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Packers at Cardinals picks: Point spread, total, player props, trends for ‘Thursday Night Football’ in Week 8

The Green Bay Packers and Arizona Cardinals will kick off Week 8 in the NFL when these two NFC powerhouses meet at State Farm Stadium for “Thursday Night Football.” This is arguably the best game on the slate, but it will be missing some key names. For the Packers, they are expected to be without star receiver Davante Adams, as he is on the COVID-19 list. Fellow pass catcher Allen Lazard is also out due to COVID. On the other side, Arizona has ruled out pass rusher J.J. Watt due to a shoulder injury. 

While the Cardinals roll into this game 7-0 and the Packers 6-1 on the season, both of these teams are 6-1 ATS, which is tied for second-best in the NFL. That’s the angle we’ll be looking at here. In this space, we’ll specifically be looking at the different betting angles that this game has to offer. Along with the spread and total, we’ll also take a look at a number of player props and hand in our picks for how we see this prime-time matchup unfolding. 

All NFL odds via Caesars Sportsbook.

How to watch

Date: Thursday, Oct. 28 | Time: 8:20 p.m. ET

Location: State Farm Stadium (Glendale, Arizona)

TV:
Fox | Stream: fuboTV (try for free)

Follow: CBS Sports App

Odds: Cardinals -6.5, O/U 50

Line movement

Latest Odds: Arizona Cardinals -6.5

Powered by Caesars Sportsbook

This has been one of the more intriguing lines to follow leading up to a game all season. The line opened at Cardinals -3 and has jumped dramatically in the wake of Davante Adams landing on the COVID-19 list. Currently, the line is Cardinals -6.5. Is Adams a 3.5-point difference-maker? That’s at least how it’s been translating on the line. 

The pick: Cardinals -6.5. I like that I can get this under seven. Green Bay will be limited with what it can do offensively without Adams (likely out) and Lazard in the fold. Arizona also boasts the No. 2-ranked defense in the entire NFL in DVOA, so it was already going to be tough sledding for the Packers to begin with. Of course, Kyler Murray on the other side is on an MVP pace at the moment and should be able to find success against a Packers defensive unit that is ranked 24th in the league. 

Key trend: Cardinals are 5-0 ATS in the last five games. 

Over/Under total

Similar to the spread, the total has dropped considerably as the week has gone on. After opening at 53, it’s tumbled all the way to 50 in the wake of the Packers being down two key pass catchers. It also doesn’t help that Watt will be out for this game as well. 

The pick: Under 50. When you think of the Cardinals and Packers offenses, you think of these units that are blowing the doors off opposing defenses and likely driving the total over. However, that hasn’t been the case this season. The Under is 5-2 for the Packers this season and 4-3 in the seven games Arizona has played so far. With the Cardinals’ defense being among the best in the league and the Packers down key pieces on offense, there’s a path where this may be a lower-scoring game. 

Key trend: Under is 4-1 in the Cardinals last five games as the favorite.

Aaron Rodgers props

  • Passing touchdowns: 1.5 (Over -170, Under +140)
  • Passing yards: 257.5 (Over -115, Under -115)
  • Rushing yards: 8.5 (Over -125, Under -105)
  • Passing attempts: 35.5 (Over -125, Under -105)
  • Longest pass completion: 35.5 (Over -110, Under -120)
  • Completions: 24.5 (Over -105, Under -125) 
  • Interceptions: 0.5 (Over +155, Under -190)

I would lean toward the Under on Rodgers’ pass attempts prop of 35.5. He’s only gone over that number twice this season and will be without two of his most targeted receivers. That could open the door for more touches for Aaron Jones and A.J. Dillon out of the backfield, limiting how many times Rodgers actually drops back to pass. There’s also strong value in Rodgers scoring the first touchdown of the game at +3500. 

Kyler Murray props

  • Passing touchdowns: 2.5 (Over +150, Under -180)
  • Passing yards: 276.5 (Over -120, Under -110)
  • Rushing yards: 28.5 (Over -120, Under -110)
  • Passing attempts: 35.5 (Over -105, Under -125)
  • Longest pass completion: 36.5 (Over -110, Under -120)
  • Completions: 24.5 (Over -130, Under +100)

  • Interceptions: 0.5 (+110, Under -140)

Murray has gone under this passing yards prop in four straight games heading into Thursday. If you believe the Cardinals will win this game, that could correlate with Murray going under that passing yards mark as they could look to slow the game down and control the clock in the second half. 

Player props to consider

Aaron Jones total receiving yards: Over 34.5 (-125). He’s only gone over this number twice this season, but Jones will likely see increased work in the passing game with the Packers limited at receiver. He’s averaging four targets per game this season, but expect that number to be closer to six on Thursday, which gives us a great opportunity to go over.  

Chase Edmonds total rushing yards: Over 43.5 (-130). Green Bay’s run defense is ranked 23rd in the NFL in DVOA against the run and is allowing 4.9 yards per carry. Meanwhile, Edmonds has topped this total in five of his seven games played this season. 

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