The Hall of Fame Game kicked off the start of the NFL Preseason last week, and on Thursday night, the rest of the league begins to take the field. The Arizona Cardinals showed up for that standalone opener, and they now take on the Las Vegas Raiders in a game with plenty of storylines.
Here’s a prediction and pick for Cardinals vs. Raiders in the NFL Preseason on Thursday night, courtesy of odds and lines on DraftKings Sportsbook.
Cardinals vs. Raiders preview
Does the preseason ultimately mean much in the grand scheme of things? Not at all, however, this matchup does seem like it can be a fun one for a multitude of reasons. For starters, both squads are led by new head coaches – Mike LaFleur for the Cardinals and Klint Kubiak for the Raiders. There’s much stronger pedigree associated with the latter after he served as offensive coordinator for the Super Bowl champs in Seattle, but seeing how both leaders have changed things up in year one with their respective franchises should prove intriguing.
Beyond that, there’s some talent to watch for here. Even though neither club is expected to be truly competitive this season, plenty of names do stand out. For the Cardinals, all eyes will be on Jeremiyah Love, who was the No. 3 pick in the 2026 NFL Draft back in April. The dynamic halfback should provide a new element to a backfield in need of fresh talent, complementing pieces of what should be an exciting offense alongside Trey McBride, Marvin Harrison Jr. and Michael Wilson. Jacoby Brissett should also see at least one series as the quarterback comes off a new extension, so perhaps this group can find the end zone early. The starters won’t see much action though, and Arizona will only go as far as its defense allows this year anyways.
For Las Vegas, a similarly talented runner to Love is in the backfield as Ashton Jeanty starts his second pro season. He showed plenty of promise down the stretch last year, and star tight end Brock Bowers should also be ready to catch some passes while in the game on Thursday following an injury riddled 2025. The guy everyone really wants to see isn’t the starting quarterback, though – Kirk Cousins is QB1 for the Raiders for the time being, but No. 1 selection and reigning Heisman-winner Fernando Mendoza could get some time on the turf in this one. It’s unclear exactly how much opportunity he’ll get, but the assumption is that the future franchise signal-caller should see at least some action.
Neither team is likely to play their starters beyond the first series or two, but significant snaps for Mendoza are a real possibility. He’ll likely duel Carson Beck, who went 15-for-19 for 188 yards and a touchdown in the Hall of Fame Game. It sets up a showdown between two quarterbacks who college football fans have become extremely familiar with over the last few years, adding just one more narrative to what’s otherwise not a meaningful game for fans.
However, it is great to see football back. Arizona dropped its first matchup 33-30 in the end after the defense allowed a game-winning score in the final minutes, so the Cardinals have already begun to get their legs under them at game speed. There may be some degree of rust from the Raiders, but all signs from training camp point to a cultural overhaul courtesy of Kubiak that should have guys energized and ready to go. And, of course, there’s the added gravity of this being a test phase of sorts for these rosters. Coaching staffs and front offices use these games as evaluations of depth, so effort may not be an issue for players fighting for a roster spot.
Cardinals vs. Raiders prediction, pick
DraftKings Sportsbook lists the Raiders as a -1.5 favorite in this matchup with -125 odds to win on the Moneyline at home. The Cardinals are a +105 underdog straight up with the game total set at 41.5 combined points.
To be clear as well, betting on NFL Preseason can prove very tricky. Established names don’t see much action, especially in the earlier weeks, and there’s much more variance in these games due to the roster shuffling and how deep of a player pool coaches draw from.
With that said, it does feel fairly simple to trust Las Vegas in this contest. Scoring in the early stages shouldn’t be a major issue since both defenses probably aren’t going to be great this year, there’s star power in terms of starter talent at key positions, and general sloppiness tends to occur as teams knock the rust off. Where things get intriguing is once those starters leave. If Mendoza is going to see a fairly meaningful amount of playing time, it’s tough to bet against the Raiders and their No. 1 pick. Quarterback play means everything in these contests, and while Beck showed some flashes in the Hall of Fame Game, he’s not the same caliber of talent as his counterpart in this one.
Covering the -1.5 spread shouldn’t be too tall of a task, especially given the reports out of camp and the status of both these teams. Kubiak is quite likely the better coach between the two primary guys here, so I feel okay trusting his group to come out on top even given the variance involved with these games.
