Chiefs vs Cardinals Expert Picks & Predictions for Week 1 NFL Game

The 2022 NFL season is finally here and the Week 1 schedule is chock full of exciting showdowns. Two teams with Super Bowl aspirations meet head-to-head as the Arizona Cardinals host the Kansas City Chiefs. Both of these teams won at least 11 games in 2021, but couldn't achieve their top goal.

This will be the first look Chiefs fans get at a passing attack filled with new faces like Juju Smith-Schuster and Marquez Valdes-Scantling. Meanwhile, quarterback Kyler Murray has a chance to get the season started off with a huge victory after he signed a massive contract extension with Arizona.

Should the Chiefs be favored by nearly a touchdown on the road against a winning franchise? Can the Cardinals take advantage of the home crowd support and come out on top? Here's what projection models and experts across the industry have to say about the Chiefs vs Cardinals Week 1 matchup.

Chiefs vs Cardinals Projections

ESPN FPI: Chiefs (54.0%)
numberFire: Chiefs (56.7%)
FiveThirtyEight: Chiefs (57%)
Betting Favorite: Chiefs (-5.5)

Projected Winner: Chiefs (4)

Chiefs vs Cardinals Expert Picks

ESPN Experts: Chiefs (9)
Sports Illustrated Experts: Chiefs (5)
CBS Sports Experts: Chiefs (8)

Expert Totals: Chiefs (22)

It's surprising to see zero upset picks in a game that features a spread set under a touchdown. All 22 experts opted to take the Chiefs, which does line up with that the betting markets are saying.

The projection models expect a close game, though. None of them gave the Chiefs more than a 57% chance of leaving Arizona with a victory.

These are two high-flying offenses, so fans should be in for a thrilling game on Sunday afternoon.

Larry Rupp is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Larry Rupp also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username phillyfan424. While the strategies and player selections recommended in his articles are his personal views, he may deploy different strategies and player selections when entering contests with his personal account. The views expressed in their articles are the author's alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel.