NFL Predictions: Arizona Cardinals at Green Bay Packers

Arizona Cardinals at Green Bay Packers
Friday, 8/19/11, 8:00 PM EST
Opening Point Spread: Green Bay -7
Current Betting Line: Green Bay -6
Opening Total: 38
Current Total: 38
Odds Courtesy of Bookmaker

Packers Steelers Super Bowl XLV Picks — Green Bay Packers QB Aaron Rodgers returns to Lambeau Field Friday night

Arizona picked up a 24-18 road win over the Oakland Raiders last week to open up the 2011 preseason schedule and continues play away from home in Titletown. The Cardinals are still installing parts of the playbook despite being less than a month from the regular season, but quarterback Kevin Kolb is ready. “Let’s go test it and see what happens,” Kolb commented. “It’s not going to tell us where we are at, but it will point us in the direction we might be going.” The former Eagles signal-caller completed four of seven passes for 68 yards in his franchise debut last week. Arizona is 4-5 ATS over its last nine exhibition contests.

The Cardinals have stressed the importance of protecting the football during camp, as running backs Beanie Wells and Ryan Williams both lost the ball after being ruled down in the opener. It’s something that has plagued the backfield over the past couple years, which resulted in trading Tim Hightower, who fumbled 10 times over that span. Wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald is looking to perform at a higher level with Kolb in the huddle, as he caught 90 passes for 1,137 yards and six touchdowns in 2010. He had scored double-digit touchdowns in the previous three seasons.

Green Bay returns to Lambeau Field for the first time since winning the Super Bowl and is coming off a 27-17 loss to Cleveland in its preseason opener. The Packers aren’t too concerned with the opening result due to losing a 27-24 contest against the Browns during the first game of last year’s exhibition season. “It felt good to finally be back out here,” said Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers. “I missed being on the field.” The team is in a good spot to bounce back, coming in with a 15-6 all-time advantage against Arizona in preseason action. Green Bay is 3-1 ATS as a favorite in its last four opportunities.

The Packers first-team offense was on the field for two series last week, as Rodgers finished the night 6-of-8 for 74 yards and a score. Backup Matt Flynn followed by completing 11-of-18 attempts for 126 yards and a touchdown. “I thought the quarterbacks as a whole, just from a pure management standpoint, they were excellent,” stated head coach Mike McCarthy. He will be entering his sixth year as the leader of the franchise and has led the offense to a top 10 ranking in total yardage in each of the last five seasons. The last time these two teams met during the preseason resulted in a 44-37 Packers win, as the offense scored 31 points on its six first-half possessions.