Two NFC clubs will collide in week one of the preseason when the Arizona Cardinals will travel to play the Green Bay Packers in a pro football exhibition game on Friday night.
Start time from Green Bay is set for 8PM Eastern Time with live television coverage provided by only by the Green Bay and Arizona home markets.
The NFL odds from this week one affair have the home team Green Bay Packers favored by -3 ½ points with the total coming in at 40 points. A money line return on the home favorite Green Bay Packers will return -175 odds with the take back on the road underdog Arizona Cardinals returning +155 odds to pull off the straight up win with no need for points on their side.
The first week of the preseason coaches are evaluating talent and starters will very little action. The Cardinals signed veteran quarterback Carson Palmer and he will see limited action on Friday. The backups have NFL experience in Ryan Lindley and Drew Stanton. Rookie Caleb TerBush out of Purdue could get a look very late in the fourth quarter.
The Cardinals backfield will feature Rashard Mendenhall, Ryan Williams and rookies Stepfan Taylor out of Stanford and Andre Ellington from Clemson. New head coach Bruce Arians takes over for the Cardinals. The team has not had a winning season since their Super Bowl run in 2009. Since Kurt Warner left the Cardinals the club has had a miserable time on offense by not averaging more than 269 yards per game. Last year Arizona put up just 16 points a contest.
Aaron Rodgers returns under center for the Packers and figures to see a series or two. The backups are Graham Harrell the former Texas Tech product and first year player B.J. Coleman out of Tennessee Chattanooga.
Packers veteran running backs are James Starks and Alex Green. Rookies Eddie Lacy out of Alabama and Johnathan Franklin from UCLA will compete for time in the Green Bay backfield. Since their Super Bowl in 2010 the Packers has the offense to repeat as champions but their defense has failed them in each of the past two seasons when the chips were down in the playoffs. They go with a defensive end with their first pick in the draft in Datone Jones out of UCLA and then select four offensive players thereafter.
