Falcons vs. Cardinals: Somehow, Atlanta’s a big favorite in Week 15

Never tell me the odds!

No, seriously. I don’t think any of us have the heart to know what Vegas thinks of this team’s chances of beating the Cardinals, but as someone told me about them for the week, here we are.

You’ll be sort of surprised to know that the Falcons are actually a huge favorite in this one. The line opened at -7.5, and now the Falcons are up between -9 and -10, depending on where you look. Being at home and having played at a high level at one point this season does wonders for you, apparently.

The fact that the Falcons are favored feels like a bit of a miracle after the last five weeks, but it couldn’t happen against any other team in the NFL. The Cardinals are bad in a way that feels unique in 2018, in that they have spent their entire season not scoring, not defending, and not doing much of anything. They look like a bad team from the 90s, and for all that, they’re still only a game ahead of the Falcons in the race for a top draft pick.

The future could still be bright in Arizona. Josh Rosen is a very talented young quarterback in the midst of a rookie ass kicking that should do him some good going forward, and there are weapons, however spare, on that side of the ball. The defense needs to be re-worked but has a handful of very good players like Patrick Peterson to build on. They’re a couple of years away, but like every other team in the NFL, they’re dangerous on their best day.

So don’t take these odds for granted. A loss to the Cardinals would be a truly humiliating new low for Atlanta, one they’re surely keen to avoid. They just haven’t shown much aptitude for getting wins of late, regardless of the opponent, and thus it’s hard to feel like they’re much of a favorite at all, even if this should be a cakewalk on paper.