The NFL’s third-leading receiver, Larry Fitzgerald (432 yards, 5 TDs), will be on display when the Arizona Cardinals (3-1) meet the Detroit Lions (0-4). The Lions are 0-4 and the Cardinals have a 3-1 record this season. The game starts at 4:05 p.m. ET on Sunday, Oct 11 and can be seen on FOX.
Detroit lost a close one to Seattle 13-10 last week. James Ihedigbo led the Detroit defense in the loss, registering seven tackles and one sack. Arizona also fell short, losing a game they could have won against St. Louis 24-22. Calais Campbell led the Arizona defense, totaling 10 tackles. Carson Palmer also had a big game with 352 yards and a TD through the air.
Arizona is a three-point favorite in this game and the Over/Under (O/U) is set at 44 points.
The Lions enter the game with records of 0-4 Straight Up (SU) and 1-3 Against The Spread (ATS) this season. The Lions utilize their passing game frequently, throwing 40.8 times per game, which is the fifth-most in the NFL. Turning to the Lions defense, a few key spots could be deciding factors this week. One of the keys to the game will be if the Cardinals can protect the ball against the ambitious defense of the Lions, who rank fourth in the league with 2.2 turnovers per game. On special teams, Arizona may give up some big plays to the Lions in the return game. The Cardinals have allowed 93.2 return yards per game, making them one of the worst in the NFL.
Compared to the Lions, the Cardinals have a record of 3-1 for both ATS and SU. Arizona should be ready to toss the ball frequently this week. Offenses have picked apart the pass defense of the Lions, who allow a completion percentage of 78.1%, the worst in the league. Switching gears to the Arizona defense, there are certain areas where it measures up well against the Lions. The Cardinals could have a favorable matchup, because Detroit’s run game has not been reliable this year. The Lions rank as the worst team in the league with 47 rushing yards per game. The Lions need to secure the football against the Cardinals. The Lions are 30th in the league in turnovers with 2.2 per game. The Cardinals performs well in the second quarter, when they average 11 points this year. Detroit tends to lose the time of possession battle in matchups, averaging a time of 27:26 for 29th in the league.
Predictions: SU Winner – Ari, ATS Winner – Ari, O/U – Under
Notes
Detroit is 0-5 SU in its last 5 games.
Detroit is 2-6 ATS in its last 8 games.
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Detroit’s last 5 games.
Detroit is 5-1 SU in its last 6 games at home.
Detroit is 0-5 SU in its last 5 games when playing Arizona.
Detroit is 1-5 ATS in its last 6 games when playing Arizona.
The total has gone OVER in 9 of Detroit’s last 12 games when playing Arizona.
Arizona is 3-0 SU when leading at the half this season. Detroit is 0-1 SU when taking a lead into halftime.
Detroit is winless (0-2 SU) in games where it wins the turnover battle, and 0-2 SU when losing the turnover battle.
According to season yardage rankings, Arizona is rated higher in the ground game on both sides of the ball. Its 12th-ranked rushing attack will face the 17th-ranked run defense of Detroit, while its 16th-ranked rush defense will look to contain the last-ranked run game of the Lions.
