Offense has been at a premium the last two Thursday night games, with the Colts getting past Denver 12-9 in a field goal fest and then Washington beating Chicago by the score 12-9 last week. Both of those games bode well for New Orleans heading into TNF Saints at Cardinals betting, because Indianapolis and the Commanders were both road teams picking up the win on short weeks.
There’s a chance we see more offense in the week 7 TNF game, because the Saints are averaging 30.0 ppg the last three with Andy Dalton at QB and the Cardinals debut not only DeAndre Hopkins coming off his PED suspension, but also Robbie Anderson who was acquired in a trade with Carolina this week. Arizona is still just a -2.5 favorite, and the O/U has actually dropped three points since open to 43.5.
Saints Go GTD at QB
Both Dalton and Jameis Winston have posted a 1-2 record in their three starts this season. Winston won the job in the Summer but only had the Saints averaging 17.0 ppg prior to sitting out with a back injury. Dalton has stepped in and guided the team to 25+ in three straight games, but he’s a little banged up with a back injury as well.
Both QBs are cleared to play in the TNF Saints at Cardinals matchup, but coach Dennis Allen has maintained it will be a game-time decision as to who will start. One would think Allen would stick with Dalton since he’s thrown 3TDs to 1 INT while Winston has 4 TD passes but 5 picks, so maybe waiting on the official announcement is just gamesman ship.
Regardless of who gets the nod at QB, the Saints are probably sticking with their #7 ranked rushing attack (151.5 ypg) as the focal point of the offensive game plan on Thursday. New Orleans racked up 228 yards on the ground in last week’s 30-26 loss to Cincinnati in a balanced attack that had four different players with 39+ rushing yards.
Can Hopkins and Anderson Contribute Immediately
Although the pressure is starting to amp up on Kliff Kingsbury, Kyler Murray, and the rest of the 2-4 Cardinals is that the rest of the NFC West is just 3-3. The 49ers play the Chiefs, the Seahawks visit the Chargers, and the Rams have a bye so with a win on Thursday Arizona seems right in the mix in the division.
Arizona will look like a whole new offense on Thursday night when Hopkins and Anderson make their debuts. A 19-9 loss to Seattle last week and a team averaging less than 20.0 ppg made the Cardinals brass get proactive and acquire Anderson from Carolina. Something else that urged the Cardinals to pick up Anderson was Marquise Brown getting injured last week and being out maybe a month, so Murray won’t have all his weapons for awhile yet.
Free TNF Saints at Cardinals Betting Pick
New Orleans is missing a couple key players on Thursday night with Michael Thomas, Marshon Lattimore, and Jarvis Landry all ruled out. That definitely puts a dent in the Saints’ chances at a road upset, but they still have enough to get this win with their punishing running game. Arizona’s offense is going to be a mess trying to debut Anderson and Hopkins on the same night.
Free Pick: Saints +2.5
