, has the second most effective Rungame. Last week, thanks to running backs James Conner and Emari Demercado, they ran for 213 yards against a solid rushing defense! We dare to predict in the Cardinals vs. Jets game that the Rungame could once again be a matchup factor. On average, this unit scores 23 points, and if the guests don’t manage to get Arizona out of their comfort zone in the running game, they will be able to advance into those scoring regions again.
Whether 23 or 24 points will be enough to win the game is a completely different matter, given that their defense has allowed an average of 23.8 points over the first few weeks. The game against Chicago was without question an outlier and will not become the standard, despite the trade for edge rusher Baron Browning. We consider this unit to be absolutely beatable in both pass and run defense.
Key Players:
- QB: Kyler Murray
- RB: James Conner
- WR: Marvin Harrison
- TE: Trey McBride
- K: Chad Ryland
New York Jets – statistics & current form
And this assessment is fueled by the fact that the offense of the New York team looked really good last week for the first time since superstar wide receiver Davante Adams was signed. The Jets defeated the Texans, who had previously won six of their first eight games, 21-13 in the Thursday Night Game to open the ninth game day. Rodgers threw for three touchdowns in a game for the first time in a Jets uniform.
The offense is taking shape!
After wide receiver Allen Lazard was placed on the injured reserve list, the two main remaining pass receivers, Garrett Wilson and Adams, had a total of 21 targets against Houston! The two caught 16 passes for 181 yards and three touchdowns. Adams is now unquestionably the number two receiver behind Wilson, and together they are arguably one of the best wide receiver duos in the NFL. However, as expected, the odds between the Cardinals and Jets are modest when betting on a touchdown by Wilson or Adams.
In the running game, the team of interim head coach Jeff Ulbrich has a very talented running back in Breece Hall, but success has been limited so far. In his 126 attempts, he averaged 4.0 yards, which means that this unit has not posed much of a threat in the Rungame so far. 87.7 rushing yards for the offense is the third-worst figure in the entire league. The 16 passing touchdowns are thus offset by only five rushing touchdowns.
Last week’s performance against a solid Texans offense was the first bright spot for the defense since the firing of head coach Robert Saleh. The coach, who was fired after the fifth game day, had a huge influence on the composition and direction of the unit. After that, the defense conceded 23, 27, 25 and, most recently, 13 points. Since the last game day, defensive end Haason Reddick has finally been on board, which may give this group of players the push they urgently need. Statistically, they have been much more vulnerable when the opponent was present in the Rungame.
Key Players:
- QB: Aaron Rodgers
- RB: Breece Hall
- WR: Garrett Wilson
- TE: Tyler Conklin
- K: Riley Patterson
Cardinals – Jets head-to-head / H2H record
This game sees strength meet weakness twice. The Cardinals defense will have problems with the Jets’ good pass receivers, while Arizona should be able to cause damage with its running game. That’s why we’re tempted by the tip that the score of over 46 points will be broken in the 11th meeting between the Cardinals and the Jets. So far, the hosts have been able to keep the upper hand against the franchise from the “Big Apple” twice in three duels in Glendale.
Cardinals – Jets Tip
The teams took completely different approaches before the season. Arizona only flirted with the playoffs behind closed doors, while New York, with their star quarterback back to full fitness and plenty of potential in their squad, wanted to at least make it into the postseason. However, a lot has happened in the first half of the season, and that means that the Arizona Cardinals and New York Jets are on an equal footing in terms of odds. In this game, we expect the offenses to largely determine the course of the game and are therefore betting at Betway that the over line of 45.5 points will be exceeded. We are placing four units on this variant.
Although the Cardinals have really impressed with three wins in a row, we see the guests as slightly stronger in direct confrontations. Due to the minimal underdog role that they are given in the markets, win odds are almost touching the 2.00 mark.
