The Detroit Lions are still looking for their first win of the year as they travel to face the Arizona Cardinals in Week 3 of NFL betting action.
Detroit got stomped by the Packers last Sunday after squandering a fourth-quarter lead against the Bears in Week 1. The Cardinals are coming off a 30-15 win over Washington after upsetting the Super Bowl runner-up 49ers in the opening week.
NFL odds have the Cardinals as 5.5-point favorites with the Over/Under set at 55. Here are our best picks and predictions for the Lions vs. Cardinals on Sunday, September 27, with kickoff at 4:25 p.m. ET.
Detroit Lions vs Arizona Cardinals betting preview
Weather
It's expected to be a hot and sunny afternoon in Glendale, Arizona, with temperatures ranging from 76 to a scorching 102 degrees. So they will likely close the retractable roof at State Farm Stadium and play in AC. Be sure to monitor the gametime conditions for every game in Week 3 with our NFL weather info.
Key Injuries
Lions: Desmond Trufant CB (Out), Joe Dahl G (Out).
Cardinals: Christian Kirk WR (Out), Mason Cole C (Out), Maxx Williams TE (Out).
Find our latest NFL injury reports.
Betting trend to know
The Lions are 1-7 ATS in their last 8 meetings in Arizona. Find more NFL betting trends for Lions vs. Cardinals.
Against the spread (ATS) pick
The Cardinals appear to have turned their franchise around this year thanks to head coach Kliff Kingsbury, quarterback Kyler Murray and new wideout DeAndre Hopkins. Murray looks like one of the best players in the league in his sophomore season, passing for 516 yards and rushing for another 158 through the first two games of the year.
That's bad news for a Lions squad that's allowing the most rushing yards in the league and can't pressure opposing QBs, generating just one sack so far this season. The Lions have a healthy Matt Stafford at QB but continue to be one of the worst teams in the league, and year-after-year of high-priced free agent acquisitions and Top-10 draft picks doesn't seem to help.
With Detroit 2-11 ATS in their last 13 games overall and the Cards 4-0-1 ATS in their previous five contests, take them on the spread.
PREDICTION: Arizona -5.5 (-110)
Over/Under pick
At 55, the Over/Under is the second-highest of Week 3, but it's a number that Detroit has easily surpassed in each of their first two games this year. It might be a small sample size but there's little reason to question Arizona's offense after averaging 421 yards per game over the first two contests of the year.
With Murray and Hopkins playing at an elite level they should be able to put up points against anybody, especially the Lions, who are 30th in the league in scoring defense (34.5 points per game) and 28th in total defense (425.5 yards per game).
While we don't doubt the Cardinals offense, we have some reservations about a defense that has allowed just 17.5 ppg this year. They played a banged-up San Francisco side that couldn't capitalize in the red zone during Week 1, then faced a terrible Washington offense last week. Things won't be quite as easy against a capable Lions offense. Bet the Over.
PREDICTION: Over 55 (-110)
First Half Prop
One of the most profitable NFL betting plays since the start of last season has been taking the Lions on the first-half spread, since it's usually their second-half collapses that doom them to defeat.
This year the Lions are 2-0 ATS in the first half of contests, with an average scoring margin of plus-2 ppg. Last year they had an average first-half scoring margin of minus-0.5 ppg while in the second half their scoring margin fell to minus-4.6 ppg.
When these teams met up last September in Arizona, the Lions had a 17-3 lead at half before getting outscored 24-10 the rest of the way and having to settle for a tie. Take the Lions to keep things close in the first 30 minutes again.
PREDICTION: First Half Detroit +3.5 (-110)
Lions vs Cardinals betting card
- Arizona -5.5 (-110)
- Over 55 (-110)
- First Half Detroit +3.5 (-110)
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