The top two teams in the NFC square off on Thursday night when the undefeated Arizona Cardinals welcome in a Green Bay Packers side riding a six-game winning streak.
Cardinals Aim for Eight
The 6-1 Packers have bounced back well from a disastrous Week One defeat to the New Orleans Saints, with reigning MVP Aaron Rodgers helping them to beat up on some bad teams as they’ve muscled their way back towards the top of the standings.
However, a Covid-outbreak in the Green Bay camp has left them short-handed for the trip to Phoenix, opening the door for Arizona to record another statement victory.
The 7-0 Cards have already beaten the likes of the Cleveland Browns, LA Rams and Tennessee Titans with the man who could snatch Rodgers’ MVP crown, Kyler Murray, powering them forward.
With Arizona’s defence playing nearly as well as the offence, the odds look stacked against Rodgers and co maintaining their winning streak. The Packers are 9/4 underdogs on the money line, with Arizona 4/11 to pick up win number eight.
No Room for Error for Packers
The Packers opened the week as 3-point underdogs but that number immediately went out to 6.5 when the news broke on Monday that Green Bay’s top receiver Davante Adams had been placed on the Covid list.
Reports indicated Adams has not made the trip to Arizona and the NFC North leaders will be without the man responsible for 744 of their 1,778 receiving yards this season.
Fellow receiver Allen Lazard is also out with Covid, alongside defensive coordinator Joe Brady, meaning Green Bay will be without two of its top three pass catchers, leaving them reliant on tight end Robert Tonyan and veteran Randall Cobb.
The Packers do at least have running back combo Aaron Jones and AJ Dillion available, and Rodgers is the type of quarterback capable of turning water into wine, but this isn’t a middle of the road team they are up against.
The Cardinals defence ranks second in total defence (DVOA), proving itself sufficient against the pass and run, and giving up a league-low 16.3 points per game on average. They will be missing explosive pass rush JJ Watt for this game but make no mistakes, this remains an elite unit.
Murray Is Mint
The offence isn’t too bad for Arizona either, putting up 32.1 points per game on average this year and ranking eighth in total offence (DVOA).
Murray has passed for over 2000 yards already and has a well-stocked arsenal in comparison to Rodgers with top receiver DeAndre Hopkins expected to overcome a hamstring injury in time to play.
If Hopkins isn’t 100 per-cent then look for productive veterans AJ Green and Zach Ertz to step up. Both have settled in well at Arizona and are facing a defence that ranks 24th against the pass so could have big nights. Green is 4/5 to have over 45.5 receiving yards and Ertz is 4/5 to go over 31.5.
As well as a strong passing game, the Cardinals are also running the ball well, boasting the fifth-best rushing attack with an average of 136.6 yards per game. Green Bay’s run defence isn’t much to write home about either, being dominated on the ground by Washington last week.
With so many options at Arizona’s disposal, it is tough to see how Green Bay can stop the Cardinals. They look to have little hope of fighting fire-with-fire either without Adams and Arizona appeal at 50/53 to cover the 6.5-point spread.
*All odds correct at time of writing.