In the final game of the 2012 pre-season, the Denver Broncos and Arizona Cardinals will hook-up Thursday night. This game is a late game, due to Arizona wanting to play it late. The Broncos come into the game with a 1-2 record in the pre-season. For Arizona, they are 1-3 in the pre-season, being one of the two teams that had the opportunity to play five pre-season games. Denver is the defending AFC West champion, while the Cardinals fought for .500 out of the NFC West a season ago.

For Arizona, they are looking to bounce back from a 32-27 loss to the Titans last week. Before that, the Cardinals lost at New Orleans and Kansas City, and came away with a win over the Oakland Raiders.  A season ago, the Cardinals were led by a combination of Kevin Kolb and John Skelton. The Cardinals have yet to decide on their opening game starter for 2012. Last season, Arizona was led by Beanie Wells with 10 rushing touchdowns, while Larry Fitzgerald caught 8 touchdowns via the air. Arizona starts the season against divisional rival Seattle.

For Denver, they are looking to adjust from quarterback Tim Tebow to Peyton Manning. The Broncos were division champions out of the AFC West a season ago. Now, the Broncos will be in a dog fight to defend the division, as Oakland, San Diego and Kansas City all hope to contend. The Broncos in the pre-season have beat the Chicago Bears, but then lost to Seattle and San Francisco in the past two weeks. Denver will open the season on September 9^th against the Pittsburgh Steelers, a rematch of the first round playoff game a season ago.

Odds and Sports Betting Line

Denver Broncos +2.5

Arizona Cardinals -2.5

Free Prediction

This should be a pretty solid pre-season game. Look for Peyton Manning to spend a lot of time on the sideline in this one. The Broncos know he has been hurt, and do not want to risk that before the season. Arizona has a quarterback controversy, so both guys will come in with a lot to prove. Look for the Cardinals to do enough to come away with the win here.

Prediction: Arizona Cardinals 24-14

Free Pick

It’s difficult to bet on pre-season football, but we are going to pick the Arizona Cardinals to cover the spread in a win.  Arizona -2.5 is the play we are giving from here.

Pick: Arizona Cardinals -2.5