Chiefs vs. Cardinals Point Spread: NFL Pre-Season Week 2 Odds, Prediction
The defending Super Bowl champions opened their August schedule on a losing note, squandering a fourth-quarter lead on their way to a narrow 26-24 defeat in New Orleans last weekend, but maintain a 5-2 SU record over their past seven preseason contests. The Cardinals closed out last season on a seven-game losing streak, but impressed while erasing an early 10-0 deficit to claim an 18-17 win over Denver in last weekend’s preseason opener.
Head coach Andy Reid announced plans to start his stars, which has given the Chiefs a lift on the NFL preseason Week 2 odds, where they have emerged as 7.5-point road favourites. The Cardinals lag as +242 underdogs, and the total is listed at 40.5.
NFL Point Spread and Betting Analysis
Saturday night’s matchup at State Farm Stadium marks the fourth preseason clash between these squads since 2012. The Chiefs have claimed victory in each of their past three August meetings, capped by a 17-10 win in the desert two years ago. Overall, KC has limited the Cardinals to just 15.3 points per game during their current 3-0 head-to-head run in preseason action. With the Chiefs averaging 26 points per game, the OVER has paid out twice over that stretch.
Kansas City Chiefs
While Andy Reid’s announced plans to play his starters have not hurt Kansas City on the odds, it is tough to gauge just how much playing time players like Mahomes and Travis Kelce will see. In comments to the media on Thursday, Reid stated “the ones will go for a half and then we’ll mix in the twos and threes in the third quarter”.
However, the wily bench boss has made such statements in preseasons past only to cut his starters’ playing time short on game night. Even a small dose of the Chiefs’ vaunted lineup could be enough to give this squad a fast start and an early lead, particularly against a Cardinals squad that struggled to handle a Broncos attack led by Russell Wilson early on last week.
Arizona Cardinals
With Kyler Murray still in recovery mode after undergoing knee surgery during the offseason, there will be no superstar matchup in the cards for Saturday night’s contest. Instead, expect the auditions for the job as Murray’s backup to continue in earnest. Rookie Clayton Tune enjoyed a lengthy first look in last week’s win over Denver. Selected in the fifth round of the 2023 NFL Draft, Tune saw plenty of action after taking over for veteran Colt McCoy, who made a brief appearance as starter.
The former Houston Cougars star completed just 13 of 23 pass attempts for 135 yards, but also led the Cardinals on two scoring drives before giving way to David Blough in the fourth quarter. One of the bigger issues facing the Cardinals are continued concerns about the state of the field at State Farm Stadium after serving as the site of training camp. While the team insists the field is safe, its depleted condition could drive decisions as to how much playing time starters on both teams will see.
KC
ARI