The Arizona Cardinals aren’t exactly expected to be competitive in 2023. Now that general manager Monti Ossenfort and head coach Jonathan Gannon have taken over a franchise that’s largely been run like a mom-and-pop organization for the past several decades, the Cardinals are starting fresh and rebuilding from the ground up.
What is Arizona’s outlook this season? How strongly will they lean into tanking? In this betting preview, we break down the Cardinals’ betting lines, give out a best bet, and more.
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[tallysight url=”https://tallysight.com/widget/offers/pro-football-network/dynamic/sportsbooks:1,2,11,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10/promos:1?id=beef2bf7-9829-40ba-9758-682ccd8db3af”]Arizona Cardinals Futures Odds
All odds are from DraftKings Sportsbook unless noted otherwise.
Super Bowl Odds: +40000
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[tallysight url=”https://tallysight.com/new/widget/tile/nfl/org:pro-football-network/event:2023-24-futures/topic:super-bowl-winner/variant:1/sportsbook:draftkings?id=4606eedb-d2c6-471d-9ebe-73862f65a723″]NFC Odds: +20000
NFC West Odds: +3500
Win Total: 3.5 (Over -145/Under +120)
To Make/Miss the Playoffs: +1100/-2000
Arizona Cardinals Offense
The Cardinals ranked 21st in scoring last season under Kliff Kingsbury, but it would take a miracle for Arizona to finish anywhere near that rank in 2023.
Kyler Murray is still on the physically unable to perform (PUP) list as he recovers from a torn ACL and is not expected to play anytime soon. Depending on how the Cardinals perform during the first half of the upcoming season, they could potentially shut Murray down without ever having him set foot on the field this year.
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Arizona also cut veteran backup Colt McCoy this week, meaning they’ll roll with either recent trade acquisition Josh Dobbs or fifth-round rookie Clayton Tune. Gannon declined to reveal the identity of his starting quarterback, citing a potential “competitive advantage” against the Washington Commanders in Week 1.
New offensive coordinator Drew Petzing will no longer have DeAndre Hopkins — who posted a 64-7,717-3 line in nine games last year — at his disposal after the Cardinals released the veteran wideout over the summer. Holdovers Marquise Brown and Rondale Moore figure to be joined by Zach Pascal in Arizona’s WR corps, while the Cards could deploy regular “12” personnel looks with Zach Ertz and Trey McBride.
Arizona Cardinals Defense
Arizona enters the 2023 campaign with one of the NFL’s most anonymous defenses. The division-rival Los Angeles Rams give them a run for their money, but the Cardinals have the NFL’s worst defense heading into next year.
The club’s top three pass rushers from last season — Zach Allen, J.J. Watt, and Markus Golden — are all gone. So is cornerback Byron Murphy, who signed with the Minnesota Vikings in free agency. And Arizona traded hybrid linebacker/defensive back Isaiah Simmons to the New York Giants just before the NFL’s cutdown deadline.
Sure, the Cardinals still have a solid safety tandem in Budda Baker and Jalen Thompson. Linebacker Kyzir White knows Gannon’s defensive system from his time with the Philadelphia Eagles. And Zaven Collins could theoretically thrive as he moves from off-ball linebacker to the edge.
But Arizona’s defensive line and cornerback situations are atrocious. We’ll be surprised if the Cardinals don’t allow the most points in the league in 2023.
One Betting Trend To Know
Only the Bengals (76.5%) have a higher cover rate than the Cardinals (70.6%) in road games over the past two seasons., per Inside Edge.
Best Bet for the Cardinals in 2023
Robinson: Over the last 80 years, only five NFL teams have posted winless seasons:
- 1960 Dallas Cowboys (0-11-1)
- 1976 Tampa Bay Buccaneers (0-14)
- 1982 Baltimore Colts (0-8-1)
- 2008 Detroit Lions (0-16)
- 2017 Cleveland Browns (0-16)
Could the Cardinals join that ignominious list in 2023?
We’ve already gone over the lack of talent on Arizona’s roster. Now, consider their schedule.
The Cardinals project to have the NFL’s 12th-hardest schedule next season. Not only does Arizona have to play the San Francisco 49ers and Seattle Seahawks twice each, but they’ll face the AFC North and the NFC East — arguably two of the top three divisions in the league.
Games against the Cincinnati Bengals, Baltimore Ravens, Cleveland Browns, Pittsburgh Steelers, Philadlephia Eagles, Dallas Cowboys, New York Giants, and Washington Commanders all look like losses from here.
In fact, it’s hard to find a single win on Arizona’s schedule. Their best chances at a victory are probably their two games against the Rams or their Week 11 matchup against the Houston Texans.
Motivation is also a question for the Cardinals. If Arizona is 0-10 to start the season, they won’t have any reason to bring Murray back from the injured list. And with Caleb Williams and Drake Maye sitting as the rewards for earning the No. 1 overall pick in next year’s draft, the Cardinals might not have much incentive to win at all.
Betting on any NFL team to go winless is always a longshot, and Arizona’s odds reflect that. But let’s have some fun. We’re wagering on the Cardinals to post a 0-17 season (+2100 at FanDuel).