Thursday Night Blues

Fun fact (and yes I know you know this): Amazon is paying the NFL roughly $1B a year for broadcast rights to TNF for the next 11 seasons. If I'm Jeff Bezos, I may be rethinking my investment after suffering through the last two weeks 😂

Simply put, the NFL action that has graced our television screens over the past couple Thursdays has been brutal. It's a low bar to clear, but fortunately, this week's matchup looks like it should bring a bit more excitement — check out the lines before the Saints take on the the Cardinals in Glendale tonight 👇

Saints vs. Cardinals Betting Preview (subject to change8

• Spread: Cardinals -2.5

• Moneyline: Cardinals -146 (bet $146, win $100), Saints +124 (bet $100, win $124)

• Over/Under: 43.5

Before you go declaring the TNF misery officially over, it's worth noting that neither the Arizona or New Orleans offense has lived up to expectations this season, and both enter the matchup down key playmakers 😬

• Year 4 of the Kyler Murray-Kliff Kingsbury marriage has not gone according to plan so far. Coming off an 11-6 record and a playoff appearance last season, the Cardinals have limped out of the gate, and they sit alone in last in the NFC West at 2-4

• The offense has been particularly concerning; after looking like one of the most explosive attacks in the NFL last season, they're currently putting up less than 20 PPG

The Saints also entered the season with high hopes thanks to a revamped offense, but through six weeks of 2-4 football, we've hardly gotten the see that unit at full force 😓

• Quarterback Jameis Winston has been out since Week 3 with back and ankle injures, and as of writing this Dennis Allen has yet to name a starter for tonight's matchup

• Whether it's Winston or Dalton under center, or even Taysom Hill, he'll have to make do without wide receivers Michael Thomas and Jarvis Landry once again, but at least star rookie Chris Olave should be making his return from a concussion

The Cardinals are dealing with their own lineup carousel (more on that shortly), but between both squads there's enough elite talent playing tonight to hopefully spare us from another TNF dud 🤞

Storylines To Watch

It's probably a bit too early to harp on any playoff picture implications from tonight's NFC showdown, but there's still plenty of intriguing headlines surrounding this matchup 👇

🏈 Offensive Reinforcements

The bad news for Cardinals fans? Kyler's favorite target Hollywood Brown, who currently ranks fifth in the league in receptions, is set to miss the next month-plus due to a foot injury, and Pro Bowl running back James Conner is a game-time decision tonight after missing last week

• But the good news? Disgruntled-but-talented wideout Robbie Anderson arrived this week via trade with the Panthers, and he'll likely see some limited action tonight

• The even better news? Tonight will also see the return of one of the league's best receivers, DeAndre Hopkins, from his six-game suspension. In case you forgot, D-Hop is a problem ⬇️

No Hollywood for Arizona and no Marshon Lattimore for the Saints? Catch me hammering the over on Hopkins Over 63.5 receiving yards 🔨

🏈 Olave Makes His ROY Case

No offense meant to Alvin Kamara, who's been in vintage form with 159 total YPG over his past two outings, but the Saint I'm looking forward to watching the most tonight is the rook 😤

• A concussion in Week 5 caused Olave, the 11th overall pick in this year's draft, to miss last week's action, putting a temporary stop to a coming-out party that had featured a TD or at least 80 yards in four straight games

The Ohio State product was cleared to play tonight, and in a wide-open ROY race, don't expect to still find him at +900 after he shows out in primetime 😎

🏈 What's Up With Kyler? 

After a wildly impressive start to his NFL career, many expected Kyler Murray to make the next leap to legitimate MVP contention this season, but instead the fourth-year QB has seemingly taken a step back

• To go along with a subpar 6-4 TD-INT ratio, Murray ranks just 12th in the league in passing yards (1,463) and 19th in QBR (46.6)

• Injuries to some of his top playmakers is a valid excuse, and having D-Hop back should help, but it's certainly concerning to see this start after an offseason full of questions about his dedication 😬

My money is still on Kyler returning to superstar form sooner rather than later, but then again, there is a new COD coming out next week 🤔

For My Parlay Gurus

Believe it or not, the Cardinals have somehow lost eight straight games at home, but I got that streak coming to a merciful end tonight. I still think Olave shows out on the primetime stage though, regardless of who's throwing him the rock. Check it out 👇

• Cardinals ML vs. Saints: -146

• Chris Olave Over 63.5 Receiving Yards: -113

$100 on this bet would win you $218 — if we hit, make sure you email [email protected] for a chance to win up to $100*. Many will enter, only some will win 😉

Want more betting content from Overtime? Check out Even The Odds on Twitter 🤑Was this newsletter forwarded to you? Join thousands of other informed subscribers

*NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. Open to legal residents of the 50 United States and the District of Columbia. Must be 18 years of age or older to enter. Many will enter, only some will win. Giveaway ends 12 hours after the completion of the final game references within the giveaway. The winner will be notified via the email address used to enter. Restrictions apply. See the General Conditions and Releases sections of Overtime's Terms of Use at https://overtime.tv/terms for additional giveaway terms©2022 Overtime Sports, Inc. All rights reserved.