Following an upset in NFL Week 1, the Cardinals are now favored to win at home in Week 2.
The Arizona Cardinals started their season with a win for the second consecutive year, beating the Tennessee Titans 38-13 on the road last Sunday.
The Cardinals had a strong start to the season during the kickoff weekend of Arizona NFL betting. Despite being seen as underdogs and labeled as 2.5-point or 3-point underdogs by most Arizona sports betting apps, the Cardinals came out on top.
Arizona’s sports betting officially began on September 9th.
Arizona Cardinals betting enthusiasts took advantage of the Arizona sportsbook promo codes offered on GoCasino to maximize their bets.
Week 2 Expectations
Arizona’s surprising win in Week 1 has caught the attention of oddsmakers, who now consider the Cardinals the frontrunners in their Week 2 game against the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday.
The Cardinals and Vikings will play at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona at 1:05 p.m. The game will be televised on FOX for a national audience.
On Monday morning, the Cardinals are favored by 4 points on DraftKings Arizona, 4.5 points on BetMGM Arizona, and -3.5 points on FanDuel Arizona against the Vikings.
The Vikings were upset in Week 1 by Joe Burrow and the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday, as the underdog home team pulled off a surprising 27-24 overtime win.
The Cardinals hope to take advantage of their enhanced pass-rushing abilities against a Vikings offensive line that gave up three sacks to the Bengals.
If the Arizona Cardinals can apply the same amount of pressure on Vikings QB Kirk Cousins as they did on Titans QB Ryan Tannehill, then Sunday’s game could end in another win for head coach Kliff Kingsbury’s team.
The history of the Cardinals facing the Vikings
Since 1963, the Arizona Cardinals and Minnesota Vikings have played against each other 28 times, with the Vikings coming out on top with a series record of 17 wins to 11 wins for the Cardinals.
In their most recent matchup in 2018, the Vikings defeated the Cardinals with a final score of 27-17, securing their second consecutive victory over Arizona.
In their last meeting at State Farm Stadium in 2015, the Cardinals secured a 23-20 victory over the Vikings. Over the past 17 years, Arizona has won three of their last four home matchups against Minnesota.
Summary of the Cardinals’ victory in Week 1.
On Sunday, the Cardinals took control swiftly with third-year quarterback Kyler Murray and veteran wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins frequently connecting early in the game.
The pair teamed up for two touchdowns in the first half, scoring a 5-yard touchdown in the opening quarter followed by a 17-yard touchdown early in the second quarter.
Murray once again demonstrated his abilities as a dual-threat player by scoring on a 2-yard run, increasing Arizona’s halftime lead to 24-6.
The former Heisman Trophy winner threw two more touchdown passes in the third quarter, connecting with Scottsdale native Christian Kirk for both touchdowns to seal Arizona’s commanding victory.
Murray finished Sunday’s game with 289 yards passing, four touchdown throws, and a rushing touchdown.
In a dominant display, Arizona’s defense held Tennessee to only 248 yards of offense and forced three turnovers in the victory.
During Sunday’s game, Linebacker Isaiah Simmons forced an interception and Chandler Jones broke a team record with five sacks for the Cardinals. The aggressive defensive tactics of Defensive Coordinator Vance Joseph led to two forced fumbles in the team’s impressive win.
What is the buzz about the Arizona Cardinals?
Social media users came to a consensus on Sunday that the Cardinals are looking like a formidable contender for the NFC West championship in 2021.
Johnny Venerable, a beat writer, was among those who took to Twitter to praise the team’s impressive performance against the Titans, declaring: “The Arizona Cardinals thoroughly outplayed Tennessee and made a bold statement to the rest of the NFL.”
BetMGM and other sportsbook operators took to Twitter to commend Kingsbury and his team for their impressive performance.
Josh Weinfuss, the ESPN beat writer for the Arizona Cardinals, praised the game plan devised by Kingsbury and Joseph in his postgame analysis. He also discussed the intense competition expected in the NFC West this season.
According to Weinfuss, the Cardinals had their strongest performance yet under Kliff Kingsbury and potentially their top defensive display under Vance Joseph. He added that the NFC West looks to be a highly competitive division this season.
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Author
Peterson Christopher has been reporting on sports and sports betting in Arizona for more than seven years, having worked at ArizonaSports.com, the Tucson Weekly, and the Green Valley News. He currently holds the position of lead writer at yengols.com.
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