Football betting handicappers will have quite a challenge in figuring out two up and down teams as the Arizona Cardinals host the Oakland Raiders on Sunday. Kickoff is set for 4:20 PM Eastern and Sbg global sportsbook opened with Arizona as a 4.5-point favorite and with an over/under of 40. The game will be broadcast on CBS.
Quarterback Controversy/Mystery
There has been plenty of quarterbacking news in pro football already this year and Oakland is in the headlines for their own situation as Jason Campbell was benched last week after a poor first half in which he was 8-15 for 87 yards with 1 interception as Oakland trailed the St. Louis Rams 7-3. Bruce Gradkowski’s relief effort led the Raiders to a much needed 16-14 win that they failed to cover as 3-point NFL football betting favorites. Gradkowski was 11-22 for 162 yards with 1 touchdown and 1 interception. Head coach Tom Cable said that he is undecided about who will start but that he will make the right decision for the team. Owner Al Davis is said to prefer Campbell, who was acquired from the Washington Redskins after an undistinguished career there. Gradkowski saw action for Oakland last year and publicly stated he thinks he deserves the job. Oakland is now 1-1 on the season and yet to cover the spread.
Home Opener for the Cardinals
Arizona won their opener at St. Louis before getting blown out at Atlanta last week 41-7 as 7-point road dogs. Football betting handicappers are taking a wait and see approach to quarterback Derek Anderson, who ripped the job from projected starter Matt Leinart in preseason. Anderson was good at St. Louis and bad at Atlanta. He has a mediocre 66.8 QB rating with 1 touchdown and 2 interceptions. The Cardinals are 29th in scoring and 27th in points permitted.
Trends
The Raiders have gotten the money in 6 out of their last 7 games when failing to get a payout in their previous game. Oakland has dropped 6 consecutive games against the spread following a straight up win. Arizona is 6-1 against the spread following a failure to cover the number in their previous game. The Cardinals have gone over the NFL football betting total in 19 out of their last 26 games after scoring less than 15 points in their previous game.