Oakland Raiders vs Arizona Cardinals
The Arizona Cardinals are 4-1, 1st in the NFC West. The Oakland Raiders are 0-5, last in the AFC West.
While I expected the Cardinals to come out of last Sunday’s matchup against the Washington Redskins triumphant, there’s more than an expectation for the Cards to  come out of this Sunday 5-1. The Oakland Raiders started off the season weak, and have done very little to fix this as the season has gone on. Inconsistent offense, all over the place defense, and no team identity to speak of.
Details for Sunday’s game are below:
Date: Sunday, Oct. 19th
Start Time: 1:25 p.m. PCT
Location: Oakland, Calif.
Stadium: O.co Coliseum
TV Info: FOX
Live Stream: ESPN NFL GameCenter
Radio: Sirius XM Radio
Ticket Information: For Oakland Raiders ticket info click here. For Arizona Cardinals ticket info click here.
Keys to Victory:
Arizona will need to come into this game exactly as they would any other; treating the Raiders as an easy win is the first ticket to giving Oakland their first season victory. The Cardinals have Carson Palmer starting as QB for the second week in a row; getting the clear number one back on the field will only help things. According to ESPN, Palmer has had no issues with his shoulder since being cleared to play again, so his nerve issues could be behind the team; this could bring Arizona the consistency they will sorely need in order to dominate the league this year.
The Cards are the clear favorite in this game, and there’s not a whole lot Oakland can do beyond outplaying themselves in every matchup so far. The biggest mistake Arizona could make, though, would be to slack off and let their guard down early on. The Oakland Raiders are absolutely desperate for a win at this point, so a sloppy Cardinals squad could easily let the game slip through their fingers.
Betting Odds:
Point Spread: ARI+105, OAK -115
Moneyline: ARI -175, OAK+155
O/U: ARI -110, OAK -110