Cardinals vs. Titans 2021 Predictions: Henry to run riot over Arizona

Arizona's trip to Tennessee is one of the more interesting matches in the early window and Neil Monnery likes the home side...

The debut of JJ Watt in an Arizona Cardinals uniform is set to be in Tennessee as the visitors face a tough start to their 2021 schedule. When you consider how tough the NFC West is looking, it will not be an easy task to reach the playoffs so a good start will be key.

Kyler Murray is in his third season and needs to start playing up to his potential on a week in, week out basis. He was the number one overall pick and is the most exciting QB playing the game today but his consistency - particularly in the passing game - just hasn’t been there. There has been lots of chatter this off-season about him working on staying in the pocket more and relying on his arm rather than his legs. I’ll be keen to see how that plays out.

Everyone knows he has a true #1 WR in DeAndre Hopkins to get the ball to but AJ Green and Christian Kirk aren’t bad receiving options either. I am a bit dubious about whether Chase Edmonds and James Conner will be good enough to cause too many issues on the ground if Murray does indeed limit his carries.

If you want to talk about elite receiving options then Tennessee have brought in Julio Jones from Atlanta and he’s likely to only be WR2 for the Titans. AJ Brown has been fantastic and with opposition defenses now having to account for a potential future Hall of Famer in Jones as well, that should lead to plenty of opportunities. They also have Derrick Henry at RB who can just pound the rock and pound opposing defensive linemen.

The Sportsbooks have this as a pick ‘em game as Tennessee are three-point favorites as the home team. Home field advantage is generally seen as a three-point bonus but this line does surprise me. Which version of the Cardinals will turn up is hard to gauge as they can be fantastic but also look very ordinary. The Titans are a much more rounded and consistent team.

Spread:

That three-point handicap doesn’t scare me. I’m happy to take Tennessee.

Straight-up/Moneyline:

Tennessee.

Over/Under Points Totals:

I wish I could make my pick here after the first Arizona drive. I love watching Kyler Murray play but I do feel that you get a sense of how he’s looking pretty quickly. I’ll say 27-17 so give me the under here.