Week 2 of the NFL preseason continues Saturday night which means you get my Cardinals vs. Colts predictions.
Neither team is likely to play their starters after two days of joint practices but the edge should go to the Colts in the opening half.
Let’s get into the best NFL picks for this preseason game on August 17.
Cardinals vs Colts prediction
My best bet
Colts first half -0.5 (-108 at DraftKings)
My analysis
After two days of joint practices, the Indianapolis Colts have already announced that none of the starters will play in this game and will instead play next week in the preseason finale. Joe Flacco will also not be playing on Saturday night. This means that Sam Ehlinger will get the start at quarterback with the two rookie quarterbacks seeing time late in Kedon Slovis and Jason Bean.
We already know that Kyler Murray will not be playing any preseason snaps and apparently, he does not need them based on reports of how well he and Marvin Harrison Jr. connected in joint practices this week against the Colts. I imagine the Arizona Cardinals will stick to a similar game plan in terms of playing starters as they did last week and like their second preseason game last season.
This means we will see Desmond Ridder get the start and maybe play a little more than he did last week before handing off the rest of the game to Clayton Tune. Last week, Tune was excellent going 15/24 passing for 163 yards and a touchdown and almost leading a fourth-quarter comeback before ultimately losing on a last-second field goal. Ridder was inconsistent in the passing game but found some running room with 39 yards on five carries.
Last week, Ehlinger was excellent except for one big mistake on an interception in the red zone when he got hit as he was throwing. Outside of that, he was perfect in passing and led two drives that either resulted in points or a chance for points (missed field goal). I certainly favor the matchup of Ehlinger against Ridder in the first half of this game.
The Cardinals were shut out last week in the first half and scored only seven points in the first half of the second preseason game last season, which came in the second quarter. Ehlinger showed last season how much of a preseason warrior he is and looked good last week as well.
Cardinals vs Colts odds
Cardinals vs Colts live odds
Cardinals vs Colts opening odds
- Spread: Arizona +3.5 | Indianapolis -3.5
- Moneyline: Arizona +167 | Indianapolis -200
- Over/Under: Over 36.5 | Under 36.5
Cardinals vs Colts betting trend to know
The Cardinals have scored 23 points in the first half of their last six preseason games (3.8 points per game). Find more NFL betting trends for Cardinals vs. Colts.
Cardinals vs Colts game info
| Location: | Lucas Oil Stadium, Indianapolis, IN |
| Date: | Saturday, 8-17, 2024 |
| Kickoff: | 7:00 p.m. ET |
| TV: | NFL+ |
Cardinals vs Colts weather
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