The duel of the disappointed
On Sunday, the Atlanta Falcons and the Arizona Cardinals will meet in Week 16. The host seems to be favoured at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, as the Falcons have won four of five in front of their home crowd
The guests have won three of their four games away from home and are therefore not to be underestimated or even without a chance. Nevertheless, between the Atlanta Falcons and Arizona Cardinals, the betting odds favour a win for the home team. The odds for a home victory are around 1.55, depending on the bookmaker.
The form of the two teams does not speak for itself, as neither team is really in good shape. The Falcons could celebrate their last victory at the end of November against the Chicago Bears. For the Cardinals, the last win was even further back. Arizona last won in mid-November against the LA Rams. So the two teams don’t have much in common and therefore the odds should be a little closer between the Atlanta Falcons and Arizona Cardinals. For an away win we get odds of around 2.65.
One of the key players in this duel could be James Conner. The Cardinals’ running back has scored seven touchdowns in the past six games and is absolutely on fire. With the Falcons allowing an average of 133.5 rushing yards, Conner will certainly be allowed to make a run or two.
We therefore also recommend betting on a James Conner touchdown between the Atlanta Falcons and Arizona Cardinals. The odds are 2.07 with one of the biggest bookmakers Betano and therefore have value. He is currently listed as doubtful, but will most likely play anyway.
Atlanta Falcons – Statistics & current form
The Atlanta Falcons blew their last chance to make the playoffs last weekend. Arthur Smith’s team could only win five games this season and thus already lost ten games. The Falcons are in last place in the NFC South. Atlanta wants to at least match the result of the previous season and also end the season with a 7:10. Especially in their own stadium, the Falcons are favoured against Arizona.
Did the coach speculate?
Marcus Mariota had to leave the field for Desmond Ridder after 13 games. The rookie was thrown into the deep end at a crucial time and failed to score a single touchdown. The coach has been heavily criticised for this reason, as Mariota would have at least had the experience to deliver in such a pressure situation. In the next two games, Arthur Smith will continue to rely on the backup quarterback, because the Falcons do not seem to plan with Marcus Mariota in the long term. However, a final decision on that personnel has not yet been made.
Rashaan Evans one of the best linebackers in the NFL
The Falcons aren’t particularly good defensively, allowing an average of 23.3 points per game, ranking in the middle of the pack league-wide. Neither against the running game nor the passing game does Atlanta’s defence stand up well. With Rashaan Evans, Arthur Smith’s team has one of the best linebackers in the NFL and yet the team still fails to get the opposing passing game under control. Evans is coming off 150 total tackles, which ranks fourth in the NFL.
Key players for the Atlanta Falcons:
QB: Desmond Ridder – RB: Tyler Allgeier – Drake London – LB: Rashaan Evans – K: Younghoe Koo
Arizona Cardinals – Statistics & Current Form
The Cardinals are in second last place in the NFC and also have no chance of advancing. This is quite surprising, because in the preseason Arizona could still qualify for the NFL playoffs. Kliff Kingsbury’s team has only won four games this season and has already lost eleven. In the remaining games, it is only a matter of saying goodbye to this season properly and not sliding further into the cellar. At the moment only two teams are weaker than the Cardinals.
Kyler Murray missing with injury
The Cardinals quarterback was on the field for the first eleven games before badly injuring his knee. Still, his qualities as a quarterback are somewhat in question because, much like Justin Fields, his running game seems to be better than his passing game. Kliff Kingsburry relied on Colt McCoy and Trace McSorley in the past few games. Those games were also lost.
Defence End JJ Watt resigns
Few days ago JJ Watt announced his retirement and will hang up his shoes after the next two games. The defensive end recently became a father and wants to be there for his child when he grows up. The decision is completely the right one, because at 33 he has nothing more to prove. For the Cardinals, however, this is a major setback, because JJ Watt was one of the best players on the D-Line. This season he collected 9.5 sacks and came up with six passes defended. The Cardinals are thus losing a lot of quality.
Key players of the Arizona Cardinals:
QB: Colt McCoy – RB: James Conner – WR: DeAndre Hopkins – DE: JJ Watt – K: Matt Prater
Atlanta Falcons – Arizona Cardinals Head-to-head / H2H record
The direct comparison between the two teams goes narrowly to the underdog. The Cardinals won 18 duels and walked off the field as losers 16 times. The last meeting was more than three years ago and ended with a 34:33 victory for Arizona. What is particularly striking in the games between the two teams is the home win ratio. The last away win in a must-win game between the two teams was in 2001, so between the Atlanta Falcons and Arizona Cardinals, our prediction goes in the direction of the host.
Atlanta Falcons – Arizona Cardinals Tip
The hosts are favoured by the bookmakers, but in our opinion the odds are a little too far apart. The form is not right for both teams at the moment and therefore we deviate from a win bet for our main tip. It is a game without pressure and therefore both teams can play freely. For this reason, we are betting on over 38.5 points between the Atlanta Falcons and Arizona Cardinals. The last duel between the two ended with 67 points and therefore the line seems to be set a little too low.
If we had to pick a winner in this pairing, we would assume a win for the hosts. With their own fans behind them, Atlanta should prevail, albeit narrowly, against the Cardinals.
A clear-cut game is not to be expected, as the mere fact that the starting quarterbacks are not on the field says a lot. Nevertheless, the odds seem to be a bit far apart between the Atlanta Falcons and Arizona Cardinals, because in terms of play, the teams should be almost on par.
