The Denver Broncos finished last season with a record of 5-12 which led to a 4^th place finish in the AFC West, the Broncos missing the playoffs 7^th consecutive season, and finishing in last place in the AFC West for the 3^rd consecutive year.

Meanwhile, the Arizona Cardinals finished last season with a record of 4-13 which led to a 4^th place finish in the NFC West and the Cardinals missing the playoffs after making the playoffs in the 2021 NFL season.

BookMaker has the Denver Broncos listed as 5.5-point favorites on the road against the Arizona Cardinals and has set the total for the over/under plays at 37.5 points. Which team will start the preseason off with a win? Let’s take a deeper dive into how these teams performed last season.

Denver Broncos Team Preview

The Denver Broncos finished in last place in the AFC West for the 3^rd consecutive season after finishing with a record of 5-12. The Broncos were 7-10 ATS overall, 3-5 ATS on the road, and 1-7 ATS as a favorite last season.

Offensively, the Denver Broncos ranked 32^nd in the NFL in points with an average of 16.88 points per game. Denver ranked 21^st in rushing with an average of 113.82 rushing yards per game. The Broncos ranked 19^th in passing yards per game with an average of 211.29 passing yards.

Defensively, the Broncos ranked 12^th in points allowed with an average of 21.12 points allowed per game. Denver ranked 10^th in rushing yards allowed per game with an average of 109.76 rushing yards. The Denver Broncos ranked 12^th in passing yards allowed with an average of 210.24 passing yards allowed per game.

Arizona Cardinals Team Preview

The Arizona Cardinals finished in last place in the AFC West and missed the playoffs after making the playoffs in 2021 as they finished with a record of 4-13. The Cardinals were 8-9 ATS overall, 4-4 ATS at home, and 7-7 ATS as an underdog last season.

Offensively, the Arizona Cardinals ranked 21^st in scoring in the NFL with an average of 20 points per game. Arizona ranked 22^nd in rushing yards with an average of 110.18 rushing yards per game. The Cardinals ranked 18^th in passing yards with an average of 213.29 passing yards per game.

Defensively, the Cardinals ranked 31^st in points allowed with an average of 26.41 points allowed per game. Arizona ranked 14^th in rushing yards allowed per game with an average of 118.59 rushing yards allowed. The Arizona Cardinals ranked 24^th in passing yards allowed with an average of 230.29 passing yards allowed per game.

Series Trends and Game Pick

Denver has won seven of the last eight games in the series and has won by an average score of 34.12 to 17.25 while going 7-1 ATS in those matchups. The Broncos have won the last three games in the series and have won by an average score of 36.67 to 15 while going 3-0 ATS in those contests.

The over has hit in the last eight games in the series with the teams combining for an average of 51.37 points per game in those contests. The over has hit in the last three games in the series with the teams combining for an average of 51.67 points per game in those matchups.

Denver is the more talented team this season and has been the better team in the series, winning seven of the last eight including the previous three matchups in a row. The Broncos are 7-1 ATS in the last eight and 3-0 ATS in the last three games in the series. As a result, I am buying the .5 point and taking the Denver Broncos -5 on BookMaker for this matchup on Friday night.