2025 NFL Picks – Week 2: Panthers at Cardinals

The Matchup. Edge: Cardinals.

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ARIZONA OFFENSE: Kyler Murray’s sudden Sunday illness really pissed me off. I loved Arizona, but dropped them from four to two units because I didn’t know what to expect from Murray’s illness. I had a suspicion that Murray was faking it like a kid who didn’t want to go to school just so he could play video games all day. “But coooachhh, I don’t wannnaa play foootball!” Poor Kyler has to wait several years to become a full-time streamer.

Murray should be healthy for this game, and if so, he’ll have an easy time torching Carolina’s beleaguered secondary. The Panthers can’t stop a nose bleed, so Marvin Harrison Jr. and Trey McBride figure to have big performances, as Murray has all day to throw.

Meanwhile, James Conner and Trey Benson figure to dominate on the ground. The Panthers just allowed Travis Etienne to look like the second coming of Barry Sanders, so Conner and Benson will pick up chunks of yardage with ease.

CAROLINA OFFENSE: Bryce Young is very fortunate that the officials overturned a pick-six of his last week with a ticky-tack penalty; otherwise, his 26-10 loss would have been 33-3, and there would once again be discussions about benching him.

Young will survive another week, but it’s tough to like his chances. He still can’t see over the line of scrimmage, and his Adam Thielen/Jalen Coker safety blankets are not available. There’s Tetaoiroa McMillan, but he was an overrated prospect coming out of college who only went in the top 10 because owner Axe Tepper wanted to make his Young blunder look better.

The Panthers won’t get shut out, at least. Chuba Hubbard could have a decent game, given that Arizona’s defensive line has some issues. Alvin Kamara had a nice showing last week, so Hubbard could be in for something similar.

RECAP: We bet the Cardinals last week, and they covered despite Murray being sick prior to the game. They were an obvious play because the Saints are one of the worst teams in the NFL, while Arizona has a habit of demolishing such opponents. As pointed out last week, the Cardinals were 7-1 versus bad opponents last year.

The Cardinals were given a gift from the NFL scheduling gods because they get to battle another terrible team. The Panthers, as discussed last week, were being completely overrated because they kept three games close last year against teams that didn’t try hard at all against them. People somehow forgot that Carolina was blown out many times when it opponents had a great game plan prepared for them.

Given that Arizona got tripped up at Carolina last year, I assume that it’ll be more prepared for this game. Unless they’re a no-show for some reason, the Cardinals shouldn’t have any issues demolishing the Panthers, who are easily one of the worst teams in the NFL.

THURSDAY THOUGHTS: The sharps have taken the Cardinals up to -6.5, but haven’t touched them at that number – at least not yet.

SATURDAY NOTES: There are no major injuries on either side. Something I’ll add is that Carolina’s pass rush was absolutely pathetic last week despite battling a mediocre Jaguars offensive line. The Cardinals figure to block better than the Jaguars, so Arizona’s offense should be very productive.

ODDS BOOST: BetMGM has a 20-percent odds boost, up to $25. We’re taking Cardinals -6.5 -115 to +104.

SUNDAY MORNING NOTES: Most of the -6.5s are gone with sharp money coming in on Arizona. You can still get -6.5 -118 at BetMGM at the moment. I think we can wait until kickoff to maybe get a better price.

FINAL THOUGHTS: The sharps are on the Cardinals. All of the -6.5 lines are gone, except for the -6.5 -120 available at BetMGM.

The Motivation. Edge: None.

No edge found.

The Spread. Edge: Cardinals.

WalterFootball.com Calculated Spread: Cardinals -7.

Westgate Advance Point Spread: Cardinals -4.5.

Computer Model: Cardinals -7.5.

The Vegas. Edge: Cardinals.

The public loves the Panthers for some reason.

Percentage of money on Carolina: 68% (102,000 bets)

The Trends. Edge: Cardinals.

Opening Line: Cardinals -4.5.

Opening Total: 46.5.

Weather: Dome.