The Arizona Cardinals (10-3) started their season with seven straight wins but have since gone 3-3, a stretch that began with an odd loss to Green Bay, as the Cardinals were driving down the field for a touchdown, but then Kyler Murray threw a weird interception on a play where his receiver simply failed to turn around. Injuries to Murray and DeAndre Hopkins slowed down the offense significantly, but then both returned after the bye to key an 11-point win in Chicago. However, the Cardinals lost at home on Monday night to the Rams and need a bounceback game in Detroit. The Lions (1-11-1) finally got a win two weeks ago, taking down the Minnesota Vikings, but then they went to Denver and took a 38-10 beating. The Cards go in as almost two-touchdown favorites – can they cover?
We have your NFL betting prediction here.
NFL Preview: Arizona Cardinals at Detroit Lions (Sunday, December 19)
When: Sunday, December 19, 2021, 1:00 pm ET
Where: Ford Field, Detroit
TV: FOX
Radio: KMVP 98.7 FM Phoenix / WXYT 97.1 FM Detroit
Live Stream: Hulu
NFL Odds: Arizona -13 / O/U 47.5 // Arizona -800 / Detroit +550
Why should you bet on the Cardinals?
Arizona put up 23 points on a Rams team that has gotten their defense to mesh. They brought in Von Miller at the trade deadline to join Aaron Donald in the front seven, bottling up the run and delivering a ferocious pass rush. This pressure played a role in Kyler Murray throwing a pair of interceptions. However, he also threw for 383 yards against a tough Ram secondary. Murray should be able to find receivers down the field against the Detroit defense, even though DeAndre Hopkins will not dress for this game.
The Cardinals’ defense had a hard time stopping the Rams’ running game, which they used to set up the passing game for opportunities down the field. Detroit also brings a run-heavy approach, but they just have Jared Goff, a much less consistent passing threat, ready to take advantage. Also, the Lions don’t have the threats in the wide receiving game that the Rams had, so the Cardinals should be able to bottle up Detroit.
Why should you put your money on the Lions?
The Lions have hung around in a lot of their losses this season. Seven of their 11 setbacks have come by ten points or fewer, and their win over the Vikings finished with a last-second touchdown pass from Goff after a furious scoring drive in the waning minutes. So they can move the ball when the offense is clicking. Last week, they went into the locker room down by seven before giving up 21 unanswered points in the second half, ultimately losing, 38-10.
Goff threw for 215 yards with a touchdown and a pick last week against Denver, but the offense could not gain any traction against a stout Bronco defense after the intermission. Against the spread, Detroit has actually helped bettors this season, covering in four of their last five games overall – and they have covered in six straight games coming after a loss against the spread. If you like the Lions, you see the Cardinal offense getting off to a slow start and the Lions’ ground game chewing up clock.
Final Score and Betting Prediction
In some cases, I’d be tempted to go with the Lions to cover here. They have played many of their opponents close this season. However, Arizona is a perfect 7-0 on the road this year, with just two turnovers in those games combined. I view this game more as an opportunity for the Cardinals to work out some frustrations. I predict a 44-16 win for Arizona.
Arizona Cardinals at Detroit Lions: Bet the Game Today
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