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 currently hold a 0-4 record, and the Cardinals are 3-1. The game will begin Sunday, Oct 11 at 4:05 p.m. ET and can be seen on FOX.
Detroit barely lost to Seattle 13-10 last week. James Ihedigbo led the way for the Detroit defense in the loss, totaling seven tackles and one sack. Arizona came up short as well, losing a close one to St. Louis 24-22. Calais Campbell led the way for 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. As for the Detroit defense, there are important areas to keep an eye on. The Cardinals need to watch out for Detroit’s stingy coverage. They average the fourth-most turnovers with 2.2 per game. The Lions may rely on Arizona’s special teams as a means for better field position in this week’s game. Out of all teams, the Cardinals rank last in return yards allowed, with 93.2 allowed per game.
In comparison to the Lions, the Cardinals have 3-1 SU and ATS records this season. 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. Shifting to the other side of the ball, the Arizona defense could excel if they take advantage of favorable matchups. 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. Turnovers could allow the Cardinals to sneak by the Lions, who are 30th in the league in giveaways with 2.2 per game. The Cardinals have a habit of picking up points before halftime. They average 11 points during the second quarter, ranking third in the NFL. 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.
