There will be plenty of star power on display on Friday evening in the NFL. One of the contests on the Week 2 NFL preseason schedule features the Kansas City Chiefs taking on the Arizona Cardinals in a nationally-televised clash. The Chiefs defeated the San Francisco 49ers in their preseason opener last week. The Cardinals knocked off the Dallas Cowboys to post a 1-0 record of their own.
Kickoff is at 8 p.m. ET in Glendale. Caesars Sportsbook lists the Chiefs as three-point road favorites, while the over-under, or total number of points Vegas thinks will be scored, is 41 in the latest Chiefs vs. Cardinals odds. Before you make any Cardinals vs. Chiefs picks, make sure to check out the expert NFL predictions from SportsLine's Larry Hartstein.
SportsLine's senior analyst and Early Edge podcast regular enters the 2021 season 351-291 all-time on NFL sides (plus $2,212), including a 326-280 against the spread mark. In addition, Hartstein has an amazing 16-4 record on his last 20 picks involving Kansas City, returning more than $1,100. Anyone who has followed him is way up.
Now, Hartstein has set his sights on Cardinals vs. Chiefs and just revealed his expert picks and predictions. You can head to SportsLine now to see his picks. Now, here are several NFL odds and betting trends for Chiefs vs. Cardinals:
Chiefs vs. Cardinals odds, spread, over-under, money line
- Chiefs vs. Cardinals spread: Chiefs -3
- Chiefs vs. Cardinals over-under: 41 points
- Chiefs vs. Cardinals money line: Chiefs -160, Cardinals +140
- KC: Chiefs were 8-11 against the spread last season
- ARI: Cardinals were 7-9 against the spread in 2020
Why the Chiefs can cover
Top to bottom, the Chiefs are the better team. No one would dispute that, and it comes down to usage. Kansas City could look to play its top stars more this week, especially since the Chiefs limited players like Patrick Mahomes to spot duty in the opener.
The Chiefs may also be a week ahead of the Cardinals. Arizona didn't play quarterback Kyler Murray or wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins at all in its opener, and that cohesion could help Kansas City. The Chiefs haven't been fantastic on the road, but for as long as their highly-powered offensive players are on the field, they have the advantage. Patrick Mahomes is just that good.
Why the Cardinals can cover
Home-field advantage may be mitigated in the preseason, but it is still helpful. Arizona doesn't have to travel and the Cardinals are also the fresher team, having not played their top offensive standouts at all in the preseason opener. More than anything, Arizona simply has more to play for than Kansas City, and that could swing the balance. The Chiefs boast one of the more established units in the league and have little incentive to lean on their big guns.
Arizona, however, is trying to set itself up for success it hasn't achieved yet. The Cardinals could leave their starters on the field for longer as a result. Arizona has more position battles to evaluate, especially in the backup quarterbacks behind Kyler Murray, and that can often help with the overall results as better players see the field with more vigor and for longer periods of time.
How to make Cardinals vs. Chiefs picks
Hartstein is leaning under on the point total, and he's also discovered a critical X-factor that has him jumping all over one side of the spread. He's only sharing that pick and the rest of his NFL expert picks at SportsLine.
So who wins Chiefs vs. Cardinals? And what critical X-factor makes one side of the spread a must-back? Visit SportsLine now to see Larry Hartstein's Cardinals vs. Chiefs pick and analysis, all from the NFL expert who's 16-4 on picks involving Kansas City, and find out.
