Cardinals-Broncos Week 15 Odds, Lines and Spread
Two of the worst teams in the league play one another Sunday and they might both be trotting out backup quarterbacks.
Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray tore his ACL in the first quarter of Monday night’s loss to the Patriots, which ended his season. Backup Colt McCoy took Murray’s place under center. Broncos quarterback Russell Wilson entered concussion protocol during a home loss to the Chiefs in the midst of one of his best games of the year and Brett Rypien replaced him.
So instead of Murray vs. Wilson, two players who inked massive extensions in the offseason, it may very well be McCoy vs. Rypien when Arizona travels to Denver.
Arizona Cardinals vs. Denver Broncos Odds
Moneyline: Cardinals (+125) | Broncos (-150)
Spread: ARZ +2.5 (+100) | DEN -2.5 (-118)
Total: 36 – Over (-110) | Under (-110)
Game Info: Dec. 18, 2022 | 4:05 p.m. ET | Fox
Cardinals Straight-Up Record: 4–9
Cardinals Against the Spread Record: 6–7
Broncos Straight-Up Record: 3–10
Broncos Against the Spread Record: 5–8
The Broncos scored a season-best 28 points in a ferocious comeback bid against Kansas City, but their 14.7 points per game remains the lowest in the league. Denver averages a little more than 200 passing yards per game and barely above 100 yards on the ground, both figures that rank in the bottom half of the NFLand one-third of the team’s 12 passing touchdowns this season came in its last game.
Wilson’s first year in the Mile High City has not gone well to say the least, but Rypien is still a definitive step down. The Broncos don’t have much in the way of a run game to alleviate the pressure on its quarterback.
Denver’s defense is among the league’s best, which makes the struggles on the other side of the ball even worse in comparison. Opponents average 18.3 points per game, the fourth-fewest in the NFL. Its run defense is about league average but its lockdown secondary is in the top 10 in passing yards allowed (196.6).
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Arizona averages 21.3 points per game, 17th-most in the NFL, and two of its worst scoring outings came in its last three contests: 13 points against the Patriots in Week 14 and 10 against the 49ers in Week 11. The Cardinals’ passing and rushing statistics don’t stand out—it’s been a down year for Murray and running back James Conner has not had nearly as many scoring opportunities as he did last season. McCoy will have a solid crop of receivers to throw to with DeAndre Hopkins, Marquise Brown and, potentially, Rondale Moore available.
After allowing 27 points to New England, Arizona yields a league-high 26.8 points per game. Its top-10 rushing defense cannot make up for its bottom-10 passing defense, which lets up 243.8 yards per game to opponents. The Cardinals have only held three opponents below 20 points all season.
Odds and Betting Insights
The Cardinals had one push and one under over their last two games after the over hit in their last five. Arizona is 3–2 on the road this season, compared to a 1–7 mark at home. Broncos’ games go under at the highest rate in the NFL: Only two of their 13 games have hit the over. Denver is 0–5 against the spread as a favorite.
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