Arizona Cardinals vs. Buffalo Bills prediction: odds, expert picks, news, stats and injury tips for Week 1

The Buffalo Bills will present a new offense in their season opener against the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday. Receivers Stephon Diggs and Gabe Davis are gone. They will be replaced by Curtis Samuel, Kahlil Shakir and Keon Coleman. The key, however, is that Josh Allen will continue to play quarterback for the Bills.

The Bills' defense still features a trio of pass rushers: Greg Rousseau, Ed Oliver and AJ Epenesa. However, three key players from the defense that has been dominant at times in recent years are missing. Matt Milano was out for the rest of the season after being injured during training camp, and Buffalo's Pro Bowl safeties Jordan Poyer and Micah Hyde left the team in the offseason. Damar Hamlin and Taylor Rapp will look to fill that void in the backfield.

If you look at the glass half full, Buffalo looks like a team that will come on at the drop of a hat. If you're less optimistic, they could look like a team that's just fighting to make the postseason.

Opinions are also divided on the Cardinals' prospects for success in 2024. Kyler Murray is healthy and the offense has signed Marvin Harrison Jr., arguably the best wide receiver prospect from April's draft. However, this offense must not only be dynamic but also efficient, as Arizona's defense is still in the development phase. Head coach Jonathan Gannon seems to be getting the most out of his players, but talent on defense is limited.

NBC Sports has all the up-to-date information and analysis you need, including how to tune in at kickoff, live odds from BetMGM, player news and updates, and of course our predictions and best bets for the game from our team of experts.

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How to watch Arizona vs Buffalo live on Sunday afternoon:

• Date: Sunday, September 8, 2024
• Time: 1:00 p.m. EST
• Venue: Highmark Stadium
• City: Buffalo, NY
• TV/Streaming: CBS

Would you like to see the other games on the NFL schedule this week? We'll keep you updated with all the matchups, venues, game times and TV/streaming information here on NBC Sports so you don't miss any of the action!

Current odds for Cardinals vs. Bills – Week 1

The latest odds from Saturday morning via DraftKings:

• Money line: Arizona (+240), Buffalo (-298)
• Spread: Bills -6.5
• In total: 47

This game started at Buffalo -7 with a total of 48.5. The spread has dropped below an important number, but it wasn't attractive enough for the Sharps to snap up the Bills and push the spread back to 7.

Be sure to check out DraftKings for the latest game odds and player odds for every matchup on this week's NFL schedule!

Best bets at NBC Sports Bet

Brad Thomas (@MrBradThomas) likes the Bills to score points, but his preferred play is in the prop market.

“Of course I'd go with 6½ because the Bills were dominant, but I'm actually going with the prop market. Wide receiver Khalil Shakir over 3½ receptions. He reached that number in 3 of the last 4 games to end last season. And oh yeah, Stephon Diggs is no longer in upstate New York.”

Cardinals vs. Bills: Team stats, betting trends

· Arizona has a 2-10 moneyline record in their last 12 away games

The Cardinals defense allowed an average of 26.8 points per game in 2023.

The Cardinals defense recorded just 33 sacks in 2023.

· The Bills defense allowed just 18.3 points per game last season.

Quarterback duel at Arizona Cardinals vs. Buffalo Bills

• Cardinals: Kyler Murray – the former Heisman winner returned to the field after knee surgery and played the final 8 games of 2023, completing 65.7% of his passes and totaling 1,799 yards with 10 TDs and 5 INTs.
• Bills: Josh Allen – the NFL's all-time leader in touchdown passes since 2020 – will be working in a new receiver group with Diggs and Davis leaving via trade and free agency. Dalton Kincaid, Curtis Samuel, Kahlil Shakir and Keon Coleman will be the primary targets for the Bills' signal-caller.

Player news and injuries

• Cardinals' WR Xavier Weaver (oblique) has been ruled out for Sunday's game.
• Matt Milano (biceps) of the Bills is out for the rest of the season.
• The Bills' Dawuane Smoot (toe) is questionable for Sunday's game.

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