Falcons open as slight favorites on the road against Cardinals

The Atlanta Falcons lost its second straight game on Sunday, falling 31-28 to the Minnesota Vikings. Despite its offense looking anemic for the bulk of the contest, the Falcons enter Arizona as 2.5-point favorites on the road, per DraftKings Sportsbook.

Given the state of the Cardinals’ franchise, that’s more of an indictment of the embarrassment in Arizona than an endorsement of Atlanta.

The Cardinals are 1-8 and in the throes of a six-game losing streak. Like the Falcons, the Cards have struggled to score, only mustering 15 total touchdowns through the season’s first nine games. Help may be on the way for Arizona, however, as quarterback Kyler Murray may suit up for the first time this year. Murray has not seen the field since tearing his ACL in Week 14 against the Patriots in 2022, and if fully healthy and recovered, he could provide the spark that Arizona’s offense has been lacking.

For the Falcons, something has to give. Sunday’s loss featured befuddling mismanagement in the run game and some of the poorest tackling they’ve put on tape all year. They were gashed by quarterback Josh Dobbs — particularly on the ground — and could face a much tougher dual-threat QB if Murray makes his debut.

It’s always nice to head into enemy territory as road favorites, but this one could basically be considered a toss-up in the eyes of the oddsmakers.