The Arizona Cardinals begin their season on the road against the defending AFC South champion Tennessee Titans in Week 1. Kickoff for the season opener is at 1 p.m. ET at Nissan Stadium. Below, we look at the Cardinals vs. Titans odds and lines, and make our best NFL picks, predictions and bets.
Arizona finished 8-8 last season and missed the playoffs by one game. They improved on offense this offseason by trading for C Rodney Hudson, and signing WR A.J. Green and RB James Conner.
Arizona added DE J.J. Watt on defense and get LB Chandler Jones back from injury.
The Titans won the AFC South in 2020 at 11-5 before losing to the Baltimore Ravens in the first round of the playoffs. QB Ryan Tannehill had 40 combined passing and rushing touchdowns, while RB Derrick Henry led the NFL in rushing attempts, rushing yards and rushing touchdowns for the second straight year.
The Titans added WR Julio Jones on offense and former Steelers pass rusher Bud Dupree to bolster a pass rush that had the third-fewest sacks in 2020.
Also see: 2021 NFL team win totals
Cardinals at Titans odds, spread and lines
Odds provided by Tipico Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports’ betting odds for a full list. Lines last updated Friday at 8:40 a.m. ET.
- Money line: Cardinals +125 (bet $100 to win $125) | Titans -155 (bet $155 to win $100)
- Against the spread (ATS): Cardinals +2.5 (+105) | Titans -2.5 (-130)
- Over/Under (O/U): 52.5 (O: -108 | U: -112)
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Cardinals at Titans key injuries
Cardinals
- LB Dennis Gardeck (knee) limited practice
Titans
- CB Chris Jackson (hamstring) limited practice
- WR Josh Reynolds (foot) limited practice
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Cardinals at Titans odds, lines, predictions and picks
Prediction
Cardinals 37, Titans 31
Money line
The Cardinals started hot in 2020 by winning on the road against the San Francisco 49ers as underdogs. They finished 4-4 on the road but won three of their first four games as visitors.
The Titans also started hot by winning their first five games. They were 5-3 at home and 3-1 against the NFC.
Both teams will score points but the Titans had an awful defense in 2020 and aren’t expected to be much better. The Cardinals defense only needs to get a couple of stops to pull off the upset.
I LEAN CARDINALS (+125).
Against the spread
Neither team ended last season performing well against the spread. Arizona finished 7-9 ATS while the Titans were 7-10 ATS, including their playoff loss.
The Cardinals, though, covered the spread in their first two games of the season and in five of their first seven contests.
Tennessee started slow against the spread and failed to cover in each of their first three games.
With the lean to the Cardinals with the money line, I also LEAN CARDINALS +2.5 (+105) for some insurance.
Over/Under
The Titans went 12-4-1 O/U last season, while the Cardinals were 5-11 against the number while going Under the projected total in each of their first six games.
However, with Tennessee having added to an offense that averaged more than 30 points per game last season and with a defense that averaged 27.4 points per game allowed that isn’t expected to be much better, the Titans will be involved in a ton of high-scoring affairs.
Both teams will move the ball. The Titans will test the youth of the Cardinals linebackers and pick on CB Marco Wilson, who will start as a rookie.
This game is destined to come down to the wire with a lot of points.
Take OVER 52.5 (-108).
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