Arizona Cardinals vs. Detroit Lions Odds & Game Pick (2021)
Among the early games on Sunday in Week 15 is a matchup between two teams at poler-opposite ends of the NFC standings. The Arizona Cardinals will seek to get back on track after suffering an upset loss to a division rival this past Monday when they take on the one-win Detroit Lions. In a week that has seen NFL headlines dominated by injuries and virus protocols, neither of these teams has been able to escape the carnage entirely. The NFL betting odds have held fairly steady for this Cardinals vs. Lions matchup from opening to now. The road team is still viewed as a massive favorite ahead of Sunday's showdown.
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Details
Opening Lines: Cardinals -12.5; O/U 47.5
Current Lines: Cardinals -12.5; O/U 47.5
Location: Ford Field - Detroit, MI
Start Time: 1 p.m. EDT
TV: FOX
Last Meeting: September 27, 2020 - The Lions defeated the Cardinals 26-23 in Glendale.
Overview
After sitting alone atop the NFC for the better part of the season, the Cardinals suddenly find themselves in a dogfight just to win the West Division down the stretch. After dropping a home game last week to the Los Angeles Rams, the two teams are now separated by just one game with four to play. Fortunately for Arizona, they have what should be the ideal rebound game on deck this week. It comes at an ideal time for quarterback Kyler Murray, whose high-yardage game against the Rams was undermined by a pair of costly interceptions. That being said, Murray will be operating without his best receiver in Sunday's NFL betting matchup.
The big injury news out of Arizona this week was the announcement that star wideout DeAndre Hopkins will miss the remainder of the regular season. While the move is wise to ensure that he will be healthy for the playoffs, it leaves the Cardinals passing game a bit shorthanded in the present. A.J. Green figures to be the top target going forward after posting a 100-yard effort in last week's loss. Tight end Zach Ertz will also likely see increased targets. Of course, Arizona's priority on offense is running the ball. However, the ground game might also be shorthanded in what is a terrific matchup against a horrendous Detroit run defense. While Chase Edmonds is poised to return from IR, fellow RB James Connor has yet to practice this week after suffering an ankle injury of his own.
The Lions failed to build off of their first win of the season last week and were stomped by the Denver Broncos on the road. Given the fact that Detroit's roster has been decimated by both injuries and positive virus tests over the past couple of weeks, the lopsided defeat wasn't a huge NFL betting surprise. Lead running back D'Andre Swift is likely to again be out for Sunday's home game against the Cardinals. Last week saw practice squad player Craig Reynolds lead the Detroit backfield in carries and rushing yards. After missing last week's game, the Lions would prefer to have Jamaal Williams clear virus protocols in time to play on Sunday.
Detroit's passing attack also suffered a big blow this week on the injury front. Tight end T.J. Hockenson underwent surgery on his injured thumb and has been ruled out for the remainder of the season. Beyond Amon-Ra St. Brown and Josh Reynolds, quarterback Jared Goff has very few reliable targets left at his disposal. While the defense has managed to stay healthier overall, the Lions still rank 31st in adjusted efficiency on the season. Dan Campbell's team may have finally gotten a win two weeks ago, but the outlook for the rest of the season remains bleak.
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Trends
- Cardinals are 8-3 ATS in their last 11 games.
- The total has gone over in four of the Cardinals' last five games.
- Lions are 4-1 ATS in their last five games.
- Eight of the Lions' last 11 games have gone under the total.
- Each of the last six Cardinals vs. Lions head-to-head matchups has gone over the total.
Bottom Line
Despite potentially being without two of their top offensive weapons on Sunday should James Connor not be able to suit up, the Cardinals deserve to be hefty NFL betting favorites this week. On paper, one would expect Arizona to have little trouble with a Lions team that is still one of the worst in the league. The question becomes whether or not they can cover the hefty 12.5-point spread.
One very interesting tidbit that stood out in researching this matchup is the fact that the Lions have largely dominated head-to-head matchups between these two teams in recent years. In fact, Arizona and Detroit have played every year dating back to 2017. The Lions have won three of the four outright, including a 26-23 road upset last season as five-point underdogs. The only game that Detroit did not win on the scoreboard ended as a 27-27 tie. Of course, all of the NFL betting spreads in recent series history have been much smaller than the double-digit line for Sunday's game. The Lions also had Matthew Stafford playing QB for them in previous meetings, not Jared Goff.
Nearly 50% of bets are currently Detroit catching points. Thus, Dan Campbell's team is trending towards being a public underdog this week. Those of us who know how things tend to go for public dogs will happily jump on the Cardinals. The offense may be at less than 100%, but Vance Joseph's defense will be the best unit on the field.
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Henry John is a featured writer at BettingPros. For more from Henry, check out his archive and follow him @HankTimeHenry.