In the late afternoon slot of Sunday’s NFL action, we get two 1-1 teams facing off in the desert. The Arizona Cardinals are hosting the Detroit Lions at State Farm Stadium, and the Lions are currently 3 point road favorites. The Cardinals are coming off a huge win against the Rams They also had a very solid outing in Week 1 at Buffalo. Arizona is the 2nd highest scoring team in the NFL through 2 weeks of play, scoring 34.5 points per contest only trailing the New Orleans Saints.
As for the Lions, they pulled off an OT win in Week 1 at home against those same Rams, but fell to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at home last week, 20-16. I certainly expected the Lions to not only win, but cover the 7.5 point spread, so it begs the question, are the Bucs good? Or are the Lions facing some regression from last season?
After winning the division for the first time since 1993, the Lions are sort of facing their own “Division Title” Hangover. Will it continue on the road? The Cardinals played the Bills within a single score, putting up 28 points on the road, only to turn around and score 41 at home the next week. Will they keep it rolling against Detroit? Or will the Lions take down the Cardinals in Arizona?
Detroit Lions vs Arizona Cardinals: Goff vs Murray in the Desert
Jared Goff and the Lions look to bounce back on the road
Matchup Information – Lions vs Cardinals
- Venue & Location: State Farm Stadium (Glendale, AZ)
- Date: Sunday, September 22nd, 2024
- Kick Off: 4:25pm Eastern
- Broadcast: FOX
Betting Odds
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Spread
- Lions -2.5 (-125)
- Cardinals +2.5 (+105)
Money Line
- Lions -155
- Cardinals +135
Total
- Over 51.5 (-110)
- Under 51.5 (-110)
Will Kyler and Cardinals Stay Hot Offensively?
Arizona is the 2nd highest scoring offense in the NFL
The Cardinals might be the hottest team in the NFL right now. They are 2nd in scoring, 7th in yards per game, and their defense looked rock solid against the Rams. Will that same tenacity show up against the Lions at home on Sunday? Detroit limps into this game after simply getting out played by the Buccaneers. Goff threw 2 picks and Detroit couldn’t recover either of Tampa Bay’s fumbles. The Lions are scoring 21 points per game but have scored just 4 total TDs in 2 games so far. I see the Cardinals speeding this game up, gaining yardages in big chunks and forcing the Lions to throw the ball.
While the RB tandem of David Montgomery and Jahmyr Gibbs is tough to abandon, Arizona is Top 10 in rushing yards allowed per game this season. Detroit may have to move the ball with Goff’s arm, especially considering how electric the Cardinals offense is. If the Lions find themselves behind, they will certainly need to air it out, but Arizona’s defense is giving up just 200 passing yards per game as well. The total seems high for a reason, and while my gut is telling me to take the under, I can’t quite do it, as either offense is capable of scoring 40 by themselves.
Marvin Harrison Jr. Arrives
We haven’t seen that kind of scoring out of the Lions yet this year, but with Jameson Williams emerging as a deep ball threat, they could certainly turn up the heat on offense. He has a 50+ yard reception in both games so far this season, averaging 20 yards per reception on 10 catches this year. The Lions have weapons galore, but they will need to find a way to use them better than they did last Sunday.
As for the Cardinals’ skill players, Marvin Harrison Jr. finally had himself a shining moment in the NFL after catching just 1 of 3 targets in Week 1. He caught half his targets for 4 receptions and 130 yards along with 2 TDs, and now the attention will surely be all over this kid. Trey McBride leads the team in receptions, and James Connor is off to a hot start with 2 TDs and over 4.5 yards per rush. The Cardinals offense is clicking, and if the defense plays like it did on Sunday, they could surprise some people this year.
Detroit Lions vs Arizona Cardinals Best Bets
Montgomery and the Lions take on the Cardinals in the desert this Sunday
Lions vs Cardinals Prediction: Lions Win & Cover, Over 51.5
Best Bet: Lions TT Over 27.5 (-110) BetOnline
I think we have a fairly high total in this game for a reason. This is a number the Lions haven’t reached yet this season, but they have all the weapons in the world to do so. The Cardinals gave up 34 points to the Bills and over 350 yards of offense. Plenty of people were expecting some offensive regression in Buffalo after losing Stefon Diggs and Gabe Davis, but they still put up tons of points on Arizona. Then the Cardinals shut down a Rams team that was missing Puka Nacua for the entire game, and Cooper Kupp for a majority of the contest.
Truth be told, I don’t think this Cardinals defense has truly been tested, and I think the Lions give them a rude awakening. After scoring just one TD and losing at home to the Buccaneers, you can imagine Dan Campbell will have these boys fired up. He’s not afraid to take chances on offense, and could surprise an overly confident Arizona defense. The Cardinals are allowing 4.5 red zone trips per game and TDs on over 55% of those trips. Although Detroit has only converted TDs on 27% of their RZ trips this year, they do lead the league with 5.5 trips per game this season.
I trust a veteran QB like Jared Goff to shake off some rust and start converting these scoring chances into 7 points instead of 3. With a high total, the Cardinals offense should turn this into a shootout. While I want no part in backing a Detroit defense right now, I will back their skill players to see some progression as the season continues.
Bonus Bet: Kyler Murray Over 0.5 Interceptions (-106) BetOnline
Alright, maybe I am backing Detroit defense a tad. This secondary has 3 INTs already on the season, and although Murray doesn’t have one, why not start this weekend? In 8 games last year, Murray threw a pick in 4/8 games for 5 INTs total. This included 3 INTs in 4 games at home. Although it doesn’t really matter, he’s thrown 5 picks in 3 games against the Lions, including 4 total at home and at least 1 in every game against Detroit.
However, the real reason is I think the Cardinals play from behind. This will entail Kyler to throw more attempts, eventually letting one slip away. Since 2022, Murray has thrown 7 total INTs in the 9 games in which he’s passed at least 35 times. I see Detroit forcing him to throw, giving more opportunities for this secondary to add to their INT total.
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