Saints vs. Cardinals (Week 7 Thursday Night Football) Betting: Which struggling team will get a much-needed lift?

Two 2-4 teams desperate for a win will kick off Week 7 of the NFL season as the New Orleans Saints visit the Arizona Cardinals in this week’s Thursday Night Football contest.

Both New Orleans and Arizona entered this season with aspirations of reaching the playoffs, but neither team is where they would want to be at this point.

On Sunday, the Saints led the Bengals most of the way, but Cincinnati rallied for a 30-26 win. The Cardinals, meanwhile, were awful offensively in Seattle in a 19-9 loss to the Seahawks.

JA'MARR CHASE. THERE HE GOES.

?: #CINvsNO on CBS
?: Stream on NFL+ https://t.co/LIF7AUwqzz pic.twitter.com/e0NWYlOsra

— NFL (@NFL) October 16, 2022

Time is seemingly running out for Kliff Kingsbury and Kyler Murray to work as a duo in the desert. A loss on Thursday night might not seal Kingsbury’s fate, but it will be hard to envision him being able to lead the Cardinals back from a 2-5 start.

New Orleans Saints vs. Arizona Cardinals Matchup Information and Betting Odds

Matchup Information

• Matchup: New Orleans Saints (2-4, 1-1 away, 3rd in the NFC South) vs. Arizona Cardinals (2-4, 0-3 home, 4th in the NFC West)
• Venue & Location: State Farm Stadium (Glendale, Arizona)
• Date: Thursday, October 20, 2022
• Game Time: 8:15 p.m. Eastern Time (5:15 p.m. local time)
• How to Watch Saints vs. Cardinals: Amazon Prime Video

Saints vs. Cardinals Early Odds

Game odds are via BetOnline. This article may also feature odds from our other recommended legal sports betting sites.

Spread

• New Orleans Saints +1.5 (-110)
• Arizona Cardinals -1.5 (-110)

Over/Under

• Over 44.5 (-115)
• Under 44.5 (-105)

Moneyline

• New Orleans Saints +100
• Arizona Cardinals -118

Saints vs. Cardinals Gameday Odds

Odds are via BetOnline as of Thursday, October 20 at 2:00 a.m. Eastern.

Spread

• New Orleans Saints +2.5 (-115)
• Arizona Cardinals -2.5 (-105)

Over/Under

• Over 43.5 (-110)
• Under 43.5 (-110)

Moneyline

• New Orleans Saints +118
• Arizona Cardinals -138

New Orleans Saints vs. Arizona Cardinals Prediction and Betting Picks

Saints vs. Cardinals Prediction: Cardinals to win

Saints vs. Cardinals Picks: Cardinals ML (Best Value: -118 at BetOnline) & Saints/Cardinals over (Best Value: over 44.5 @ -115 at BetOnline & BetMGM)

In their loss to the Bengals, the Saints punted just three times in ten possessions and didn’t turn the ball over.

If you read that sentence and didn’t know the result of the game, you’d think that New Orleans likely won the game, right?

They certainly should have. But they didn’t finish with a flourish after starting strong, while the Bengals did the opposite.

With 10:28 left in the second quarter, a Wil Lutz field goal gave the Saints a 17-7 lead, which would be their biggest advantage of the game. In their first three scoring possessions, the Saints ran just 14 plays and used up just 1:25 (TD), 2:06 (TD), and 2:11 (FG).

From there, New Orleans dominated time of possession but managed just three field goals in five possessions the rest of the way. Cincinnati just about made the most of their four meaningful offensive possessions, scoring three touchdowns and a field goal.

Last Five Possessions for New Orleans vs. Cincinnati

• Field goal (14 plays, 63 yards, 5:43 time of possession)
• FG (14 plays, 56 yards, 7:48 TOP)
• FG (14 plays, 66 yards, 7:23 TOP)
• Punt (3 plays, 6 yards, 1:22 TOP)
• Turnover on downs (9 plays, 22 yards, 1:30 TOP)

Last Five Possessions for Cincinnati vs. New Orleans

• TD (10 plays, 75 yards, 4:44 TOP)
• TD (7 plays, 74 yards, 3:42 TOP)
• FG (13 plays, 41 yards, 7:25 TOP)
• TD (1 play, 60 yards, 0:13 TOP)
• End of game (1 play, -1 yard, 0:27 TOP)

It remains to be seen when QB Jameis Winston (back/ankle), who has missed the last three games, will be able to return to action.

But even with Andy Dalton not lighting the world on fire, there’s at least something for the Saints to look up positively on offense.

The same isn’t the case for the Cardinals, who got a field goal on their first offensive possession against Seattle and didn’t get any more points on offense the rest of the way.

Their only points from that point were on a fumble recovery in the end zone by Chris Banjo to make it 12-9 late in the third quarter.

Murray ran for 100 yards on 10 carries, but his passing numbers continue to be, well, not what you would expect from someone who just got a five-year, $230 million contract extension.

This season, Murray has yet to average more than 6.5 yards per pass attempt in any game.

Dating back to last season, he has gone 11 straight games without averaging more than seven yards an attempt, including last season’s playoff loss to the Rams. In his first 42 NFL games, Murray averaged at least seven yards an attempt 28 times.

Yards Per Pass Attempt for Kyler Murray (2022 Season)

• Chiefs: 5.7
• Raiders: 5.7
• Rams: 5.4
• Panthers: 6.5
• Eagles: 6.0
• Seahawks: 6.0

Where does the blame lie, and is this is fixable? Who knows, but if there is a week where he should do better, this is it. Not only in terms of it needing to happen, but because the Saints have had a drop-off in pass defense after starting well.

Low-scoring games aren’t always unwatchable, but the past two Thursday Night Football games have been absolutely unwatchable.

This one should at least be watchable, and even with Arizona’s ongoing issues, the over is a pretty reasonable target when there have been 53, 71, and 56 points in New Orleans’ last three games.

As for a side, there are few compelling arguments for either team. I recommend not going big at all no matter who you back.

This is a game that the Cardinals should win though, and I’m good with a small play on that outcome.

While Arizona’s offensive potential remains unfulfilled, they have only five giveaways, which is tied with the Chargers, Cowboys, Raiders, and Texans for second fewest in the league (behind only the Eagles, who also lead the league in takeaways).

The Saints, meanwhile, are tied with the Rams for the most giveaways (13) and have lost the turnover battle in five straight games. That will factor in their downfall on Thursday night.

More Saints vs. Cardinals Content on Betting News

• Saints vs. Cardinals Consensus Picks, Score Projections & Betting Stats

More NFL Week 7 Content on Betting News

• Colts vs. Titans Prediction & Picks
• Browns vs. Ravens Prediction & Picks
• Lions vs. Cowboys Prediction & Picks
• Jets vs. Broncos Prediction & Picks
• Chiefs vs. 49ers Prediction & Picks
• Steelers vs. Dolphins Prediction & Picks (Week 7 Sunday Night Football)
• Bears vs. Patriots Prediction & Picks (Week 7 Monday Night Football)