The new-look Arizona Cardinals open their preseason when they take on the rebuilding New Orleans Saints on Saturday night. Week 1 of the NFL Preseason gets underway from State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona. The game kicks off at 8:00 p.m.
Bookmaker has installed the Saints as a slim - 1 1/2 point favorite.
The Cardinals feel they are ready to make some noise in the NFC and believe they have the offensive weapons to do it. They finished 4-13 last season but believe they are ready to light up the scoreboard and win some games.
They drafted stud WR Marvin Harrison Jr. in this past April's NFL Draft and believe he will be the difference maker the offense has been starving for. He can explode off the line of scrimmage and take the top off defenses. Look for the Cardinals' passing attack to air it out a ton this season, which might make for some high-scoring games.
It is unclear if fans will also get their first look at Harrison. The coaching staff is still deciding whether he will play.
If the offense gets going, it will be because of the very talented but at times very frustrating Kyler Murray, who is entering his sixth season under center for the Cardinals. He only played in eight games last season due to injury, and many believe he is poised to break out and put up monster numbers. If he can throw for over 3800 yards, add in another 25-plus touchdown tosses, and use his legs as a weapon, this offense can take off.
He will not be playing in any preseason games, so you might see the Cardinals' offense struggle a bit to score points, which in turn might have you play the under in some of these games. The total in this one is 37 1/2 points. Desmond Rider will most likely get first-team reps under center. The Cardinals scored 19.4 points last season, while the defense surrendered nearly 27 a game.
The Saints are in a full-blown rebuild, and they do not want to admit it to their fanbase, but this team might struggle this season. They have had issues over the past several years when it comes to getting consistent and decent QB play, and if they can not fix that in 2024, then they are doomed for another disappointing season.
Veteran QB Derek Carr looked terrible last season and got knocked around. He put up decent stats but was very careful and conservative with the football. The Saints would love to return to their glory days when they were slinging the ball all over the field.
They ended 9-8, but that is misleading as they had to win their last four out of five to get to nine wins. Their win total was 9 1/2, so they just missed it. Their over/under in 2024 sits at 7 1/2 and some believe the under is in play here.
Look for QB Spencer Rattler to get some reps, as he has been throwing the ball very well during camp. This preseason will be an excellent test for the 27-year-old to see if he can push Carr and move up on the depth chart.
The Saints will test the Cardinals' secondary and look for them to score some points, but the Cardinals might have some issues without Murray out there. We tend to lean towards the under in this one.
The Saints were 6-10-1 against the spread in 2023, while the Cardinals posted a mark of 8-8-1. Some books have the Saints +380 to win the NFC South, while the Cardinals are +1200 because they are in a competitive division. The Saints are 15-16 all-time against the Cardinals.
