The Arizona Cardinals and Las Vegas Raiders will face off in Week 1 of the NFL Preseason tonight. Kickoff is set for 8:00 p.m. ET from Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, Nev. The game will broadcast live on the ESPN App.
The Raiders are favored by -1.5 with the over/under set at 41.5 total points. Las Vegas is a -122 favorite to win outright, while Arizona is +104 to pull off the upset.
Let's get into my Cardinals vs Raiders predictions and NFL picks for Thursday, August 13.
My Cardinals vs Raiders Prediction
- Cardinals vs Raiders pick: Over 41.5
My Cardinals vs Raiders best bet is on game totals, with the best price currently available at FanDuel. But as always, make sure to find the best odds by checking our live NFL odds page.
Cardinals vs Raiders Odds
| Cardinals Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
+1.5 -115 | 41.5 -105o / -115u | +104 |
| Raiders Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
-1.5 -105 | 41.5 -105o / -115u | -122 |
Cardinals vs Raiders Preseason Preview
A preseason matchup between the Raiders and Cardinals may not immediately conjure up excitement, but there are several intriguing storylines to watch for tonight.
Two of the first three selections in the 2026 NFL Draft will make their debuts in this preseason tilt, as running back Jeremiyah Love and quarterback Fernando Mendoza will get their first taste of NFL action. Both head coaches have confirmed that we will see most of the starters; however, we may only be getting a taste of skill players — such as Love — for a series or two.
In exhibition games, each team's quarterback hierarchy features tremendous talent and experience. Kirk Cousins and Jacoby Brissett will likely each play a series or two, and we’ll also see Gardner Minshew and Aiden O’ Connell under center at various points in this game.
This will provide rarely seen QB depth for a preseason opener — Minshew and O’Connell have made 64 combined regular-season starts. Over the last three preseasons, O’Connell has attempted 148 total passes with a completion rate of 67.5%, which means the Raiders offense should continue to function at a reasonable level even after Cousins and Mendoza exit the game.
Mendoza should see plenty of action as he acclimates to Klint Kubiak’s system. With position battles taking place on the offensive line and the receiver room beyond Jalen Nailor and Tre Tucker, you can expect to see Mendoza have the benefit of sharing the lineup with players who will be real contributors in the regular season.
One receiver in particular, rookie Malik Benson, has been shining in training camp. Local reporters in Las Vegas have claimed the chemistry between the 6th-round pick and Mendoza is evident, and that Benson is quickly moving up the depth chart.
All the Raiders’ signal-callers will also enjoy the benefit of working in tandem with a successful rushing attack. The Cardinals defense is struggling to figure out the depth in their front seven and simply may not have the personnel at this point to stop the run when their starting defenders are not on the field. Last week in the Hall of Fame game, the Panthers gashed Arizona to the tune of 6.4 yards per carry.
Kubiak won’t be rolling out the entire playbook in the preseason opener, but I expect him to call plays in a manner to build confidence for his first overall pick. It is also notable that when Kubiak was calling plays for a new team last year in Seattle, it averaged 28 points per game in the first two preseason games.
Kubiak's patented rushing attack paid dividends as the Seahawks averaged 5.3 and 5.6 yards per rush, respectively, in those two outings. Sam Darnold started one of those games, with Drew Lock starting the other and playing the majority of the snaps before giving way to Jalen Milroe.
Seattle’s only downtrend in offensive output took place in the third preseason contest when Milroe was allowed to play the entire game.
Matt Lafleur made his presence felt as the Cardinals’ new head coach in their first preseason game a week ago when his team, as a whole, completed 82.8% of their passes and averaged 9.7 yards per attempt.
Carson Beck was the main cog in the Cardinals' offensive attack — he should once again be tasked with playing, at minimum, two quarters in this game. Beck looked extremely comfortable standing in the pocket and consistently delivered a catchable ball with accuracy in his debut.
Beck's transition to the NFL may be more seamless than some expected given the number of starts he made in college and his experience operating under different coordinators.
Cardinals vs Raiders Prediction, Betting Analysis
Oddsmakers have assigned this game one of the two highest totals of this week’s preseason slate. Admittedly, backing the over in these situations has historically been a losing proposition, specifically when the total closes at 40 or higher in the preseason.
However, looking back at 2025, I believe this trend is starting to subside as the new kickoff rules often create a better field position environment conducive to scoring.
Ten games were assigned a total of 40 or above in the 2025 preseason — eight of those saw the over cash. On average, 45.1 points per game were scored in those 10 contests.
Oddsmakers may still be adjusting to correctly pricing exhibition games under these new conditions. I will be confidently playing the over in this spot given how I expect both rushing attacks to fare, in combination with the relatively high-level quarterback play we should see in comparison to other preseason games around the league.
Pick: Over 41.5; bet to 42
