This article is part of our NFL Picks series.
Arizona Cardinals 
at Denver Broncos 
Betting Odds, Picks, and Predictions for Week 15
The Cardinals (4-9) make the short trip to pay a visit to the Denver Broncos (3-10) for a Week 15 interconference clash between two non-contending teams.
Both teams will play this game without their big-name starting quarterbacks. The Cardinals lost Kyler Murray to a season-ending ACL tear in Monday night's 27-13 loss to the Patriots on the third play of the game, leaving veteran Colt McCoy to take the reins of the offense.
Meanwhile, the Broncos' Russell Wilson exited last Sunday's 34-28 loss to the Chiefs with a concussion, and although the veteran was able to clear league-mandated protocol late in the week, he'll still ceded the Week 15 start to Brett Rypien.
Arizona Cardinals at Denver Broncos for Week 15
*Best lines at time of writing listed
Moneyline: Cardinals +115 (PointsBet Sportsbook)/ Broncos -125 (BetMGM Sportsbook)
Point spread: Cardinals +2 (PointsBet Sportsbook)/ Broncos -1.5 (FanDuel Sportsbook)
Total: Over 36.5 points (PointsBet Sportsbook)/ Under 36.5 points (PointsBet Sportsbook)
The spread for this game has taken quite a ride since it first opened in the middle of last week, with the significant news regarding both teams' quarterbacks naturally playing the largest role. The Broncos originally opened as 1-point favorites, but after Wilson's injury in Week 14, that number quickly flipped to as much as Cardinals -2.
However, Monday night then happened, and the relatively quick revelation less than 24 hours later that Murray was out the rest of the season shot the number back the other direction all the way to Broncos -3. It subsequently shrunk as low as -1.5 after Wilson, along with Courtland Sutton (hamstring) and Kendall Hinton (hamstring), were announced as out, and it's now settled at 2 at some sportsbooks.
The total naturally has also seen its share of movement for the same reasons, with its trajectory unsurprisingly a downward one. It opened at an already modest 39 points, and it fell all the way to 36 following Murray's injury. It's subsequently risen only slightly to 37 and has settled at 36.5 at multiple sportsbooks.
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Arizona Cardinals at Denver Broncos Betting Picks This Week
The Cardinals have repeatedly demonstrated an ability to run a competent passing game with McCoy at the helm, including as recently as Monday night against the Patriots, when he finished with 246 passing yards and another 24 on the ground. In what essentially amounts to three starts this season, McCoy has completed 69.4 percent of his passes, albeit at a modest 6.3 yards per attempt.
Naturally, it helps the veteran quarterback's cause that he has a top two receiving duo of DeAndre Hopkins and Marquise Brown (illness), as well as a highly versatile running back in James Conner.
However, the challenge against the Broncos' defense is going to be a significant one for McCoy and his talented crew, especially in Denver. Nathaniel Hackett's squad has given up only 196.6 passing yards per game and only a 61.0 percent completion rate overall. They've also snagged 10 interceptions while allowing only 12 touchdown passes.
In turn, Rypien will face a Cardinals defense that's been much better on the road, allowing only 201.7 passing yards per away contest at a 65.4 percent completion rate (compared to 72.1 percent). Arizona is also surrendering a relatively modest 109 rushing yards per road contest, but an elevated 4.7 RB yards per carry to RBs overall. That gives Rypien some hope for a balanced attack with the help of the veteran duo of Latavius Murray and Marlon Mack.
Further hope for Denver's passing game lies in the fact the Cardinals have only snagged eight interceptions and recorded a modest 24 sacks, arguably giving Rypien the advantage over McCoy when it comes to potential time in the pocket.
Finally, while the Broncos will be down both Sutton and Hinton, athletic tight end Greg Dulcich could go a long way to making up for their absences and helping out Jerry Jeudy, considering no team in the league has given up more receptions, receiving yards or touchdowns to tight ends than the Cards.
Cardinals at Broncos Best Bet: Alternate Total: Over 38 points (+110 at DraftKings Sportsbook)
Arizona Cardinals at Denver Broncos Prediction
Broncos 21, Cardinals 19
As already discussed, this has every reason to shape up as a mostly defensive-centric battle, considering the short-handed nature of both offenses. While Arizona has the higher-upside air attack even without Murray, playing the Broncos' quality defense on the road can be an uphill battle even for offenses at full strength. As such, I'm in the camp of very narrow Denver win where both offenses will experience sporadic success.
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