Deposit Instantly Using Your Credit Card at Sportsbook.com!

Arizona Cardinals Super Bowl Odds

Written by Jimmy Boyd

cards-super-bowl-odds

The Arizona Cardinals were the long shot of all long shots to win the Super Bowl when the playoffs began, but those who thought they were worth a gamble are now starting to show some excitement as the Cards have pulled off the unthinkable. Arizona hadn’t made a playoff appearance since 1998 and now it will be appearing in the NFC Championship Game against the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday January 18, 2009 following wins over the Atlanta Falcons and the Carolina Panthers. How ironic that the champion of the weakest division in the NFC has beaten two teams from perhaps the toughest division in the NFC this season to reach this point. Arizona is still the best value bet remaining on the board, and you can bet the Cardinals at +550 to win the Super Bowl at BetUS.

The Arizona Cardinals are playing the NFC Championship Game for the first time ever. It is the furthest this franchise has advanced since 1947 when it won the NFL title and 1948 when it lost in the NFL title game. That’s back when the red birds were playing out of Chicago.

While the Cardinals are a relatively young team, they do have a solid group of veteran to keep them grounded and focused. Conerback Rod Hood played in a Super Bowl with the Eagles and special teams specialist Sean Morey won a Super Bowl with the Steelers in 2005. But the most influential veteran has to be QB Kurt Warner, who has played in two Super Bowls. He not only has a Super Bowl ring to show off, but he also has a Super Bowl MVP trophy. Coach Whisenhunt and his staff also have extensive playoff experience so it comes as no surprise that they have been able to turn this team around relatively quickly.

The Cardinals are a much more enticing NFL betting option since they will be playing this game at home, where they have been one of the best teams in the NFL since Whisenhunt took over. But the Cardinals remain a 3.5-point underdog at home against an Eagles team which crushed them 48-20 on Thanksgiving Day. That game was at Philadelphia and clearly the Cards have been a different team in the desert. NFL picks on Arizona were 7-2 straight up and 6-3 against the spread at home this season.

The biggest surprise during the postseason is the emergence of Arizona’s running game. Edgerrin James was little used during the home stretch of the regular season but he has been a key component to Arizona’s run to the NFC title game. The Cardinals rushed for 145 yards on 43 carries behind Tim Hightower and James. With teams worrying about the run, they haven’t been able to keep wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald from getting open. He had 151 yards receiving in the first half against the Panthers.

And defensively, I can’t say enough about this team as they picked off Jake Delhomme five times and also forced him into a fumble and shut down Carolina’s vaunted running attack. If you think the Cardinals will continue to defy the NFL odds, consider making them your futures pick to win the Super Bowl.

If you liked this article, you may also be interested in: