NFL Season Opener - Cardinals @ Chiefs
The day we have all been waiting for is almost here and once again we get to see the Chiefs enter the field of State Farm Stadium. The opponents, Arizona Cardinals, finished 5th in the NFC last season but only reached the Wild Card-round where a defeat against the Rams ended any hopes of further success.
The Chiefs faced the Cardinals once last season, winning 17 to 10. A low scoring game at the start of the season, potentially similar to what we’ll witness on September 11th. Games in the early stages of the season tend to be played at a slightly lower tempo while players are still working on their sharpness and match fitness. Therefore, we lean to the under and believe that 53.5 offers enough value for us to pick a side.
We’re not impressed with what we saw from the Cardinals at the end of last season. In fact, they only won one of five games in the final run of the regular season. When compared to the Chiefs who were close to beating the Super Bowl champions, Bengals, it’s not hard to see why the home team are clear favorites in the opening game of the season. Add to that, the fact that the Chiefs had no problem defeating the Cardinals last season and we feel confident in picking the Chiefs side (-3.5).
Chiefs - A strong contender for the Super Bowl Championship
The Chiefs have been one of the more reliable franchises in recent years when it comes to postseason performances. Last season, they came close to repeating the 2021 season’s achievement of reaching the Super Bowl as they fought well into the AFC Championship game where the Bengals were too strong.
The 2022 season’s version of the Chiefs is no different, thus we have every reason to expect a solid record in the regular season which should set them up for another successful postseason. If it’s enough to bring the franchise’s third Super Bowl championship or not remains to be seen but anything but at least a AFC Championship spot must be held as failure.
Full game week 1 schedule can be found here!
Author: Dan Anderson