Arizona's season may be done, but Kyler Murray is back, bringing about some intrigue in this matchup with the Houston Texans and C.J. Stroud. Houston is quickly becoming the darling of the NFL and is pushing for a postseason spot.
Arizona Cardinals vs. Houston Texans: Betting Odds
Spread: Houston -5, Over/under: 48.5 points, Arizona +185 | Houston -225
Arizona comes into this one at 2-8, but Kyler Murray's first game resulted in a 25-23 win over the Atlanta Falcons. Murray showed up his elusiveness, and with James Conner back and young tight end Trey McBride emerging as a budding star, this offense has the potential to make some noise the rest of the season.
The Cardinals' bigger issues are on defense. They can't stop the run, and their secondary is hardly any better. That could be a major, major problem against an explosive Texans offense that is averaging the fifth-most points per game over their last three games.
If the season ended today, Houston would be in the playoffs in the AFC as the seventh seed (barring a Cincinnati Thursday night win). Not many considered this is a possibility for the 2023 Texans, but quarterback C.J. Stroud is the heavy Rookie of the Year favorite, and first-year head coach DeMeco Ryans is one of the favorites to win Coach of the Year.
This Texans team has a special feel to them, as Stroud has engineered two straight game-winning drives.
Houston is 5-4 ATS this season while Arizona is 5-5. The Cardinals are one of the best teams at hitting the over at 6-4, while the Texans are 4-5 to the over.
Just like we all thought, a Week 11 game between Arizona and Houston that could be an incredibly exciting viewing experience!
Kyler Murray looked good in his return last week, putting up 25 points in a Cardinals win. C.J. Stroud has been simply superb this season and already staking a claim to be considered as an upper-echelon QB in this league.
Both defenses have their holes, Houston is starting to leak big plays through the air, and Arizona can't really claim to slow down anyone.
To us, the best path forward is a shootout type of game. Grab the over in Houston, this one could be really fun.
Follow Griffin Carroll at griffybets.substack.com for data, trends and targets for every NFL game, plus all the off-season news you can use.
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