Arizona Cardinals 2021-2022 Season Preview, Odds and Win Totals

The Arizona Cardinals improved in each of the first two seasons of the Kliff Kingsbury era, but despite going from 5-11 to 8-8, the end of the 2020 season was one to forget.

The Cardinals had an exciting aura to them before the season even began. Before 2020, the previous two NFL MVPs had been quarterbacks entering their second season in the league: Kansas City’s Patrick Mahomes in 2018, and Lamar Jackson with Baltimore in 2019. 

Arizona quarterback Kyler Murray looked to be the next trendy name on that list, and was in contention after the team’s first 10 games, throwing for 19 touchdowns, throwing for over 2,600 yards, and rushing for an additional 619 yards and 10 touchdowns on the ground.

In the final six games, the Cardinals went 2-4, blowing a late wild card lead and failing to make the playoffs entirely. Murray only had seven touchdowns, with three of the games not having any at all.

With big moves needed, Arizona acquired former Houston Texans star defensive tackle J.J. Watt, along with Bengals wide receiver A.J. Green. Two established veterans that may be on the back end of their historic careers, but true professionals in a young locker room that is looking to take the next step. Arizona has the talent to not just make the playoffs, but win the division. It will just be a massive challenge with every NFC West team worthy of that same discussion.

Arizona Cardinals 2021 Team Outlook

Murray was the eye-opening mover when it came to MVP candidates a season ago, but we may have been one year too soon on Murray heading into Year 3 in Arizona. He enters the 2021 season at +2000 odds to take home the award at WynnBET Sportsbook, tied for ninth in the standings. He finished as the QB3 in fantasy leagues last year, and while that’s not a true reflection for MVP consideration, it’s worth noting that the only two quarterbacks that finished ahead of Murray in total points were Josh Allen and the eventual winner, Aaron Rodgers.

Murray’s 26 touchdowns through the air put him tied for 12th in the league, but he finished second in rushing touchdowns with 11. The key for him in Year 3 will be to limit the turnovers, especially late in games. During that final six game stretch, Murray had five fumbles, two of which were lost as well as four interceptions.

His offensive line should be in solid shape, ranking as the No. 11 unit over at Pro Football Focus this season. The key addition to the line is center Rodney Hudson, who spent the last few years with the Raiders.

While Murray’s rushing numbers look good, the team the last few seasons has struggled to find consistency in the run game. James Conner comes over after several years in Pittsburgh after Kenyan Drake left for the Las Vegas Raiders. Drake rushed for 955 yards on 239 carries last year. With Chase Edmonds snagging 53 receptions on 67 targets in the passing game, expect Conner, a good pass catcher in his own right to likely be more of an early-down and goal line back for Arizona as Edmonds comes in on third down and passing situations.

At receiver, things get a little more exciting. DeAdnre Hopkins is back after catching 115 passes for 1,407 yards and six touchdowns a season ago. The Cardinals need more consistency after Hopkins, now that the ageless one, Larry Fitzgerald has officially retired. Part of that could come from new rookie receiver Rondale Moore out of Purdue in Round 2.

Defensively, the Cardinals up front could present as one of the most dangerous units in all of football. J.J. Watt comes over from the Texans, and while he’s currently slated to remain on the outside, they could slide him inside if need-be with Leki Fotu and Rashard Lawrence. Watt will also have Chandler Jones back to help rush the passer, and Haason Reddick led the team in sacks with 12.5 a season ago. With Jones now healthy, Zaven Collins, Markus Golden and Isaiah Simmons make up a dynamic linebacking crew for Arizona.

The secondary could struggle, however, making the need to get to the quarterback even more of a priority for the Cardinals. Patrick Peterson is now a Minnesota Viking, and Malcolm Butler recently went on the reserve/retired list at the end of August. That leaves Robert Alford and Byron Murphy as your likely top two starting cornerbacks, with Budda Baker and Jalen Thompson holding it down at safety. Baker is PFF’s No. 16 ranked safety for 2021.

Arizona Cardinals 2021 NFL Draft

Much like a season ago, the Cardinals went to the board on defense to kick off their draft; selecting Tulsa linebacker Zaven Collins with pick 16 in the first round. In Round 2, the electric Purdue receiver Rondale Moore heard his name called as he'll likely be a factor into the slot position left behind by Larry Fitzgerald.

