Arizona at NY Giants

Time: NOON EST, FOX

Spread: ARI -2.5

Total: 45

Odds c/o 5dimes

 

The Arizona Cardinals enter at 6-6 as it travels to face the woeful New York Giants. Despite New York’s struggles, the Cardinals are just 2.5-point favorites in a game that could come down to late execution and field goal accuracy.

The betting total is set at 45 points, according to NFL oddsmakers, and the game will kick off at Noon (EST) on FOX networks.

ARI

Arizona is 6-6. It enters as losers of three of its last three games.

The Cardinals at one point were riding Kyler Murray from the pocket to the victor’s seat- ranking No. 1 in rushing yardage due to the dual-threat quarterback. Since that point, it has fallen to the third-best rushing attack and a No. 9 ranked offense, only entirely stifled by its defense that has surrendered 24.7 per contest.

Arizona generates 150.6 yards per game on the ground, while still ranking No. 19 in passing yardage at 238 per game. Resultantly, the offense ranks No. 9 in scoring at 27.7 points per game, while the Cardinals have a much better defense than often credited for, at least. It limits opponents to just 24.7 points per game, ranking in among the top-third of defenses.

It is hard to find any fault with what Murray has done so far. He has a 66.9 percent passing clip at 304.3 yards per game and 22 touchdowns with 10 picks. He has only been sacked 20 times in 12 games despite holding the ball often, as he has to.

Murray has rushed 102 times, which lingers behind lead running back Kenyan Drake who has 178 attempts. Murray has 665 yards to his 768, dominating him in yards-per-carry at 6.5 while Drake is just at 4.3.

Chase Edmonds is nearly good for nearly-five yards-per, and he has 372 yards with a touchdown. Murray has 10 of the team’s 19 rushing touchdowns this season. Drake has eight.

DeAndre Hopkins is the top receiver by a large margin. He has caught 85 of 116 targeted looks for 1,019 yards and five touchdowns. He also has 370 yards after the catch, and just one fumble despite the volume and additional yardage (the fumble was lost)

Larry Fitzgerald ranks No. 2 in receptions but No. 3 in yardage due to obtaining just 7.8 yards-per-catch. Christian Kirk leads the team in touchdowns with six, and he has caught 35 of 61 targeted passes. The tight end Dan Arnold has caught 76 percent of his targeted looks but averages just about 24 yards receiving per game. He has three touchdowns.

Cardinals kicker Zane Gonzalez is 16 of 22 on attempts, with all six misses coming from beyond the 40, and one of those from beyond midfield. Gonzalez is 38 of 39 on PATs and remains one of the most consistent kickers in the league. Andy Lee averages 44.4 yards and 39.1 net on his punts and has placed 13 of 36 attempts within the 20 yards line.

NY

The Giants have been strong offensively via the rush, and barely productive via the pass. It lingers in the worst-five for passing yardage at 192.1 yards per game, with a No. 11 rush attack that generates 119.8 yards per game. It adds up to an offense that fails to reach 20 points per game, while it surrenders 22.1 itself on the other end of the football. Totaling up to a -2.7 differential, the 5-7 mark becomes framed by the underachievement it really actually is.

In terms of evaluating the talents on this roster, Daniel Jones has shown more flashes, than he has been actually consistently productive. He has more interceptions (nine) than touchdowns (eight), and he has been sacked nearly three times per game on average. His passer rating of 78.7 is fairly horrible, but on the other side of this coin, he has been excellent as a rushing threat. Jones leads the team in rushing yardage despite trailing No. 1 backfield option Wayne Gallman by nearly 40 attempts.

The Giants went with Colt McCoy last week. He threw 13 of 22 for just 105 yards and had one touchdown with an interception. It was no upgrade over Jones.

Darius Slayton, Evan Ingram (the tight end), and Sterling Shepard have all caught for 380 yards or better. Slayton leads the way in yards with 598, while also leading in touchdowns (three) and first downs (31). Kicker Graham Gano has hit 26 of 27 field goals, with his only miss coming from beyond midfield. That notwithstanding, he is also 4 of 5 from beyond midfield and he is perfect (17 of 18) on PATs.