Kansas City Chiefs vs Arizona Cardinals Odds, Picks, and Predictions for Preseason Week 2 Matchup
- The Kansas City Chiefs and Arizona Cardinals’ preseason resumes Friday at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona
- The Chiefs are 2.5-point road favorites over the Cardinals
- See the odds, spread, and best bets below
The NFL preseason continues when the Kansas City Chiefs travel to Glendale, Arizona to take on the Arizona Cardinals. Kickoff is from State Farm Stadium and is scheduled for 8:00 pm ET on ESPN.
Both teams came from behind to win 19-16 in Week 1 of the NFL Preseason. Arizona needed a last-second field goal from Matt Prater to get the job done against the Dallas Cowboys. The Chiefs got a Shane Buechele 1-yard touchdown run with 1:14 left to take down the San Francisco 49ers.
Kansas City Chiefs vs Arizona Cardinals Odds
| Team | Spread | Moneyline | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kansas City Chiefs | -2.5 (-115) | -135 | O 41.5 (-110) |
| Arizona Cardinals | +2.5 (-105) | +115 | U 41.5 (-110) |
Odds as of August 18th at DraftKings
The Kansas City Chiefs are 2.5-point favorites and the total is currently 41.5. This total has seen some movement as it opened at 37 and has moved all the way up to 41.5. That’s a pretty big move any time of the year but especially in the preseason.
Arizona Cardinals’ Quarterbacks
The NFL preseason is all about the quarterback position and the Cardinals have a good one in Kyler Murray. Murray didn’t play in Arizona’s first preseason game against the Dallas Cowboys so it will be his first action of the “season”. Murray isn’t fond of the preseason and he didn’t hold back Tuesday when talking about the preseason and how it “isn’t real”.
QB Kyler Murray on why he liked having no preseason games last year: pic.twitter.com/oJ1IX22xCR
— Tyler Drake (@Tdrake4sports) August 17, 2021
Still having Murray on the field is better than not having him on the field. It’s unclear how long he will be in Friday’s game but when he leaves Colt McCoy will likely take over. He didn’t play long against Dallas but was sharp before he was relieved by Chris Streveler. Streveler was erratic through the air going 12 for 24 but he was able to move the ball on the ground as he paced the Cardinals in rushing going for 55 yards on 10 attempts.
Kansas City Chiefs’ Quarterbacks
Everyone knows who plays quarterback for the Kansas City Chiefs. Patrick Mahomes is off to arguably the best start of any quarterback in NFL history. He only threw two passes in the Chiefs’ preseason opener but we should see more of him against Arizona. With any luck, we’ll see shades of the guy who pulled off this insanity back in the 2018 preseason.
#NFLPartner #NFLGamePass shows us the play of the preseason so far…Patrick Mahomes to Tyreek Hill with the kind of pass that gets Chiefs' fans excited. Sign up at https://t.co/OMpK20J1RU pic.twitter.com/Sy7TGLp7dn
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) August 25, 2018
Andy Reid has already stated that the starters will play a half and then twos and threes will take over. That will likely mean Chad Henne but it’s unclear what Anthony Gordon and Shane Buechele’s playing time will look like. What we do know is both looked very competent against the 49ers last week so no matter which one is taking snaps, the Chiefs should be able to move the ball.
Who Else?
On the Chiefs side of the ball, Jody Fortson stuck out the most in the first game. He is a receiver turned tight end and he certainly looked the part against the 49ers. He lined up all over the field and hauled in three passes for 32 yards on the night. When the starters come out Friday night, the Chiefs should still be able to move the ball while Fortson is in the game.
Jody Fortson only needs 1️⃣ handpic.twitter.com/tLOejzTTWv
— Chiefs Core (@ChiefsCore) August 15, 2021
On the Cardinals side of the ball, the absence of Chandler Jones and JJ Watt will be noticeable. Neither played in the first game against Dallas but this one is an entirely different story with Patrick Mahomes slated to play an entire half. Jones is not expected to miss any time once the regular season starts so whatever is keeping him out of this game isn’t serious. He is a dominant pass rusher and should wreak havoc on opposing offenses this season.
@AZCardinals LB Chandler Jones is one of the best pass rushers in the NFL.
Jones has been dominate since joining the Cardinals in 2016. He has 60 sacks in that time span.
19 sacks (2nd)
40 Pressures (10th)
8 Forced Fumbles (1st)
26 QB hits (7th)Film Breakdown ⬇️#Cardinals pic.twitter.com/86rPAnirza
— Full-Time Dame 💰 (@DP_NFL) June 28, 2020
Kansas City Chiefs vs Arizona Cardinals Best Bet
This is the last game Cardinals’ fans will have to endure at State Farm Stadium without sports betting in Arizona. It’s a good thing because missing more games like this one doesn’t seem fun. I am expecting points in this one as both teams moved the ball well in their first action. It was their opponents that were sluggish on offense but that is unlikely to be the case this week. Both teams will face vastly different quarterback play from their opposition.
Obviously I am not the only one that likes this ‘Over’ since this number has gone from 37 to 41.5. Still, there is value on the ‘Over’ even at the inflated number. In my opinion, this ‘Over’ is playable up to 44. This game has all the makings of a 27-20 type finish.
Pick: Chiefs/Cardinals Over 41.5 (-110)
John has spent the past 20+ years betting sports on a daily basis and is considered by many to be a walking sports betting encyclopedia. From obscure player props to sides and totals, if there is an angle, John will find it.
