Saints vs. Cardinals Picks, Predictions NFL Week 7: Can Arizona Pull Off Home Win?
There's a battle of 2-4 teams on Thursday Night Football in Week 7. Read on for our top picks as the New Orleans Saints visit the Arizona Cardinals.
New Orleans’ 2-4 start is its worst since 2016, and it enters this contest without a number of key players again, including receivers Michael Thomas and Jarvis Landry, and cornerback Marshon Lattimore.
Meanwhile, Arizona enters this week having lost eight consecutive games at State Farm Stadium, its longest home losing streak since the team was known as the Chicago Cardinals.
Check out the rest of our top picks for Thursday Night Football: TNF Props, Saints vs. Cardinals same-game parlay, Kyler Murray prop picks, and DeAndre Hopkins prop picks.
Usually, a 2-4 start through six games buries a team in the standings. However, the NFC South and NFC West leaders are just 3-3, but FiveThirtyEight still gives the Saints and Cardinals just a 17% and 14% chance, respectively, of making the playoffs.
Which team will emerge victorious and give its playoff chances a much-needed jolt with a win in this Thursday night matchup?
Here are our Saints-Cardinals NFL picks for Week 7 (odds via FanDuel Sportsbook and DraftKings Sportsbook; pick confidence based on a 1-to-5-star scale).
Saints vs. Cardinals Game Info
Date: Thursday, Oct. 20, 8:15 p.m. ET
TV: Prime Video
Location: State Farm Stadium, Glendale, AZ
Weather: Indoors
Saints vs. Cardinals Odds
Saints vs. Cardinals Odds Analysis
The spread for Thursday Night Football has stayed close to the consensus opening line of Cardinals -2. The consensus line is up to Arizona -2.5 as of Wednesday afternoon, but a -2 number can still be found at select sportsbooks. Arizona has received 61% of the tickets and 55% of the handle against the spread.
The Over/Under has dropped from an opening line of 46 to a consensus of 43.5 on gameday, likely as a result of many of the injury designations. However, the Over has drawn a modest 55% of tickets but 74% of the handle.
Saints vs. Cardinals Picks
Saints vs. Cardinals ATS Pick
Cardinals -2 (-110) ★
There was arguably no team impacted more by injuries last week than the Saints, who played without quarterback Jameis Winston, receivers Michael Thomas, Jarvis Landry, and Chris Olave, and cornerback Marshon Lattimore, among others. As mentioned, three of the five are set to miss another contest.
Winston is dealing with various injuries (fractured vertebrae, sprained ankle, hip flexor), so we would not expect him to be slinging it all over the yard if he is active this week. In addition, Winston is a big reason the Saints rank dead-last in turnover margin (-7), as he has thrown more interceptions (five) than touchdowns (four).
One thing we do know is Arizona is getting star wideout DeAndre Hopkins back from a six-game suspension. We expect him to pay immediate dividends for a Cardinals offense that could not muster an offensive touchdown last week against the hapless Seattle Seahawks defense.
Saints vs. Cardinals O/U Pick
Over 43.5 (-118) ★★★
Trends suggest we could be in for a sloppy game this week. The Saints are 11-0 to the Under in their last 11 Thursday games, and this follows Commanders-Bears and Broncos-Colts matchups that totaled 19 and 21 points, respectively. However, even if the Saints once again rule out the majority of their top pass catchers, they still ran for 228 yards last week, their most in a loss since 1999. In addition, New Orleans still totaled 26 points on a solid Cincinnati Bengals defense despite scoring one touchdown on five red-zone possessions.
Meanwhile, Cardinals QB Kyler Murray is 8-2 with Hopkins on the field, with a total QBR of 64, 19 touchdowns, and nine interceptions. In five games without Hopkins, Murray has won just one start, and his total QBR drops to 37 to go along with five touchdowns to three picks. Look for Hopkins to immediately revitalize a struggling Cardinals offense.
Saints vs. Cardinals Prop Pick
Cardinals 1st-half ML (-120) ★★★
Arizona has been a dreadful first-half team this season, trailing at the half in all six games and being outscored by a combined 89-29. We do not expect this trend to go on much longer, especially against a Saints team that should take time to find a rhythm with all the injuries it's dealing with.
Where to Bet on Saints vs. Cardinals Picks
Saints-Cardinals picks made 10/19/2022 at 4:00 p.m. ET
