The Arizona Cardinals are back on the winning track! After suffering their first loss of the season in Week 8, they bounced back with a win the following week. Can they add another win to the list by beating the Carolina Panthers in Week 10?
Oddsmakers seem to think so. The betting odds available at literally all of Arizona’s online sportsbooks suggest that the home team is the favorite. Actually, not only do bookmakers expect the Cards to beat the Panthers, but they expect them to do it in style.
Cardinals vs Panthers Betting Odds
Moneyline
| Carolina Panthers | Arizona Cardinals |
| +370 | -480 |
Point Spread
| Carolina Panthers (+10.5) | Arizona Cardinals (-10.5) |
| -114 | -106 |
Points O/U
| Over 44 points | Under 44 points |
| -110 | -110 |
*odds taken from FanDuel on November 10, 2021.
Kyler Murray Expected to Make a Return After Missing Week 9
Arizona’s starting quarterback Kyler Murray had to sit out the Week 9 game against the San Francisco 49ers, which made his team the pre-game underdog. Nevertheless, led by veteran QB Colt McCoy, the Cards defeated their divisional rivals 31-17.
As a result, they’re now 8-1 on the season, which is the best record in the league. They don’t have to worry about their playoff future, although they’re still far from securing the NFC West title. The thing is that the Rams have just one win fewer than them.
What this means is that the Cardinals are probably super-motivated to continue winning. The morale in their locker room is high and is going to get even higher if Kyler Murray makes his return in Week 10. The #1 favorite for the MVP award seems to be fit to get back on the field.
Unfortunately for the Cards, two of their best receivers will probably miss the game against the Panthers, namely, DeAndre Hopkins and A.J. Green.
This is something that should worry the Cardinals as they’re locking horns with the Panthers who are the NFL’s second-best team in terms of passing defense.
Maybe the Panthers Hold the Key to Defeating the Cardinals?
Each of the past five Cardinals vs Panthers games was won by the team from North Carolina. The most recent of those happened a year ago when the two met in Charlotte. The score was 31-20 for the Panthers.
Can something similar happen this Sunday? It might, because the Cardinals have been focusing on passing as their main weapon in 2021. Meanwhile, the strongest weapon of the Panthers’ defense is their secondary.
Proof of this is that they’ve been giving away just 181.4 passing yards per game on average this season. That makes them the best in the NFC in this aspect and the second-best in the entire league.
Unfortunately for the Panthers, their offense isn’t that good as their defense. It probably would’ve been great if Christian McCaffrey managed to stay fit. However, without him, they haven’t been very productive.
Unfortunately for them, their QB is also out. According to reports, Sam Darnold will miss this game, as well as a few more, due to a shoulder injury.
Cardinals vs Panthers Prediction
There’s no way Arizona is losing this one. However, the Cards might struggle to cover the spread. Winning by 11 points or more against such a good defense doesn’t seem very likely. This goes especially because they’re going to be without two of their best receivers, while their QB might not still be 100% fit.
Picks:
- Arizona Cardinals ML
- Carolina Panthers +10.5
- Under 44 points
