Glendale LVII: Cardinals' Super Bowl odds moving in wrong direction
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Quarterback Kyler Murray scores Sunday for the Cardinals. Photo: Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images
With the 2022 NFL season a quarter of the way over, the Arizona Cardinals' odds of playing in front of a hometown crowd at the Super Bowl are moving in the wrong direction.
The big picture: The Cards started the season with about a 3% chance of reaching the big game, according to Tipico Sportsbook.
- DraftKings Nation has the Cardinals' odds getting steadily worse as the season has progressed. At the start of the season, they put the team's odds at +4000, meaning you'd make $4,000 off a $100 bet. The latest odds have the Cards at +7000.
- Odds at other sportsbooks range from +5000 to +7000, and vegasinsider.com ranks the team as the 20th most likely to win it all.
Zoom out: The Cards are 2-2 to start the season, tied with the other three teams in the NFC West.
Yes, but: Arizona's two losses were against the Kansas City Chiefs (3-1) and the defending champion Los Angeles Rams, two of the league's presumed top contenders.
1 fun fact: When Matt Prater kicked a field goal to put the Cards up 13-10 over the Carolina Panthers in the second quarter on Sunday, it was the first time all season that Arizona had a lead during regulation.
Offensively, the Cards are in the middle of the pack, racking up 249.5 yards and 22 points per game, both of which rank them 14th in the league.
- On the defensive side, the Cards are giving up 342.8 yards per game, which is 16th in the league, and 25.8 points per game, which is fifth worst in the NFL.
- On the plus side, the Cards' run defense has been stout, giving up just 87 yards per game — good for fifth best.
1 good sign: Quarterback Kyler Murray wowed the league with his heroics in Week 2, when he miraculously tied the game with a two-point conversion, then led the team to a win over the Las Vegas Raiders in overtime.
What's next: Things won't get any easier this week as the Cards host the Philadelphia Eagles, the last undefeated team in the NFL.
- Week 6 is a road game against the Seahawks, followed by a home date against the struggling New Orleans Saints, then a tough road matchup against the Minnesota Vikings.
What we're watching: There are only two more weeks left in star wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins' six-game suspension.
- Hopkins is scheduled to return on Oct. 20, when the Cardinals host the Saints on Thursday Night Football.