NFL action is set to take place on 8/12/22 and it will feature Arizona Cardinals at Cincinnati Bengals. The game is set to take place at Paul Brown Stadium in Cincinnati, Ohio. The game starts at 7:30 PM EST and should be televised only on the local channels.
Arizona heads to the season here after having a good run to the Wild Card last year. The Cardinals last season finished the season at an 11-7 record on the year. When it comes to the divisional record the Cardinals ended up getting a decent 4-2 record on the year.
Cardinals Offense
The Cardinals are bringing back Kyler Murray on the year. Last year Murray went 333/481 with 3,787 yards 24 touchdowns but 10 picks as well. The rushing offense for sees James Conner coming back and last year he went 202 for 752 yards and 15 touchdowns. However, the Cardinals did add on Keaontay Ingram from USC this year to help spell and carry more of the load on the rushing offense.
Cardinals Defense
The defense for Arizona had a fairly decent showing giving up 392 yards per game overall, but allowed 214 yards per game in the air and 115 yards per game on the ground. The Cardinals allowed only 21.5 points per game, but did end up with 13 picks and picked up 41 sacks. A key loss for Arizona is the drop of Chandler Jones who was the leader in the sack department and leadership for the Cardinals.
The Bengals last year came so close to winning the Super Bowl that it is not funny. The Bengals finished the season with a record of 13-8 overall. In the AFC North, the Bengals ended up with a record of 4-2.
Bengals Offense
The return of Joe Burrow definitely helped the Bengals out quite a bit. Burrow last year went 366/520 for 4,611 yards 34 touchdowns and only 14 picks. Both of the leading rushers for the Bengals are back this year as Joe Mixon, last years leader with 292 carries for 1,205 yards and 13 touchdowns is back. The passing offense is looking good with Ja’Marr Chase coming back along with some of the other offensive weapons. To help ensure better protection the Bengals picked up La’el Collins in the offseason free agency market.
Bengals Defense
Defensively the Bengals did not look that good overall with 351 yards per game allowed, 248 yards per game in the air and 103 yards per game on the ground. The Bengals did give up 22.1 points per game and only managed to get 13 picks with 42 sacks. The defense for Cincinnati is coming back mainly intact as well, but the Bengals did lose Larry Ogunjobi who started in 16 games and pulled down 7 sacks.
Arizona Cardinals at Cincinnati Bengals Odds: Cardinals +1.5, Bengals -1.5
Over/Under Odds: 33.5
Cardinals at Bengals Pick: Arizona Cardinals +1.5, Over 33.5
Odds from Betonline.ag
The Cardinals are the underdog and a lot of that stems from the Arizona team traveling. In this game, though, the backups will play quite a bit and for Cincinnati Burrow is already out from surgery. Look for the Cardinals to end up getting the win secured here as the Bengals struggle offensively without Burrow. Throw in the fact that Cincinnati is missing a lot of the pass rush and it gives Arizona more time to get ready for the big passes. Still, I do see the Bengals offense doing enough to be productive and get some points which will help to push the total over.
Get all of our NFL Picks.
