NFL Upsets Week 7: Arizona Cardinals Defeat the Pittsburgh Steelers in the Desert
Written by Matthew Regaw
Fri, 21 Oct 2011
Category sportsbook
Feedback Rating - no votes
NFL upsets happen every week, and this week will be no exception. Last week I selected the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to beat the New Orleans Saints and they came through with a big victory. This week the NFL upset will happen in Arizona as the Cardinals take on the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Can the Steelers Stop Larry Fitzgerald?
The Arizona Cardinals are in a must win situation. If they lose this game, they will fall to 1-5 on the season and the 49ers are currently sitting at 5-1. That sort of lead would be nearly impossible to overcome. Anything can happen during the season, but the Cardinals do not want to fall that far behind.
The point spread in this game opened with the Steelers as four point favorites. The early betting public money is pouring in on the road team, as the public always likes to back the Steelers and so far 77% of the public is backing Pittsburgh. The wise guys are going the other way as the smart money is coming in on the home team. This is evident by the line movement as the Cardinals are now 3.5 point underdogs.
The sports betting trends are in favor of the home team in this game. The Steelers are 1-4 ATS in their last 5 games after accumulating more than 150 yards rushing in their previous game, 2-6 ATS in their last 8 road games against a team with a losing home record, and 2-5 ATS in their last seven games overall. The Cardinals are 16-5-1 ATS in their last 22 games as a home underdog of 3.5-10.0, 10-4 ATS in their last 14 games as a home underdog, and the home team is 3-0-1 ATS in their last 4 meetings.
The Cardinals have had a bye week to prepare for this game and that extra preparation time will come in handy against a vulnerable Pittsburgh team. The Steelers have a history of playing down to lower tiered teams and will have trouble covering Larry Fitzgerald.
The Cardinals need a win to prove that the Kevin Kolb trade is working and to get back in the hunt for the division.
The Arizona Cardinals are the NFL upset for week eight.
NFL Upsets Week 8: Arizona Cardinals +4