With no pick in Round 3, Arizona grabbed cornerback Marco Wilson out of Florida as they look to replace a longtime mainstay in Patrick Peterson. Arizona also had two sixth and seventh round picks to wrap up their draft; selecting DE Victor Dimukeje from Duke, CB Tay Gowan out of UCS, safety James Wiggins from Cincinnati, and Penn State Center Michael Menet.

Arizona Cardinals Team Odds: Division (+500), Conference (+2500), Super Bowl (+5000)

The 49ers and Los Angeles Rams are split right down the middle based on the WynnBET odds. Both L.A. and San Francisco are tied as co-favorites at +180 odds to win the toughest projected division in football this season. The Seattle Seahawks follow at +260 odds, with the Cardinals behind all three at +500.

The Cardinals, despite their offseason additions and expectations still fall very short of the oddsmakers' projections. Their odds to win the NFC Championship are all the way down at +2500. As for Super Bowl odds, the Cardinals are all the way back at +5000, or 50/1 odds to take home the Lombardi Trophy.

Arizona Cardinals Regular Season Win Total: 8 WINS | OVER (-135), UNDER (-110)

Ben Heisler: 

I feel like I'm being left out of a secret. What do the oddsmakers know that I don't when it comes to the Cardinals this season?

Kyler Murray is a dark horse MVP candidate after all the hype from last year, has an improved offensive line, a shiny new weapon in Rondale Moore, and two versatile run game options in James Conner and Chase Edmonds. DeAndre Hopkins is still going to get 100-plus passes, likely see his touchdowns go up from six last year, and the defensive front seven could be amongst the best in the league. WHAT'S NOT TO LIKE?

I suppose one could argue that the whimper in which the Cardinals went out with at the end of last season could present a bit of a dark omen for this year, but I simply don't see it that way. I could also hear the argument of the division they play in, and while I buy the NFC West as the top division in the league, I don't think it knocks Arizona out of contention in the slightest.

Arizona is dangerous, and unless I have my Kyler Murray +2000 MVP beer goggles on, I'm buying on their outlook in 2021. I still have the Rams as the division winners, but Arizona's coming along for a playoff ride with them.

PREDICTION: OVER 8 WINS (-135)

EXACT WIN TOTAL: 10 WINS (+400)

Donnavan Smoot:

If there’s one thing I know for certain, it’s that DeAndre Hopkins is going to show up and dominate. For the Cardinals, that consistency is needed; they have a lot of question marks and situations they need figured out. 

Even with the amount of questions, I think the Cardinals’ season will turn out to be a good one. Kyler Murray is ready to take the next step and possibly become the first quarterback to throw for 4,000 yards and 1,000 yards. Murray and the Cardinals offense needs to take a step forward this year in order to compete with the rest of the division, but I don’t think they will. 

On the defensive side of the ball, they should be improved. Chandler Jones and J.J. Watt are going to be in the front seven, giving them a much needed pass rush. With the departure of Patrick Peterson and Malcolm Butler going on the retired/reserve list, the front seven is going to have to carry a lot of responsibility to make up for the play in the secondary. 

The key to the Cardinals’ season is going to be in the first few weeks. The NFC West is too good of a division to play catchup in, meaning Arizona needs to be on it from the first snap. Yet, I don’t think they will.

PREDICTION: OVER 8 WINS (-135)

EXACT WIN TOTAL: 9 (+325)

Peter Dewey:

The Arizona Cardinals faded over the second half of the 2020 season, as they entered their Week 8 bye with a 5-2 record only to finish the season at 8-8, losing five of their final seven contests. 

It was a blown opportunity for the Cardinals and Kliff Kingsbury, as injuries to the San Francisco 49ers and poor quarterback play for the Los Angeles Rams opened up a chance for them to make the playoffs. 

However, Arizona will now enter Year 3 of the Kingsbury-Kyler Murray era without a playoff berth. Vegas doesn’t seem too confident that the Cardinals will get there either, as they have the lowest odds at WynnBET to win the NFC West at +500. 

The NFC West is a juggernaut of a division, and the Cardinals tried to fix their roster by bringing in a bunch of veterans (J.J. Watt, A.J. Green, Malcolm Butler, James Conner) this offseason, but Butler abruptly retired due to a personal issue, leaving the Cardinals with an inexperienced secondary. 

That’s not what you want to hear when you play in a division that has Sean McVay and Kyle Shanahan as head coaches and Russell Wilson and Matthew Stafford as quarterbacks. 

