Henry Roldán
In a matchup of two teams already eliminated from the race for the postseason, the Cardinals vs. Falcons will meet as part of Week 17 in the NFL.
Arizona is coming off its fifth consecutive game loss after falling to the Buccaneers, in overtime, by a score of 19-16. Meanwhile, Atlanta was defeated for the fourth time in a row after being outscored 9-17 by the Ravens.
Without further ado, at JefeBet we bring you the preview of the Arizona Cardinals vs Atlanta Falcons.
Predictions and Betting Preview for the Arizona Cardinals vs Atlanta Falcons NFL Week 17 Game on January 1, 2023
- Where: Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta, Georgia.
- When: Sunday, January 1, 2023, 1:00 PM E.T.
Odds provided by BetMGM.
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Betting on Arizona Cardinals
The Cardinals, one of the most disappointing teams of the year, will be looking to avoid finishing at the bottom of the NFC West this Sunday, a place they occupy with a 4-11 record.
Kyler Murray’s being out of action since Week 15 makes it difficult for the Cardinals to increase their stats in the last two regular-season games. On offense, they have gone three games without scoring more than 16 points, they average 5.0 net yards gained per pass, which is worst in the league, and they have 103 penalties, which is the second-highest number in the league.
Defensively, the 391 points allowed are the third highest in the entire circuit, while they have struggled to stop opponents’ passes by conceding 26 TDs via pass, the second highest in the NFL. They are also the second-worst team defending in the red zone, as opponents score on 67.3% of their visits inside the 20-yard line.
Betting on the Atlanta Falcons
The Falcons started the season very well, even leading the mediocre NFC South for a couple of weeks, until reality set in and last weekend they became the first team to be eliminated from the division.
Atlanta has numerous offensive issues, much like their competitors, despite the fact that they only failed to break 100 rushing yards in one game. This season, the Falcons have yet to score 30 points, and in their last seven games, they have only once gone over 18 points. In the league, they also have the second-fewest passing yards (2,325) but the third-most on the ground (2,412) and 14 touchdowns.
Due to their lack of efficiency in finding the end zone, a good defensive effort failed to be very helpful in the last few matchups. In the last seven games, Atlanta did not concede more than 350 total yards and conceded more than 21 points only twice.
However, prior to that, their performance was not the best and that is why they still have the fourth highest average of yards allowed per play with 5.8 and are among the top 10 teams that have conceded the most passing and rushing yards this season.
JefeBet Prediction
The shortcomings of these teams are glaring, but not having Kyler Murray has been a major blow to the Cardinals. This is something the Falcons will surely be able to take advantage of at home, where they are 4-3.
Arizona’s offense doesn’t function well at all without its QB and Atlanta can move the ball fairly effectively on the ground, which is not very comfortable for a Cardinals defense that allows 4.6 yards per rush.
Prediction: Falcons to win (ARI 16 – ATL 20)
