James Conner and Matt Prater will game Thursday decisions as to whether they play tomorrow night.
The Arizona Cardinals wrapped up their preparation for their Thursday night game at home against the New Orleans Saints. Injuries will be a major issue for both teams. Many starters will be absent in the game.
The final injury report came out Wednesday and the Cardinals will have a number of players out and a few others questionable.
The New Orleans Saints and Arizona Cardinals will play this Thursday in a game that will keep one afloat in the NFC playoffs, while another will fall into a deep hole at 2-5.
There’s no such thing as a must-win game in Week 7 for playoff purposes, but this certainly feels like it.
Last week, the Arizona Cardinals’ offense scored three points against the league’s 31st-ranked defense in Seattle. It was a miserable showing for a team that is supposed to be one of the league’s top offenses, supplemented by the least expensive (by cap) defenses in the NFL.
Of course, Thursday marks the return of All-Pro wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins. He’ll surely make the team much better, but Kliff Kingsbury and Kyler Murray must correct the mistakes of the season so far.
He has had 30 catches, 342 yards and 4 touchdowns in his last three season debuts. Expect a big game from him against the Saints.
The biggest storyline for the Arizona Cardinals entering their Week 7 home game against the New Orleans Saints on Thursday night is the return of wider receiver DeAndre Hopkins, who was reinstated to the active roster following the completion of his six-game suspension.
He was suspended for testing positive for a banned performance-enhancing substance.
Now he returns but it comes on a short week and the Cardinals will not hold a full-speed regular practice before their Thursday night game against the Saints.
Without full practice and no work with the team since before the season, no one knows what he can give the Cardinals in his season debut, but his last two season debuts for the Cardinals have been noteworthy.
In 2020, when he made his Cardinals debut in Week 1, he had a career-high 14 receptions for 151 yards.
Last season, the numbers weren’t as gaudy but he had six catches for 80 yards but scored two touchdowns.
Even his 2019 debut for the Houston Texans was great. He had eight catches for 111 yards and two touchdowns.
It is Game 7 for the Cardinals and Hopkins has been out for six weeks without practicing with the team, but we can probably expect something big from him this week. If not special, it should be at least memorable.
He has had 30 catches, 342 yards and four touchdowns in his last three season debuts. Expect a big game from him against the Saints.
Kickoff is Thursday at 5:15 p.m. Arizona time at State Farm Stadium. It will be exciting to see.
Kliff Kingsbury might be cautious with Hopkins’ playing time but the star receiver believes he will be fine in his debut with a normal workload.
The Arizona Cardinals have wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins back from a six-game suspension and he will make his debut Thursday night against the New Orleans Saints.
Having his return on a short week means he will not have had any full-speed practices before playing for the first time and coach Kliff Kingsbury has said for weeks that he did not know how much to expect Hopkins to be able to do or play in that first game.
Hopkins doesn’t think he needs any limits.
Kingsbury was asked on Monday whether Hopkins would need to have his snap count limited.
“He says not, so we’ll see,” Kingsbury answered. “We’ll see how he’s going, but I know he’s anxious. He was up here today asking for the game plan and excited to get out there.”
“I know I could (play like a regular game),” he said. “I’ve always been a guy who was always in the game in the fourth quarter. I’ve never been a receiver that comes out or taps to come out. I don’t see that happening anytime soon.”
He said that it is impossible to simulate an NFL game outside of an actual game. However, over the last several weeks, he has worked out at EXOS and simulated the amount of running and type of running he would typically get in practices during the week.
His presence on the field in practice and in the locker room has been a boost for the team.
Hopkins typically is on the field for almost every snap in a game. Expect him to be out there perhaps a little less than that, but it sounds like he expects to be a big part of what they do this week.
Not much changed for the Cardinals on Tuesday injury-wise as they get ready to play the Saints on Thursday.
The Arizona Cardinals released their second injury report of Week 7 Tuesday as they prepare to face the New Orleans Saints Thursday night. After only an estimated injury report Monday, Tuesday’s was based on actual participation in their practice, which was only a walkthrough.
One player was upgraded but it was otherwise the same as the first of the week.
He returns to practice for the first time this season and could possibly be activated for the Cardinals’ Week 7 game against the Saints.
The Arizona Cardinals could get some help back on the offensive line. They designated offensive lineman Cody Ford for return from injured reserve, allowing him to begin practicing.
He suffered an ankle injury and was placed on injured reserve before the team’s first game.
It is possible for him to be activated and to play on Thursday, but head coach Kliff Kingsbury said it would depend on how he looks in practice after not having done any football work in nearly two months.
The Cardinals have three weeks to reinstate him to the active roster or he will revert to injured reserve.
If he is not ready to be activated before Thursday’s game and start at left guard, Max Garcia will be in the starting lineup.
Blankenship could kick on Thursday for the Cardinals if Matt Prater isn’t ready to return.
The Arizona Cardinals released kicker Matt Ammendola on Monday after two disappointing games. It appeared that Matt Prater might be able to go and return to the lineup Thursday night when the Cardinals take on the New Orleans Saints.
