Arizona Cardinals Home Favorite Betting Trend

The Cardinals' struggles as home favorites stem from a fundamental mismatch between market expectations and organizational reality. Arizona has operated as a rebuilding franchise for much of the past decade, cycling through quarterbacks and coaching staffs while lacking the consistent roster depth needed to dominate inferior opponents. When oddsmakers install them as home favorites, it typically reflects an overvaluation of their talent relative to truly competitive teams. The desert environment and crowd noise at State Farm Stadium provide minimal home-field advantage compared to more intimidating venues, leaving Arizona reliant purely on talent differentials that often don't exist. The franchise's tendency to play down to competition levels becomes magnified in these spots, as younger players and inconsistent leadership struggle with the pressure of being expected to win convincingly. Arizona's coaching instability has compounded these issues, with multiple regime changes creating systems that take time to implement effectively. Players often appear unprepared for the tactical adjustments opponents make when facing a favored team, leading to sluggish starts and close games that fail to cover spreads. This trend carries the most weight when Arizona is favored by more than a field goal against division rivals or teams with comparable records, where the line likely overestimates their competitive gap.