One of the most underrated matchups on the NFL Week 3 slate pits the Detroit Lions against the Arizona Cardinals. Detroit lost a shocker to Tampa Bay last week, while Arizona put together one of its best performances in years against the Rams. Which of these two teams has the edge on Sunday?
Dive into our preview below for the odds, predictions, and our best bet! Good luck with all of your action and enjoy the games!
Despite their lackluster performance in Week 2, the Lions are still favored by 2.5 to 3 points against the Cardinals this Sunday. You have to wonder what that point spread would have been if Detroit had pulled out the W against Tampa Bay last week.
As for the total, it's been in the 51.5 to 52 range all week long. That means that oddsmakers expect a good old-fashioned offensive shootout in this one. I don't have much of an opinion on the total, but I certainly couldn't take the Under with these two quarterbacks.
You can bet that Dan Campbell and the Lions are seething after losing at home in a game where they outgained the Bucs 463 to 216. Two Jared Goff interceptions and an awful 1 for 7 performance in the red zone were the main reasons for the defeat.
Even with the two picks, Goff still played pretty well. The former Cal alum threw for 307 yards on 34 completions. Detroit also ran the ball effectively, as Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery combined to rack up 5.1 yards per carry against a pretty stingy Bucs run defense.
The Lions are waiting for some good news on the injury front. Rookie corner Terrion Arnold has missed practice all week with an illness and guard Graham Glasgow is also listed as questionable.
The Cards came out with guns blazing against the Rams last week, as Kyler Murray led them to a resounding 24-3 halftime lead. Jonathan Gannon's bunch didn't let up in the second half either, as they went on to win 41-10.
Murray ended up throwing 3 touchdown passes, proving that he's finally healthy after an injury-riddled 2023. The former Oklahoma star hooked up 4 times with rookie Marvin Harrison Jr, who scored his first 2 touchdowns as a pro.
Arizona racked up 489 yards of total offense in the blowout win! Perhaps more surprising though, was the Cards' defense, which held the Rams to only 2.7 yards per carry. They'll need a similar performance against Detroit to pull off the upset.
I'm not big on buying points, but any time I can get on or off the key number of 3 without paying more than -120 I'm happy to do so. I don't bet many NFL sides, but when I do, I usually employ the bounce theory.
Part of this strategy involves finding a team that's coming off a disappointing loss and is primed for a bounce back. Detroit fits that bill to a T! They'll be highly motivated to get back on track after a tough loss.
I also like to fade teams that are coming off phenomenal performances. Arizona fits that criterion after their huge blowout over Los Angeles. Before last week's results, the look-ahead line was Detroit -4.5.
I'll take those two points of value any day, especially with one of the best teams in the NFC. Remember, this Zona squad ranks next to last (31st) in yards per pass allowed. Goff and the boys should have a field day! Give me the Lions!
Prediction: DET 31 - AZ 21