Chiefs vs. Cardinals Odds, Spread, Preview: NFL Week 1 Predictions

Chiefs vs. Cardinals Week 1 matchup preview and current betting lines

The Chiefs and Cardinals play in arguably the two best divisions in the NFL if you look at the NFL Week 1 odds of making the playoffs this year. It should be a treat this season to watch them play each other, and this is the first of those matchups.

Many are aware of the Chiefs’ dominance in September under Patrick Mahomes. He is 11-2 with 41 touchdowns to three interceptions in September games. But last season, the Chiefs stumbled out of the gates and Mahomes lost his last two September games after the offense turned it over six times. Now we see how the Chiefs adjust without Tyreek Hill’s speed at wide receiver.

The Cardinals were fast starters in 2021 as the last unbeaten team at 7-0. But they were 4-7 down the stretch as closing out seasons has been an issue for the Kliff Kingsbury-Kyler Murray era. Murray is 15-8-1 in the first two months of the season compared to 7-16 once November comes around.

This game is a big opportunity at home for Murray to show he is fully committed to football and improving after the team gave him a huge second contract this offseason.

Players to watch in the Chiefs vs. Cardinals game

Kansas City Chiefs

Marquez Valdes-Scantling: The speedster from Green Bay can make a long touchdown catch like Tyreek Hill, but will he clean up the mistakes and drops that hurt him with the Packers? The Chiefs had an abundance of tipped-ball interceptions last year, including one in overtime against the Bengals in the AFC Championship Game.

Arizona Cardinals

Marquise Brown: Arizona’s newest wide receiver is an old one for Kyler Murray as Brown played with him at Oklahoma for one great year. Is this going to be this year’s Joe Burrow-Ja’Marr Chase connection? Probably not that good, but Brown gets to improve with a team that will want to throw it more than the Ravens did. Let’s see if he can take the top off a defense that lost safety Tyrann Mathieu.

Our Best NFL Bets for the Chiefs vs. Cardinals game

We have two NFL Week 1 predictions we are excited about here with the Chiefs vs. Cardinals odds favoring a shootout.

Chiefs vs. Cardinals Spread Pick: Cardinals +6 (-110)

The Chiefs vs. Cardinals spread has moved considerably during the week, opening with the Chiefs as a 2.5-point road favorite before moving up to 6 points. Kansas City is 6-12 ATS in its last 18 games as a favorite of at least 5 points.

So, this is good value for the Cardinals, who started last season so strong at 7-0 before fading down the stretch. The Chiefs were terrible defensively to start 2021 before improving significantly, only to get exposed by the better offenses down the stretch.

The Cardinals have plenty of talented skill players, and Murray is always a threat to run with the ball too. This feels like a shootout between two potential playoff teams, and with the line being this big, the home team needs to deliver after an offseason of embarrassing headlines surrounding its franchise quarterback.

The Chiefs may very well win the game, but let’s go with Arizona to at least cover the inflated spread.

Be sure to check our NFL picks page for more betting information.

Player Prop: Travis Kelce Anytime Touchdown Scorer (-140)

With Tyreek Hill gone, the job gets even tougher for Travis Kelce, who is still arguably the best tight end in the game. Hill was the go-to player in adverse situations for Mahomes, and while he won’t be able to fling passes deep down the field to him anymore, Kelce is an excellent security blanket to have as the Chiefs look to build trust in this revamped receiving corps.

Kelce should get a bigger share of the red-zone targets in Hill’s absence. Those little flip plays to Hill could go to Kelce as the Chiefs can get creative inside the 3-yard line. Kelce even threw a touchdown pass in the wild card playoff game against Pittsburgh.

Kelce scored nine touchdowns last year, so he was usually good for one every other week. With this game shaping up to be a shootout, look for Mahomes to find his best target in the end zone early to hit what should be an NFL bet of the week.