Coming into this season many online NFL betting experts thought the NFC West would be fairly easy to predict. Either the Cardinals or the Seahawks would win it, with the other likely clinching a Wild Card berth; basically a repeat of last year. But now two weeks into the season the West is shaping up to be one of the most competitive divisions in the league. Currently all 4 teams have a 1-1 record but the biggest surprise is that San Francisco and Los Angeles are currently sitting on the first two spots. It may be Week 3, but it’s safe to say no one on the planet could’ve predicted this ordering for any point during the season. As things stand now the West is literally anyone’s division and the Cardinals will be looking to set themselves apart Week 3 against the Bills.
When the preseason futures’ odds were released many online NFL betting websites had the Seahawks pegged as the favorites in the West, with the Cardinals close behind them. This was despite the fact that Arizona had actually won the division the previous year, and despite the fact that they advanced all the way to the Championship round. Being one game away from earning a ticket to the Super Bowl wasn’t enough to convince the odds-makers, but two weeks into 2016 the Cardinals look like a team who could repeat last year’s success. To open the season the Cardinals faced the Brady-less Pats and came close to beating New England. Down 2 points, Carson Palmer successfully led the Cardinals down the field and put them in a position to win the game. A 47-yard field goal would have given Arizona the lead with 40 seconds left on the clock. However, a botched kick would pave the way to an 0-1 start for Arizona. The loss was infuriating but the Bird Gang would get their revenge against the Buccaneers the following week, pummeling Tampa Bay 40-7. The Cards will be looking to keep that momentum going in Week 3; let’s see how much football betting sites are favoring Arizona in this contest.
Week 3 – Sunday the 25th of September
Cardinals -4 ½ (-105) 47 (-110) -220
Bills +4 ½ (-115) 47 (-110) +180
As one would expect, Arizona is coming in as the favorite and they should be an easy pick over the winless Bills. Buffalo fans were hopeful 2016 would be a joyful season, especially after Rex Ryan led the Bills to an 8-8 record in his debut, but so far it’s been nothing short of disappointing. The Bills opened the season by facing the Ravens in Baltimore and losing 13-7. The offense wasn’t able to get things going and they finished the day only converting 3/13 3rd downs. This put Buffalo’s defense in a tough spot, but they were still able to manage and only gave up one touchdown for the entire game. Week 2 would prove to be much more competitive for the Bills when they faced the Jets in their home opener. The final score of the contest was 37-31 which proves how close this game truly was. The Bills’ offense performed much better against the Jets than Baltimore, but in the end the inability to stop New York late in the game would cost Buffalo their second loss of the season.
On paper the Cardinals are a much better team than the Bills. Indeed it would take a miracle for Ryan’s Bills to pull off an upset this Sunday. The Bills offense is only averaging 19 points per game (ppg) while Arizona is averaging an impressive 30.5 ppg. With that in mind the Cardinals are an easy online NFL betting pick for both the money line and the spread.
