Experts Make Spread Picks for Cardinals vs Saints

ESPN: Cardinals -6.5

Ben Solak: "Betting big favorites in Week 1 can be worrisome. There have been 48 favorites of at least six points in the past decade of opening weeks, and they're covering at a 39% clip. Historical trends would tell you to back the Saints here.

"But the Cardinals match up wonderfully against the Saints. Second-year quarterback Spencer Rattler started six games for the Saints last season and struggled to string together positive plays. His dropback success rate of 36.5% was third worst in the NFL, as was his first down plus-touchdown rate (26.2%). That is significant against a Cardinals defense that plays in deep zones and challenges the passing game to work downfield slowly and methodically.

"... We know Kyler Murray tends to be stronger earlier in the season, and we know Arizona needs a big year under general manager Monti Ossenfort and head coach Jonathan Gannon. A drubbing of a recovering and reloading Saints team feels like the right way to start."

New York Post: Cardinals -6.5

Dave Blezow: "Saints are the largest home underdogs on the board in Week 1, and as much as I’d like to grab those points, I can’t justify backing them with Spencer Rattler. They were 0-7 in games he played last season, losing by an average of 17.5 points."

NFL.com Staff: Saints +6.5

Staff: "Save for the location of Sunday's game, most of the consequential factors worth considering in a Week 1 matchup -- QB, coaching continuity, vibes -- favor Arizona. While the Saints turn to Spencer Rattler, a relatively untested second-year player with more career losses (0-6) than touchdown passes (4), the Cardinals will feature two-time Pro Bowler Kyler Murray. Not quite a fair fight. But the Saints still boast a bevy of longstanding franchise stalwarts who aren't about to roll over. Being such significant underdogs at the Superdome can't sit well with the likes of Demario Davis, Cam Jordan, Alvin Kamara and Chris Olave, all of whom I'm sure would love to stun the football world like the Patriots did at Cincinnati last opening weekend. But I just don't see it here -- especially with Arizona having so much to prove this season. This is a gotta-have-it game for third-year coach Jonathan Gannon, who's still searching for his first winning record in the desert."

The Athletic: Saints +6.5

Vic Tafur: "The Saints are really bad, and they drafted an old quarterback in the second round who couldn’t beat out Spencer Rattled (sp). But I don’t want to lay that many points on the road with an unreliable quarterback and pass rush. The Cardinals have reshaped their front seven after giving up 4.6 yards per carry in 2024, and I think there is some potential there, but I will need to see it first."