by Chuck Sommers
Thursday, Oct 28, 2021
Time: 8:20 p.m. ET
Venue: State Farm Stadium, Glendale, AZ
Where to watch: NFL Network
Opening Odds at USA Sportsbooks
DraftKings: Cardinals -6; O/U 50
BetMGM: Cardinals -6.5; O/U 50.5
Caesars: Cardinals -6; O/U 51
Season record
Packers: 6-1 (1st place, NFC North)
Cardinals: 7-0 (1st place, NFC West)
Can Aaron Rodgers lead the depleted Packers to victory over the unbeaten Cardinals? Find out on our Best Bets page where Will Rogers has you covered for tonight’s game. Catch Will’s and other plays available right now at the Shop Picks page, where you can find all of the Best Bets from our champion sports handicappers.
Packers - Cardinals preview and analysis
Last week
Packers: won 24-10 vs. Washington
Cardinals: won 31-5 vs Texans
Well, this game took a turn.
Davante Adams is in COVID protocol. J.J. Watt is out for the rest of the season.
Yet this is still going to be the Game of the Year to this point with the Green Bay Packers taking on the Arizona Cardinals in what's bound to be the biggest game of the top two NFC teams to this point on Thursday Night Football.
Adams, the top receiver in the league, is out due to COVID. That's 52 receptions for 744 yards and three touchdowns that Aaron Rodgers will be missing from the Green Bay offense. Wide receiver Allen Lazard will also be unavailable in this matchup due to COVID protocol.
The Packers have won six straight since losing their season opener against the New Orleans Saints and are coming off a 24-10 win at home against the Washington Football Team. Rodgers continued his MVP pace with 274 yards and three touchdowns to put forth a comfortable lead in the NFC North.
"We've still got room to improve," said Rashan Gary, who had two of the Packers' four sacks in Sunday's victory. "We're not a finished piece. Like I said, day by day and week by week, we're chipping away to become that perfect piece."
The Packers may not be in the best place, but at least they're right up there with the best teams in the NFC such as the undefeated Cardinals, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Dallas Cowboys. The winner of this game could very well take that mantle at least through the first half of the season.
But it's hard to look at this season and think the Cardinals, win or lose, haven't proven that they are the best team in the league at this current point in time. Whether it's impressive season-opening victories over the Tennessee Titans, or easy 26-point wins over the Houston Texans, the Cardinals have handled everything to this point.
Kyler Murray continued his own MVP push with 261 yards and three touchdowns against the Texans. DeAndre Hopkins caught his seventh touchdown of the season at home, and A.J. Green added 66 yards as his renaissance season continues.
But the important name here is Zach Ertz, the tight end acquired from the Philadelphia Eagles to add another weapon to this stout Arizona offense. He caught a 48-yard touchdown last week in his Arizona debut.
"I've never seen so much green grass in the middle of the field," Ertz said. "That's going to happen when you have DeAndre Hopkins and A.J. Green on the outside and a quarterback like Kyler."
Prediction
If you asked me before last Sunday, I might have given the Packers the edge in this one. It would've been very close. Like, a 2-point game that wouldn't have been covered. But the Cardinals have gone up to as much as 6-point favorites with the news of Adams out, and I think that's the key. The Packers don't have enough to stop the Cardinals, and the Cardinals will have an easier time to slow down the other receivers. Still an exciting game, but the Cardinals get it done and cover. Cardinals by 8
Betting trends
The Packers are 64-39 ATS since 1992 following two games with a turnover margin of plus-1 or better.
The Packers are 17-5 ATS in the first half of the season over the past three years.
The Cardinals are 11-2 ATS in October over the past three seasons.
Arizona is 4-14 ATS since 1992 following a home win by 21 points or more.
Players to watch
Packers: Tight end Robert Tonyan is coming off a season-high 63 yards and a touchdown last week. With Adams out, expect more targets over the middle for him.
Cardinals: It seems like we haven’t heard much from Chandler Jones in recent weeks, but he tends to turn it on during Thursday Night Football. The edge rusher has eight sacks in eight career TNF games. With the onus on him and Markus Golden to get to Rodgers, he could be due for a big night.
Statistical leaders
Packers:
Passing: Aaron Rodgers -- 1,710 yards, 15 TD, 3 INT
Rushing: Aaron Jones -- 404 yards, 2 TD
Receiving: Davante Adams -- 744 yards, 3 TD
Defense: Rashan Gary -- 3.5 sacks
Cardinals:
Passing: Kyler Murray -- 2,002 yards, 17 TD, 5 INT
Rushing: Chase Edmonds -- 397 yards
Receiving: DeAndre Hopkins -- 420 yards, 7 TD
Defense: Markus Golden -- 6 sacks
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Chuck Sommers
About the Author:
Chuck Sommers has camped outside of sportsbooks since he can remember, learning the tricks and nuances of the trade. He still has nightmares of betting $5,000 on the Raiders in the Tuck Rule game but has since turned that to 25 years of veteran handicapping greatness. You can find him mostly in the shadows at the Red Rock or Aliante casinos wondering if the over is cashing on any given Sunday.