If Murray takes the next step, the Cardinals could sneak into the postseason, and even though I’m not high on San Francisco, I don’t know if the Cardinals can finish much higher than third in the division. 

PREDICTION: OVER 8 WINS(-135)

EXACT WIN TOTAL: EXACT WIN TOTAL: 9 WINS(+325)

Iain MacMillan:

When Kyler Murray was drafted first overall in the 2019 NFL Draft, I came out with the hot take that he’d be a bust. He then went on to win rookie of the year and was looking like an MVP candidate for the first half of the season. That was when I decided to put out an official apology and admit I was wrong. The moment I did that, Murray started playing poorly and ended up poorly and didn’t look great by the time the season ended.

Sure, a portion of that was likely due to an injury he was nursing, but it begs the question of just how good he is. Certainly, he’s not a bust, I was way off about that, but is he good enough to carry a team deep into the playoffs?

Arizona also had a subpar defense last season, and I don’t know if an aging J.J. Watt is going to fix their issues. Chandler Jones isn’t getting any younger either.

With all of that being said, WynnBET has their win total set at 8 and I think that’s a bit too low. There’s also the chance of it pushing if they land exactly one eight, so I’m comfortable with taking the over.

PREDICTION: OVER 8 WINS (-135)

EXACT WIN TOTAL: 10 WINS (+400)

Will the Arizona Cardinals Make the Playoffs? | MISS THE PLAYOFFS (-230), MAKE THE PLAYOFFS (+170)

Ben Heisler: 

Last season, the Cardinals and the Bears found themselves tied at 8-8, but only the Bears made it to the postseason. This year, Arizona won't have to worry about all of that tomfoolery, and will make the playoffs on their own merit without tiebreakers needed.

This is a really good team with substantial upgrades on both sides of the ball from a season ago. Yes, the division is extremely difficult, but I think they're talented enough to overcome it.

Seattle, with all their drama from the offseason will be the team that fails to put it together from the NFC West division, giving the Rams, 49ers and Cardinals a trip to the playoffs. Their 10 wins gets them in, so give me the outstanding odds from WynnBET in the process!

PREDICTION: YES (+170)

Donnavan Smoot:

Sadly, Arizona is going to be out of the postseason once again. They can blame the rest of their division for taking up three of the four spots available to the Cardinals. Arizona is going to battle with teams like the Bears, Vikings and Saints for the final spot, and they will lose. 

The Cardinals finished 8-8 last year after starting 5-3. If they don’t start out just as well, they won’t have a chance to make the playoffs. It’s going to be a sad season for Cardinals fans who will miss the playoffs and potentially Larry Fitzgerald.

PREDICTION: NO (-230)

Peter Dewey: 

I’d really love to see Arizona and Murray in the playoffs because of how dynamic (and fun) of an offensive player he is, but I just don’t see a path for them in the NFC West. 

The defense should be even better than last year when they finished third in the NFL in sacks now that Chandler Jones is healthy and Watt is in the fold, but the secondary issues cannot go unnoticed. Maybe Marco Wilson, Byron Murphy Jr. and Tay Gowan can overachieve, but when your insurance policy is Robert Alford, who hasn't played a snap since 2018, you’re in trouble. 

Kingsbury is going to need the offense to fire on all cylinders if he wants to keep his job, and last year’s collapse after the bye week has me less than enthused with the Cardinals in 2021. 

PREDICTION: NO (-230)

Iain MacMillan:

One of two things will need to happen for the Cardinals to reach the postseason next year. Either Kyler Murray will need to play at the level that he’s shown he can throughout the entire season, or the Arizona defense will need to take a significant step forward. If one of those two things happen, the Cardinals can sneak into the playoffs.

Taking on a stacked Cleveland Browns team in their extra 17th game of the season isn’t going to help their case, and the NFC West will likely cannibalize itself to a certain extent.

I’m going to make my prediction even more specific. I think the Cardinals will hit double-digit wins, but still miss out on the postseason in 2021, much like the Miami Dolphins did in the AFC last year.

PREDICTION: NO (-230)

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Every day from the start of NFL Training Camp, the BetSided team of Ben Heisler, Donnavan Smoot, Peter Dewey, and Iain MacMillan are breaking down the win totals, playoff, and Super Bowl odds for every team in the NFL.

Up next, we preview the betting outlook for the Kansas City Chiefs and check out our earlier team-by-team betting previews.

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