They have a backup plan.
They announced a couple of additions to the practice squad Tuesday.
The Cardinals are slight favorites in Week 7 heading into their Thursday night game against the Saints.
The 2-4 Arizona Cardinals will face a 2-4 New Orleans Saints team at home Thursday night in Week 7. Both teams are dealing with a number of injuries as they have to turn around and play a game only four days after their last one.
The Cardinals open the week as favorites over the Saints. It is the second week in a row they are the favorite and the first time they are favored in a home game.
Let’s take a look at the Saints vs. Cardinals odds and lines for this game from Tipico Sportsbook.
Saints at Cardinals Week 7 odds
Moneyline:
Saints (+102)
Cardinals (-120)
At +102, the Saints are slight underdogs, given 49.5% implied odds of winning the game. A $100 moneyline bet on the Saints wins $102 if they win the game.
At -120 odds, the Cardinals have 54.55% implied odds of winning. Betting $120 on the Cardinals’ moneyline would win $100 if they win the game.
Against the spread:
Saints +1.5 (-110)
Cardinals -1.5 (-110)
As 1.5-point underdogs, betting the Saints on the spread would mean you win $100 for every $110 wagered if they win the game outright, if the game ends in a tie or if they lose by no more than one point. The Saints are 2-4 ATS this season.
As 1.5-point favorites, a Cardinals ATS bet wins $100 for every $110 wagered if they win by two or more points. They are 3-3 ATS this season.
Total (over/under)
Over 45.5 (-105)
Under 45.5 (-115)
If the two teams combine for 46 points or more, a $105 bet on the Over wins $100.
If they combine for 45 or fewer points, a $115 bet on the Under wins $100.
The Saints are 4-2 O/U, while the Cardinals are 1-4-1 O/U this season.
Saints vs. Cardinals head-to-head
The Cardinals and Saints have faced one another 30 times in the regular season and once in the postseason.
The regular-season all-time series is tied 15-15, and the Saints won their 1 playoff matchup.
The Saints have won 3 of the last 4 meetings, including a 31-9 win in 2019, the last time they played. That is the only time Murray has faced New Orleans. He did not have a touchdown pass against them.
Saints QB Jameis Winston is 1-2 in his career against the Cardinals. QB Andy Dalton, who has started the last 3 weeks while Winston has been dealing with a back injury, is 1-4 in his career against Arizona.
The Cardinals and Saints will face off this Thursday, with one team having the chance to tie the all-time series record.
The New Orleans Saints are traveling to Glendale to take on the struggling Arizona Cardinals for Week 7′ Thursday night game. It’s a must-win game for both teams as they try to stay afloat in the NFC playoff race.
The Saints lead the all-time series 16-15, so the Cards have a chance to even the score this week. New Orleans has won six of the last ten matchups, so it’s certainly been quite even in recent memory.
Of course, New Orleans got the better of the Cardinals in the 2010 divisional round, which would effectively send QB Kurt Warner into retirement and put the Cardinals in a three-year slump at quarterback.
Let’s dive into the last three matchups between these two teams.
Take a look at what has changed with the New Orleans Saints since last season.
The New Orleans Saints were an NFC powerhouse under Sean Payton under Drew Brees for over a decade, but have failed to recapture that level of success since their departure.
Since both of their retirement, the Saints have had a number of quarterbacks play meaningful snaps for the organization. They’ve tried to continue their commitment to winning, but it ultimately hasn’t come to fruition.
They’ll look to get back on track on the road against a struggling Cardinals team that is completely shell-shocked after only managing to score three offensive points against the Seattle Seahawks.
General Manager Mickey Loomis once again did his cap gymnastics to prevent the team from having to gut their entire core. The Saints were drastically over the cap and had to make a number of moves to get back to a reasonable number.
One prominent cap casualty, or rather a free agent loss that the team was unable to re-sign was three-time Pro Bowl left tackle Terron Armstead. Armstead was an anchor for the Saints for years, so it was tough for New Orleans to see him sign with the Dolphins.
Loomis and the front office did make an effort to remain in contention with a number of veteran free agent signings, most notably Pro-Bowl safety Tyrann Mathieu, the former Cardinals standout.
The Saints also added veterans Jarvis Landry, Marcus Maye and Andy Dalton. Dalton, who has started the past two games due to an injury to Jameis Winston, is questionable to play Thursday with a back injury.
The Saints inked quarterback Jameis Winston to a two-year, $28 million contract to lock him in as their starting quarterback this season. It was a rough start for Winston, who clearly did not look right and was eventually shut down due to a back injury.
In this year’s NFL Draft, the Saints made a bold trade up to pick No.11 to select Ohio State wide receiver Chris Olave. The former Buckeye has been fantastic to this point with 389 receiving yards in five games played.
As for departures, the Saints didn’t lose much aside from their left tackle. It truly was an offseason of additions for the Saints, many of which haven’t panned out the way they had hoped.
