MLB Postseason Action Almost Upsets NFL Sunday Routine

Posted on: October 16, 2022, 06:38h. 

Last updated on: October 16, 2022, 02:48h.

The MLB postseason is in full swing, and the bracket almost forced changes to NFL Sunday. However, as the Houston Astros swept the Seattle Mariners, NFL fans can return to their normal schedules in Week 6 of the 2022 season.

QB Kyler Murray
Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray (1) looks to throw to Eno Benjamin in the team’s game against the Philadelphia Eagles. The Cardinals are back on the field today, taking on a tough opponent in the Seattle Seahawks. (Image: Associated Press)

If the MLB battle between the Astros and the Mariners had gone to Game 4, T-Mobile Park would have hosted a postseason game starting at 12:07 p.m. local time. While the matchup between the Seattle Seahawks and Arizona Cardinals is scheduled for 1:05 PM, it almost had to be switched to 2:30.

T-Mobile Park is home to the Mariners, while the Seahawks play across the street at Lumens Field. Having both games overlapping would have been a logistics nightmare for parking and traffic flow. Mariners fans can thank the Astros for not allowing that to happen.

Cardinals Hit the Road

The Cardinals are heading north for their third away game of the season. A win gives them a perfect record on the road, and QB Kyler Murray is desperate to stand out.

Murray has been strong since entering the NFL in 2019, but this year has been a little trickier. He has struggled to be consistent, with his best performance coming against the 1-4 Carolina Panthers.

  Arizona Cardinals Seattle Seahawks
Moneyline -135 +115
Spread -2.5 +2.5
Over/under 50.5 (-110) 50.5 (-110)
  Per DraftKings  

With the help of running back James Conner and his 200 yards on the ground, the Cards have the 17th-best offense in the NFL. That’s just another way of saying they’re only performing marginally well.

The Seahawks have been able to show a little better cohesion than the Cards on offense, but not as much as was expected. Seattle has been strong enough behind QB Geno Smith’s second wind to begin drawing more attention from sports bettors. Seventh in the league is not a bad position.

However, the defense is still not where it needs to be, which becomes even more important when facing Murray. The Seahawks defense ranks 31st in points allowed, as well as last in yards allowed.

At 2-3, both of these teams have something to prove today. However, Arizona’s offense is going to be better than Seattle’s defense, and will cover the paltry 2.5 spread. In addition, this game is likely to stay below the 50.5 over/under that DraftKings and Caesars expect.

Chiefs Face A Formidable Foe

One of the most anticipated games since the NFL announced the regular season schedule will take place this Sunday with the reunion between Josh Allen and the Buffalo Bills visiting Patrick Mahomes’ Kansas City Chiefs.

The Bills are coming off one of their best performances so far in 2022. They crushed the Pittsburgh Steelers with an outstanding performance by Josh Allen. They are 4-1 leaders in the AFC East and are the only team in the league to average more than 300 passing yards per game (324).

  Buffalo Bills Kansas City Chiefs
Moneyline -140 +120
Spread -2.5 +2.5
Over/under 54 (-115) 54 (-105)
  Per DraftKings  

The Chiefs are still a team to watch, too. After they fell behind by 17 points in the first half against the Las Vegas Raiders, Mahomes commanded yet another comeback in his short career to pull off the win.

The Chiefs, with a 4-1 record and lead in the AFC West, are the best-scoring team in the league, with 31.8 points per game. However, the deficiency of head coach Andy Reid’s team is its defense. Kansas City also needs to fine-tune its passing game, where it’s the ninth worst (255.6 yards allowed per game).

For the first time in their career, the Chiefs under Mahomes are underdogs to win this matchup. This is partly because the defense has had some difficulty. However, the 54 over/under seems to be an easy target. These two powerhouses have gone over 55 in each of their last three, and there’s no reason to think today will be different.