With most teams in the NFL preseason, we have a general idea of what to expect in the coming season. Yes, there are always a few surprises, but for the most part, things tend to go to form. That said, there are always a couple of teams who have question marks all over them, making it tough to figure out what to expect. The Arizona Cardinals certainly fall into that category. This is a team loaded with talent, but a lot of their better players (Carson Palmer, Larry Fitzgerald, etc.) are getting a little long in the tooth. Here’s a look at why the Broncos are NFL odds favorites against the Cardinals on Thursday.
Can they put together another big season, or was their decline last season a sign of things to come for this franchise? Another team dealing with a lot of questions are the Denver Broncos. This is a team just a couple of years removed from a Super Bowl, but they have not been able to find a QB to adequately fill the shoes left empty when Peyton Manning retired. The Broncos have arguably one of the best defenses in the league, but they may be put under too much strain of the offense isn’t able to stay on the field for any length of time. The Cardinals and Broncos will hook up in the final week of the NFL preseason, with the Broncos looking to finish unbeaten.
NFL Preseason Odds, Preview & Prediction on Cardinals vs. Broncos
When: Thursday, August 31 at 9 PM EST Where: Sports Authority Field at Mile High, Denver TV: NFL Network Radio: Sirius XM Radio Live Stream: NFL Game Pass NFL Preseason Odds: Denver Broncos -2½ (-110)Weather Forecast
- Overcast: 22°C/71°F
- Humidity 50%
- Precipitation % 15%
- Cloud Cover 83%
- Wind 8 mph S
- Stadium Type Open
Straight Up Stats
After a few great seasons, the Cardinals lost a little bit of their luster in 2016, falling to a 7-8-1 record, which took them to 32-18-1 since 2014. Arizona have been good on the road during the past 3 seasons, posting a winning record of 14-12. Not so good was their performance as the road underdog, which they are for this one, which was 5-8. The Denver Broncos put together a winning record of 9-7 last season, but it was not enough to get them into the playoffs the season after winning the Super Bowl. Denver went 36-19 SU over the past 3 seasons, which included a very impressive 21-6 record at Mile High. As the home favorite, the Broncos put together a 17-5 record at home.Team Statistics
- Offensive total yards 366.75
- Current Offensive rush yards 109.62
- Offensive passing yards 257.12
- Average Score For 26.12
- Defensive total yards 305.12
- Current Defensive rush yards 94.88
- Defensive passing yards 210.25
- Average Score Against 22.62
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Point Spread Stats
The Cardinals are coming into this one as a 2 ½ point underdog. Arizona were not very good ATS last season, going 6-10, which took their 3-year record to 26-25. Over that same period, the Cardinals were 14-12 ATS on the road, and were able to go 6-7 as the road underdog, which is not entirely convincing. Denver were not entirely bad ATS last season, putting together a 9-7 record. Since 2014, the Denver Broncos have gone 27-24-1 ATS, which means they have been consistently hitting the same record, or close to it, each year. They were 13-13-1 at home during this run, and went just 9-12-1 as the home favorite.
Team Statistics
- Offensive total yards 323.06
- Current Offensive rush yards 92.75
- Offensive passing yards 230.31
- Average Score For 20.81
- Defensive total yards 316.06
- Current Defensive rush yards 130.31
- Defensive passing yards 185.75
- Average Score Against 18.56
OVER/UNDER Stats
The O/U for this game is set at 37 points. If the Cardinals go the same route as last season, then we can expect to see the OVER, as they went 10-6 O/U in 2016, taking their 3-year record to 26-24-1. On the road, the Cardinals went 17-8-1 during that period, which was the highest percentage of OVER games during that time. As a road underdog, the record went to 8-4-1. It was all defense and little in the way of offense for Denver last NFL preseason, leading to a 7-9 O/U record. Since 2014, Denver has gone 23-28-1 O/U, and 12-14-1 when playing at home. When in as the home favorite, the Broncos O/U record came in at 10-11-1.Team Series History
- Total Meetings:
- First Meeting: November 4th, 1973. Busch Memorail Stadium. St. Louis Missouri
- Last Meeting: October 5th, 2014. Sports Authority Field at Mile High. Denver, Colorado
- All-Time Series: Denver 8-1-1
- Largest Margin of Victory: Denver 37-0 (1989)
- Longest Win Streak: Denver 7 (1977-2006)
- Current Win Streak: Denver 1 (2014)
