The NFL regular season is finally here, and we have an interesting bout scheduled to take place in Nashville. Kyler Murray and the Arizona Cardinals head to Music City to take on Derrick Henry and the Tennessee Titans this Sunday, as both teams start their respective journeys to earn a playoff bid.
The Cardinals added a couple of intriguing veterans on both sides of the ball in wide receiver A.J. Green and pass-rusher J.J. Watt. How will they impact Arizona in Week 1? The Titans also added a star receiver in Julio Jones, but his role will look different as a No. 2 receiver who also has a star running back to work off of.
The Cardinals lead the all-time series, 7-4, and have won the past two meetings. Below, we will break down this matchup from a gambling perspective, and examine line movement, the Over/Under and player props to consider. First, here’s how you can watch Sunday’s matchup.
All NFL odds are via Caesars Sportsbook.
How to watch
Date: Sunday Sept. 12 | Time: 1 p.m. ET
Location: Nissan Stadium (Nashville, TN.)
TV: CBS | Stream: Paramount+ (click here)
Follow: CBS Sports App
Odds: Titans -3, O/U 53.5
Line movement
Latest Odds: Tennessee Titans -3
This line opened at TEN -2.5 on May 12, and was bumped up to TEN -3 on June 7 — where it remains.
The pick: Titans -3. I did not mark this game as a “best bet” in my weekly column, but I’ll lay the points with the Titans. While Tennessee has a new offensive coordinator, Todd Downing has plenty to work with in Ryan Tannehill, A.J. Brown, Jones and Henry. Arizona’s defense will have to account for all four of these players on every play. As for the Cardinals, I really like what their offense looks like on paper, but it could take a couple weeks before we see everything click. Attacking Tennessee’s secondary is how you win, but will Murray come out swinging in the season opener?
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Over/Under 53.5
Latest Odds: Under 53.5
This total has seen some good movement. It opened at 51.5 on May 12, fell to 51 the following day and then rose a full point to 52 on June 6. Friday was a wild day for this line, as it rose another two full points to 54 by the afternoon.
The pick: Under 53.5. I’m divided on this line. My initial projection was Over, but SportsLine data scientist Stephen Oh says there’s value on the Under. The Cardinals averaged 23 points on the road last year without having to deal with crowd noise, and also held teams to just 18 points per game on the road. It’s possible Tennessee looks to chip away with Henry and dominate time of possession. Oh has convinced me to lean to the Under.
Player props
Ryan Tannehill passing touchdowns: Over 1.5 (-125). Tannehill threw for at least two touchdowns in 11 out of 16 games last season. That includes in low-scoring affairs, such as the Titans’ Week 1 game against the Denver Broncos last season, when he threw two scores in a 16-14 win. The attention will always be on Henry, which opens up opportunities in the passing game — especially with the addition of Jones.
DeAndre Hopkins receptions: Over 6.5 (-160). The juice is like this for good reason. Hopkins failed to record seven receptions in a single game just six times last year. I’m not sure Green is going to poise a threat when it comes to target shares, so go ahead and take this one.
Chase Edmonds to score a touchdown +200. Here’s a bit of a flier for you. Edmonds is the new starting running back for the Cardinals, but it’s unknown how much his role will be affected by James Conner. Edmonds is a dual-threat weapon, so I like a flier bet for him to score on the ground or in the air once.
