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The Arizona Cardinals came into their Week 6 road game against the Cleveland Browns with a huge question: how would they perform with head coach Kliff Kingsbury sidelined due to a positive COVID-19 test? They were undefeated, but found themselves as road dogs at DraftKings Sportsbook against a Browns team that gave the Chargers all they could handle a week ago.
It turns out the Cardinals would once again prove how for real they are. Arizona won 37-14 in a game they controlled almost whistle to whistle. Kyler Murray improved his MVP case, throwing for 229 yards and four touchdowns. The Cardinals ground game was plenty solid, but the passing game impressed even without its proverbial architect. Assistant wide receivers coach Shane Whipple called plays for the first time in his career and the team did not miss a beat.
It was particularly impressive how Arizona imposed its will on Cleveland. They impressed in all phases and the Browns could never get on track. It didn’t help that Baker Mayfield aggravated his non-throwing shoulder injury, Kareem Hunt suffered a scary-looking non-contact leg injury, and Odell Beckham Jr. had to leave briefly for an injury. No Nick Chubb was a big difference, but the Cardinals still handled their business with ease.
The Cardinals are the lone undefeated team. They came into the game with +10000 odds to finished the regular season undefeated and +20000 odds to go 20-0. Those odds will improve with this win and they face an interesting path the rest of the way. They get an easy one against Houston next week and then host the NFC North-leading Packers in Week 8. They then travel to face the 49ers in Week 9, host Carolina in Week 10, and travel to Seattle in Week 11 before heading into their bye.
It’s unlikely the Cardinals go undefeated this season, but they have established themselves as the team to beat in the NFC. The playoffs can be a crapshoot, but they’re looking as good as anybody right now.