NFL Football Futures – Jags vs. Cards Head-to-Head

At BetUS Sportsbook, you can wager on win totals of one NFL team compared with another. Take a look under the section "Football-Futures" and go to "Regular Season Win Matchups." And don't wait too long, because time is running out!

Today, we'll take a look at one team that found itself in the post-season last year, the Jacksonville Jaguars, and another that hasn't quite developed winning culture yet - the Arizona Cardinals.

First, let's present the BetUS odds on who will have more wins at the regular season's end:

BetUS NFL Football Futures Odds

Most Regular Season Wins

JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS -2 wins (-105)

ARIZONA CARDINALS +2 wins (-135)

It's been Ken Whisenhunt's goal to toughen up the Arizona Cardinals. Toward that end, he would like to make his running attack a dominant force. Clearly he has a running back in Edgerrin James who can make that happen. Maybe. The offensive line has to hold up its end, and that hasn't always been the case.

Jack Del Rio's Jaguars have had no such problem. Jacksonville is one of the most efficient running teams in the NFL, and in fact ranked second in the league in overall rushing yards last year. Very few teams have a "thunder and lightning" combo like the Jags have with Fred Taylor and Maurice Jones-Drew.

One of the differences between the Arizona and Jacksonville offenses is that the Cards have two of the most threatening wide receivers in the game in Anquan Boldin and Larry Fitzpatrick, while J-Ville does not have anyone who causes defensive coordinators to stay up at night.

So why isn't Arizona the favorite here?

Because for one thing, they don't stop the pass all that well. The Cardinals were 28th in the league in passing yards allowed in 2007, and they need to do a much better job rushing the passer. Jacksonville, which has customarily been one of the NFL's best at pressuring the quarterback, is hoping to get back to that level; they have been going through some anxiety with the holdout by first-round draft pick Derrick Harvey, who just recently signed his contract.

Any kind of optimism in Arizona was probably tied to optimism over the development of quarterback Matt Leinart, the former Heisman Trophy winner. But Leinart simply did not perform well in the pre-season, and was beaten out by Kurt Warner, who is a wily veteran but can not throw the ball with nearly the degree of effectiveness he did in his years in St. Louis. As such, the Cardinals are limited.

Arizona - plays in the easier division, for sure, and could conceivably come away with four wins in the NFC West. Out of the division there are winnable games against Miami, the Jets, Buffalo, and maybe Minnesota. Beyond that, one can't tell. That's possibly another 8-8 season. Or it could be worse, depending on how badly the quarterback situation works out. The upside is not big here.

Jacksonville - can they be counted on for ten wins? Well, every division game will be difficult, and if this team comes out of it with a 3-3 record, it won't be the worse thing in the world. Since the team, especially the defense, is so formidable at home, the home games against Buffalo, Cleveland, Minnesota and Green Bay all over an opportunity for victory. They can also win at Cincinnati, Baltimore, Detroit and Chicago. Heck, they have the ability to win 12 games. The non-division schedule is agreeable enough.