Preview of Cardinals aiming to maintain their perfect 6-0 record against the Cleveland Browns.
The Arizona Cardinals have a chance to match their best start in franchise history by beating Baker Mayfield and the Cleveland Browns on the road this Sunday.
Since 1974, when the St. Louis Cardinals finished 10-4 and made their first NFL playoff appearance in 26 years, the Cardinals (5-0) have not begun a season with six straight wins.
The Cardinals are on track to secure their first playoff berth in six years, currently sitting atop the NFC West with a one-game lead over the Los Angeles Rams. Their impressive performance has captured the attention of Arizona’s NFL betting community.
The Cardinals are set to play against the Browns at 1:05 p.m. this Sunday, with the game being broadcast live on FOX nationwide.
Cardinals are a slight underdog against the Browns.
All three Arizona sports betting sites – BetMGM Arizona, DraftKings Sportsbook Arizona, and FanDuel Sportsbook Arizona – have agreed that the Cardinals are the underdogs, with Arizona listed at +3.
Coach Kliff Kingsbury is probably pleased with his team’s performance, winning both games as underdogs this season on Arizona sports betting apps. They beat the Tennessee Titans (38-13 as +2.5 underdogs) and the Rams (37-20 as +3.5 underdogs).
Arizona has covered the spread in four out of five games this season, with their only failure to do so coming in a narrow home victory over Minnesota in Week 2, where they were favored by 2.5 points.
The exceptional yearlong showing of the Cardinals has caught the attention of oddsmakers, including WynnBET’s top trader, Matt Lindeman.
This week on a company podcast, Lindeman praised Arizona as a surprising standout of the NFL season.
Lindeman was caught off guard by the Cardinals being six-point favorites over San Francisco in last week’s preseason game. Despite his initial disbelief, he thinks that if Arizona continues to progress, they may start to gel as a team.
While they are making good progress, I can’t help but wish it wasn’t happening just three weeks before our move to Arizona. It seems like everything is centered around Arizona and the Cardinals, making it hard for us to stand out.
Is Kyler Murray able to outshine Baker Mayfield in a duel?
The upcoming game on Sunday will showcase a highly anticipated match-up between two former Heisman Trophy winners from the University of Oklahoma, Kyler Murray and Baker Mayfield.
For most of the season, the former has been the frontrunner in the NFL MVP betting race, with Murray following closely in second place with odds of +500 as per BetMGM.
Murray is ranked lower than Buffalo Bills QB Josh Allen (+450) at BetMGM, but they are both tied for the top spot on the MVP leaderboard at +450 on FanDuel Sportsbook Arizona.
Mayfield has gotten off to a strong start in his fourth NFL season, racking up 1,240 passing yards and four touchdowns.
The quarterback, in his fourth year, had a stellar performance on Sunday, completing 23 of 32 passes for 305 yards and two touchdowns with no interceptions in the Browns’ 47-42 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers.
Both players will enter Week 6 in top condition, meeting each other for the first time in the NFL after previously being teammates at Oklahoma.
Come face to face with the Cleveland Browns.
The Browns have won three games and lost two so far this season. They defeated the Houston Texans (31-21), Chicago Bears (26-6), and Minnesota Vikings (14-7), but fell to the Chargers and Kansas City Chiefs (33-29).
The Cleveland offense is known for its balance, averaging 248 passing yards and 187.6 rushing yards per game, making it one of the most well-rounded in the league.
Nick Chubb’s impressive performance as a fourth-year running back, currently averaging 5.8 yards per carry, plays a significant role in maintaining that equilibrium.
Chubb ranks second in the NFL for rushing yards with 523 and fourth in the league for rushing attempts with 90.
Chubb’s exceptional displays have propelled the Browns to the top of the NFL in rushing yards per game, posing a formidable challenge for Cardinals defensive coordinator Vance Joseph and his defense.
This season, the Cardinals defense has given up an average of 139 rushing yards per game, ranking them 28th in the league in rushing defense.
By Sunday afternoon at Lake Erie, we will have a clearer picture of where each team stands.
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Author
Peterson Christopher has over seven years of experience covering sports and sports betting in Arizona. He currently holds the position of lead writer at yengols.com, with previous roles at ArizonaSports.com, the Tucson Weekly, and the Green Valley News.
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