NFL win total odds lump Cardinals at bottom with Browns
Apr 30, 2018, 2:38 PM
Arizona Cardinals first-round NFL football draft pick Josh Rosen pauses as he listens to a question during a news conference Friday, April 27, 2018, in Tempe, Ariz. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)
(AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)
By and large, the Arizona Cardinals won over their fans thanks to an NFL Draft addressing need at quarterback and wide receiver with their first two picks.
It came with the drama of the trade-up in the first round to select UCLA’s Josh Rosen at No. 10 and then gave Arizonans a feel-good story of a local boy coming home with Christian Kirk coming off the board in the second round. Add that into a free agency period that upgraded the offensive line and gave Arizona a presumed starting quarterback in Sam Bradford, and at least the Cardinals look competitive on paper.
But they don’t to the Las Vegas odds-makers.
According to the Westgate Las Vegas SuperBook manager John Murray, the draft did a bit to impact how they view the Cardinals.
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Arizona is listed with an over/under of just 5.5 wins, the fewest in the NFL tied with the lowly Cleveland Browns.
“The Cardinals were one of the teams that were influenced by the draft and the reason is they took a quarterback, Josh Rosen,” Murray told Bickley & Marotta on 98.7 FM Arizona’s Sports Station. “To us, that kind of signals they are going into a rebuilding mode this offseason, using their first-round pick on a QB. Even though we actually like Josh Rosen, that made us kind of lower our expectations of the Cardinals.”
Also contributing to the Cardinals’ low over/under for wins was their schedule.
Arizona visits the Rams, 49ers, Vikings, Chiefs, Chargers, Packers, Falcons and Seahawks in 2018. Murray said it’s possible the Cardinals could be underdogs by at least a touchdown in every one of those games.
“I look at something like that and it might be hard for them to get to six wins unless they really have a very good season at home,” he added. “I think they’re probably going to need to win four or five games at home to have a chance to go over this win total unless they’re able to spring some really big upsets at home.”
Early tallies in Las Vegas suggest that bettors believe Arizona will take at least six victories. Yet, Murray cautioned it’s hard to read at the moment, and more experienced bettors will take their time to examine the over/under and have yet to put money down.
And no, while the over/under is equal to that of the Browns, that doesn’t mean Las Vegas sees the Cardinals in the same dire straights.
“‘Lumping them in with the Browns is harsh. I can see why you guys are upset,” Murray said of the Cardinals. “There hasn’t been a lot of action on Cleveland yet. I did see a lot of people on social media for calling us crazy for having it that high — five-and-a-half.”
| Team | Over/Under |
|---|---|
| Cleveland Browns | 5.5 |
| Arizona Cardinals | 5.5 |
| New York Jets | 6 |
| Miami Dolphins | 6 |
| Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 6.5 |
| New York Giants | 6.5 |
| Indianapolis Colts | 6.5 |
| Chicago Bears | 6.5 |
| Buffalo Bills | 6.5 |
| Washington Redskins | 7 |
| Denver Broncos | 7 |
| Cincinnati Bengals | 7 |
| Tennessee Titans | 8 |
| Seattle Seahaws | 8 |
| Oakland Raiders | 8 |
| Detroit Lionos | 8 |
| Baltimore Ravens | 8 |
| Kansas City Chiefs | 8.5 |
| Houston Texans | 8.5 |
| Dallas Cowboys | 8.5 |
| San Francisco 49ers | 9 |
| Los Angeles Chargers | 9 |
| Jacksonville Jaguars | 9 |
| Carolina Panthers | 9 |
| Atlanta Falcons | 9 |
| New Orleans Saints | 9.5 |
| Los Angeles Rams | 9.5 |
| Minnesota Vikings | 10 |
| Green Bay Packers | 10 |
| Pittsburgh Steelers | 10.5 |
| Philadelphia Eagles | 10.5 |
| New England Patriots | 11 |
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