Arizona at Dallas
Time: 7:15 PM EST (NBC)
Spread: EVEN
Total: 55
Odds c/o 5dimes
The Arizona Cardinals are 3-2 this season coming off its 30-10 victory over the NY Jets last outing. The Cardinals stay on the road again, traveling to face the Dallas Cowboys at 7:15 PM (EST) Monday night on NBC. NFL oddsmakers have set the odds EVEN, with the over/under at 55 total points per the oddsmakers at 5dimes.
ARI
Arizona has been up and down thus far in this young season. It won Weeks 1 and 2 over San Francisco and Washington, but it then dropped back-to-back outings against the Detroit Lions and Carolina Panthers to fall to 2-2. Last week it gained a leg up with the win over the Jets, to improve its mark to 3-2 and place Arizona in third in the NFC West, trailing both the LA Raiders (4-2) and the undefeated 5-0 Seattle Seahawks.
Arizona thus far has been a dangerous team on the ground, and at least formidable via the air. The Cards rank No. 5 in rushing yardage at 141 per game, while ranking roughly middle-of-the-pack passing the ball with 254.4 yards per game. The Cardinals generate 25.6 per game offensively while surrendering just 20.4, good for a differential of +5.2 points.
The driving force behind the Cardinals explosive rush attack is its quarterback, Kyler Murray. Murray ranks No. 2 on the team in rushing yardage with 296, and he leads all rushers in yards-per-carry at 7.2 per. Murray has scored five of the team’s eight rushing touchdowns, and he has 17 first downs, trailing only lead back Kenyan Drake. Drake has been solid, but hardly as explosive as Murray has been. The No. 1 running back is averaging just 3.7 yards-per-carry, but he has been consistent and also has two rushing touchdowns. Chase Edmonds has seen minimal (19) touches as the No. 2 back, but his average-per-carry is better (5.0).
Murray’s bread and butter via the air has been the top wide receiver, DeAndre Hopkins.
Hopkins has already amassed 528 yards this season on 45 catches. He has more catches than the No. 2, 3, and 4 receivers—COMBINED. Hopkins also has two touchdowns and leads the team in first downs by a colossal margin with 29 already. The Chiefs are not getting much production from the TE position, as Dan Arnold and Darrell Daniels have combined for just 13 catches between them. Although, the pair has been a decent red zone option and they account for three of the team’s 16 receiving touchdowns.
Kicker Zane Gonzalez is 6 of 8 on field goals this year. Both his misses have become beyond the 40, with one being beyond the 50. He has been good for 14 of 15 PATs. Punter Andy Lee is averaging 44.9 yards per punt with a net distance of 40.7 yards. He has placed six of his 19 punts within the 20-yard-line.
DAL
The Dallas Cowboys are 2-3 after winning last week over the NY Giants. The Cowboys won 37-34 to snap a two-game losing streak as the team was coming off losses to Seattle and Cleveland heading into its last outing. The Cowboys are 2-1 at home this season where it hosts the Cardinals this week. The Cowboys also lead the NFC East at 2-3, with Philadelphia, New York, and Washington collectively all having won just one game apiece.
Dak Prescott has been decent this season. The good is his 68 percent completion ratio and his 8.4 yards-per-catch average. The bad is his four interceptions and 10 sacks for 66 lost yards. Overall, he has a fair passer rating of 99.6. Prescott has been better with his rushing attack. He leads the Cowboys in yards-per-carry at 5.2 per, and he has three touchdowns, which trails only lead back Ezekiel Elliot. Elliot is averaging 4.1 yards-per-carry on his 89 attempts with five rushing touchdowns and 26 rushing first downs. Elliot has also caught 24 of 32 targeted passes for 173 yards and a touchdown, ranking No. 5 on the team in yardage overall, despite managing just 7.2 yards-per-reception.
The Cowboys top-two receivers, CeeDee Lamb and Amari Cooper, both have topped 400 yards on the season and have 43 first downs between them. No. 4 in yardage is tight end Dalton Schultz, who has 19 catches for 225 yards and two touchdowns. The Cowboys have 10 receiving touchdowns on the season, topping it with balance, as the team has nine TDs via the rush. This should be a great affair between two closely pitted teams, but if the Cardinals can answer the call defensively it should prevail against Dallas, which has thus far proven to be a much tougher team on its home field where today’s affair takes place.
