The preseason is officially underway and the regular season is only weeks away from beginning! Last year, the Cardinals looked like one of the best teams that the NFL had to offer before fizzling out and falling flat on their faces. With the start of 2022 offering a fresh start and a blank canvas to right their wrongs, the Arizona Cardinals are more than ready to get back on the gridiron. Join us for FanDuel’s 2022 over-under win totals, where our Arizona Cardinals over/under win total prediction and pick will be revealed.
In his third year as the Cardinals' field general, it appeared that Kyler Murray has begun his transformation into an NFL superstar at the quarterback position. Leading his squad to a 7-0 record before a gut-wrenching last-second loss at home versus the Packers single handily changed the course of the season in a blink of an eye, Arizona seemed like a clear Super Bowl favorite in the NFC up until they weren't.
After an uncharacteristic home blowout loss to Carolina followed by embarrassing losses to Detroit and Indianapolis, Arizona limped into the playoffs as a Wild Card team. It didn't take long for viewers inside the stadium and at home to realize that their season was soon to come to an end to the eventual Super Bowl Champion and division rivals in the Los Angeles Rams. Simply put, the Cardinals ran out of gas in the most shocking of ways.
Here are the 2022 NFL odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
2022 NFL Odds: Arizona Cardinals Over/Under Win Total Odds
Arizona Cardinals:
Over: 8.5 (-110)
Under: 8.5 (-110)
Why The Cardinals Will Win 8.5 Games
To begin, the Cardinals smoothed things out with their star QB and signed Murray to a five-year, $230,500,000 million dollar contract extension that will keep the field general a Cardinal until at least the 2028 season. Securing Murray long-term was always the main priority for the Arizona organization, and now with him donning the red and white for many years to come, the Cardinals can truly begin to build around him.
Some of this has already come into fruition this offseason, as Arizona went out and made a draft-day trade to acquire Murray's former OU teammate in Marquise “Hollywood” Brown from Baltimore. This proved to be an extremely smart move, as star wideout DeAndre Hopkins, was suspended for six games due to violating the Performance-Enhancing Drugs policy. Additionally, the Cardinals also re-signed the reliable Zach Ertz at the tight-end position to tag team with Mackey Award winner Trey McBride out of Colorado State. Not to mention, but they even bolstered their offensive line up front by adding guard Will Hernandez, who was a strong playmaker for the Giants in his four years there. Clearly, the conclusion of the 2021 season left a bad taste in the front office's mouth and they knew that there were plenty of moves that needed to be made.
Obviously, the Rams are expected to be a team that could compete for a chance at another Super Bowl, but the Niners will be entering the year with an unknown Trey Lance and the Seahawks no longer have Russell Wilson. This gives Arizona a splendid chance at securing the number two spot in the division.
Why The Cardinals Won't Win 8.5 Games
Kliff Kingsbury. While the young and charming head coach strives for himself with an innovative offensive style, it is safe to say that 2022 is a do-or-die season in his fourth season as Arizona's headman. Kingsbury certainly has an impressive resume under his belt, as he served as the offensive quality control coach when Case Keenum was breaking records at Houston, was the offensive coordinator for Johnny Manziel at Texas A&M, and even coached Patrick Mahomes at Texas Tech before bolting for the NFL.
Unfortunately, in almost every team he has been a part of, they have crumbled late in the season in the most disastrous of ways. Whether this occurred during his coaching days at Texas Tech or last season with the Cardinals, Kingsbury's track record of starting off hot only to fizzle out come wintertime is troublesome. In 2019, Arizona started off a respectable 3-3-1 before falling off a cliff by going 2-7 the rest of the way. The same thing happened in 2020 when the Cardinals seemed destined for postseason play before losing five of seven after going 6-3 to start off the season. These disturbing patterns can also be traced back to Texas Tech when Kingsbury would get off to amazing starts in September and October before falling short in November and December.
While Arizona was finally able to make it to the playoffs last season, this roster is talented enough to make a deep run come postseason time. It is time that Kingsbury proves himself. If he cannot, then the Cardinals are in serious jeopardy of not reaching 8.5 wins and the 43-year-old hot shot will need to find a new home elsewhere.
Final Cardinals Win Total Prediction
After posting an 11-6 record last season, it is hard to imagine that the Cardinals will take an extremely large step back. With many of the same players on the roster from a year ago, Arizona is determined to finish what they started.
Final Cardinals Win Total Prediction: Over 8.5 (-110)