Cardinals vs. Chiefs Predictions: Odds, Betting Lines and Picks For Aug. 19

The Kansas City Chiefs are the Super Bowl favorites. The Arizona Cardinals are projected to have the worst record in the NFL.

Does that matter in the preseason? The oddsmakers certainly seem to think so.

The Chiefs are a monster 7.5-point road favorite for Saturday’s clash at State Farm Stadium. Kansas City coach Andy Reid is known for valuing preseason game reps and has said his starters will play the first half.

Reid will likely pull star quarterback Patrick Mahomes, star tight end Travis Kelce and others before that, but if they get a few series then it wouldn’t be a surprise to see the Chiefs rack up the points before intermission.

The Cardinals also figure to give their starters more action than the first preseason week, but there is a huge talent gulf between these teams.

The scoring total of 40.5 points is tied for the highest in the NFL this week, and the Chiefs are the biggest moneyline favorites on the board at -300.

PREDICTION

The Chiefs put a colossal whupping on the Cardinals in last year’s regular season opener. Add in the Super Bowl win over the Eagles, and they actually have the same number of victories at State Farm Stadium (2) as Arizona within the past calendar year.

Kansas City is the moneyline pick because Mahomes and Co. should get them out to a nice lead, but Cardinals coach Jonathan Gannon showed a penchant for competing to the end against Denver, which resulted in not only a backdoor cover last week, but a moneyline upset.

Arizona should be able to claw back to within a touchdown late in the contest and cover this spread as David Blough once again works his magic. The over is the pick because I could see Kansas City’s first-team offense scoring double-digit points.

Prediction: Chiefs 24, Cardinals 17

THREE PLAYERS TO WATCH

Cardinals OT Paris Johnson — The No. 6 overall pick in the draft had a really impressive debut against the Broncos and I’m ready to see more. It’s folly to say a rookie is going to live up to the hype this early in his career, but yeah, Paris certainly looks like the real deal.

Chiefs WR Skyy Moore — The 2022 second-round pick didn’t get much run last season but has the opportunity to break out for Kansas City. The Cardinals have a suspect group of cornerbacks so we will see if Moore can torch them for a big game before he departs.

Cardinals S Isaiah Simmons — Travis Kelce put Simmons in a blender last year, but that’s when he was playing man-to-man press coverage. Now Simmons is playing center field, which is a better fit for his skillset. There is no greater challenge than facing Mr. No-Look-Pass himself Patrick Mahomes, so it will be intriguing to see how Simmons fares as the last line of defense.

COACHING CLUES

Both teams seem likely to take this game semi-seriously. The Cardinals actually sent a pair of full-house blitzes against Russell Wilson last week. If defensive coordinator Nick Rallis tries that against Mahomes, it’s not going to go well, so my guess is he plays things more conservatively when the stars are in.

Arizona’s strong attempt to win last week’s game could be very telling. While some coaches shut things down late, the clue from Jonathan Gannon’s debut suggests the Cardinals could find paydirt in the fourth, which may affect both the spread and the scoring total outcomes.

HOW TO WATCH

The Arizona Cardinals will host the Kansas City Chiefs at 8 p.m. ET on Saturday, August 19th, 2023 at State Farm Stadium. The game can be seen on NFL+.