Steve Starr
- BetOnline has the Cardinals as 6-point home favorites over the Packers on Thursday Night Football
- Arizona have won their last five games against the spread and haven’t lost to Green Bay since 2012
- Oddsmakers have set the game total for this Week 8 matchup at 51 points
Don’t adjust your television set – Week 8’s Thursday Night Football matchup really is this good. After having to sit through Browns/Broncos last week, we get to watch 2020 NFL MVP Aaron Rodgers face the frontrunner for this year’s award, Kyler Murray, and the undefeated Cardinals.
Before we review the odds, preview the matchup and make our picks, here’s where you can find the top betting sites for NFL football in 2021 and the latest Super Bowl betting odds.
Thursday Night Football – Week 8
 | Spread | Money Line | Total Points |
| Green Bay Packers | +6.0 (-110) | +210 | Ov 51.0 (-113) |
| Arizona Cardinals | -6.0 (-110) | -250 | Un 51.0 (-107) |
Cardinals vs Packers
Arizona is now a 6-point home favorite after Davante Adams was added to the NFL’s reserve/COVID-19 list on Monday along with defensive coordinator Joe Barry. Green Bay’s star wide receiver will need two negative tests at least 24 hours apart in order to play, so don’t expect him to suit up.
Over the past three seasons, the Packers are 6-0 in contests that Adams missed, averaging 32.8 points per game in those wins. With Arizona giving up 5.0 yards per carry (the second-worst mark in the league), Aaron Jones and AJ Dillon could be busy in the backfield.
Kyler Murray passing grade by season:
📈📈📈 2021 – 90.6 (2nd)
📈📈 2020 – 77.2 (15th)
📈 2019 – 61.1 (31st) pic.twitter.com/py3Cmbw3fr
— PFF (@PFF) October 25, 2021
While Kyler Murray leads the NFL in completion percentage (73.5 percent), ranks second in passer rating (116.8) and is fourth in passing touchdowns (17), he isn’t running nearly as much this season, averaging 2.7 yards per carry compared to 6.2 yards per carry in 2020. However, he may add to his rushing totals in this one, as Green Bay permits the second-most yards on the ground to opposing quarterbacks.
Without DC Joe Barry and cornerback Jaire Alexander, the Packers may also have trouble matching up with Arizona’s plethora of pass-catching weapons, including DeAndre Hopkins, veteran A.J. Green, rookie Rondale Moore and newly-acquired tight end Zach Ertz.
Thursday Night Football Best Bets
Bet the UNDER on 51 points. After ripping off six straight wins, the Packers stand as one of the NFC’s four one-loss teams. Knowing he can’t win a shootout with Arizona without Davante Adams, Matt Lafleur will lean on the run game and his fifth-ranked defense.
A unit that came up with four straight red zone stops in a 24-7 win over Washington on Sunday after allowing 15 touchdowns in 15 straight red zone trips earlier in the season.
"He may be playing his best football right now that he's played in his entire career… He's having an MVP season, for sure. I just don't necessarily know that he's going to get it because of what's going on down in Tampa." – @7BOOMERESIASON on Aaron Rodgers pic.twitter.com/6Fv0RCdtmD
— CBS Sports Network (@CBSSportsNet) October 25, 2021
Packers to cover 6-point spread. The 7-0 Cardinals have won their last five games against the spread and haven’t lost to Green Bay since 2012, but Rodgers is no slouch on Thursday nights.
The 37-year-old is 8-4 in 12 career TNF appearances with 27 passing TDs, five INTs and a passer rating of 105.5. Including a 34-17 win at San Francisco in Week 9 last season, the Pack have now won five of their last seven Thursday night games.
Final Score Prediction: Packers 26, Arizona 23.
See below the top sportsbooks where you can wager online and choose the best one for you:
