Did the Lions recover from their loss to the Bucs?
On Sunday, September 22, 2024, the Arizona Cardinals will host the Detroit Lions in Glendale. Form-wise, there seems to be no favorite in this clash, because with one defeat and one victory each, the two teams are level. But why the bookmakers still tend to favor the away team can be found in our Arizona Cardinals vs. Detroit Lions prediction.
One of the reasons is clearly the individual class, because while the Lions are very well staffed at all positions, the Cardinals team often depends on the performance of a few key players. In addition, the home team’s squad is still quite young and consequently less experienced than most of their opponents. These are, of course, all facts that should be considered before making an Arizona Cardinals vs. Detroit Lions tip.
In the squad analysis of the two teams, one player immediately caught our eye and that is David Montgomery. The Lions running back is currently in the prime of his career and scored 15 touchdowns last season alone. He has also scored twice this season, making him his team’s top scorer. We therefore recommend the Arizona Cardinals vs. Detroit Lions odds for a touchdown by number five at Bet365 before this game.
Kickoff for this NFC game is at 10:25 p.m. on Sunday at the University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale. The game can be followed live and in full on DAZN.
Arizona Cardinals – Statistics & current form
Arizona had a weak preseason and was even one of the weakest teams in the National Football League. With only four wins in 17 games, Jonathan Gannon’s team finished last season in fourth place in the NFC West and thus clearly missed the playoffs. In the overall NFL standings, the Cardinals only managed 29th place. Now, of course, the question arises as to whether the home side is able to escape this plight.
After the first two games, we have to answer in the affirmative. Although the opening game against the Buffalo Bills was lost 34-28, Jonathan Gannon’s team put in a convincing performance. In the second game of the new season, there was then a 41-10 rout against Los Angeles. That was an absolute exclamation mark, because just a week earlier, the Rams almost beat the Lions. So the Cardinals have nothing to fear before the clash with Detroit.
Marvin Harrison Jr. with a performance explosion
With the fourth pick of this year’s draft, the Cardinals chose wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. The 22-year-old American particularly stood out at the Combines with his production score of 94, which reflects efficiency. By comparison, Justin Jefferson’s PS is also 94. In his first game for the Cardinals, however, there was no sign of this. But by the second day of the season at the latest, the critics were silenced when he was named the most valuable player with two touchdowns and 130 receiving yards.
Strengths and weaknesses of the Cardinals
Kyler Murray is one of the modern starting quarterbacks who, in addition to a good throwing arm, also has a very good running game. It is therefore no wonder that the Cardinals are one of the NFL’s most potent rushing teams, averaging 177.5 rushing yards per game. In addition, Arizona has a very reliable running back in James Conner, who already has 172 rushing yards and two touchdowns. This is clearly the strength of the home team.
We have not yet been able to identify any glaring weakness in Jonathan Gannon’s team, because the Cardinals have also performed very well defensively so far. The D-Line in particular rarely allows opposing running games to score, holding opponents to just 91.5 rushing yards on average. In addition, Arizona has repeatedly managed to put pressure on the quarterback and has already recorded seven sacks.
Key players of the Arizona Cardinals:
- QB: Kyler Murray
- RB: James Conner
- WR: Marvin Harrison Jr.
- LB: Dennis Gard eck
- K: Matt Prater
Detroit Lions – Statistics & current form
Detroit was one of the best teams in the NFL last season, winning twelve of 17 regular season games. In addition, Dan Campbell’s team secured the NFC North title. The Lions were able to continue their good run in the playoffs. However, the visitors then lost to the San Francisco 49ers in the Conference Final by 34-31, thus missing out on a place in the Super Bowl. Can the Lions now build on their strong pre-season form?
At the moment, we don’t think that Detroit will be able to play in the Super Bowl this year either. However, this is more due to form than anything else, as the season got off to a rather bumpy start with an overtime win against the LA Rams and a defeat against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. In addition, some players are not yet performing as well as they did in the preseason. However, this is only a snapshot, as the potential is definitely there. A win against the Arizona Cardinals would therefore do them a lot of good.
Jared Goff with slight problems
With only twelve interceptions in 20 games (⌀ 0.60), starting quarterback Jared Goff was one of the key players in the strong preseason. In the new season, however, the Lions’ No. 16 has already committed three interceptions, giving him an average of 1.5. In addition, the Detroit quarterback has thrown only a single touchdown pass, so he is also falling short of expectations in this category. However, Jared Goff is also experienced enough to get out of such a crisis and get back to his old performance.
Detroit with strong individual players
Despite the slow start to the season, the Lions have one of the best offenses in the league, averaging 413 yards per game. In addition, it hardly matters whether Detroit chooses the run or the pass game, because Dan Campbell’s team is doing well in both categories. The only thing that is currently lacking is the points yield, because the home side has lost too many balls in the red zone so far. However, this has a lot to do with concentration and nothing to do with a lack of quality.
The statistics of the individual players also prove this, because with Montgomery and Gibbs, the Lions may even have the best RB duo in the league. Then there are Williams and St. Brown, who are among the elite at the wide receiver position and already have quite a few receiving yards under their belts. In addition, tight end LaPorta is always good for a touchdown. Once this offense gets rolling, Dan Campbell’s team is hard to stop.
Detroit Lions key players:
- QB: Jared Goff
- RB: David Montgomery
- RB: Jahmyr Gibbs
- WR: Jameson Williams
- K: Jacob Bates
Arizona Cardinals – Detroit Lions direct comparison / H2H record
In the NFL, the direct comparison is often not particularly meaningful, because sometimes the teams do not meet for several years in a row. This is also the case with this duel, because the last encounter between the two teams was three seasons ago. However, for the sake of completeness, we don’t want to withhold the fact that the Cardinals lead the H2H comparison with 17 wins. However, this information has no effect on the Arizona Cardinals vs. Detroit Lions betting odds.
Arizona Cardinals – Detroit Lions betting tip
All in all, we cannot get around the Arizona Cardinals vs. Detroit Lions betting tip for an away win in this game. The guests are individually much better staffed and have only revealed one real weakness so far. However, the home side will not be able to take advantage of this, because the hosts are not particularly strong in the passing game. At the same time, the Cardinals’ strength, the running game, will not come into play as it has in previous weeks, because the Lions are really standing their ground here.
Alternatively, we recommend the Arizona Cardinals vs. Detroit Lions odds for over 47.5 points in the game. This is partly because this line has been broken in two of the last three meetings. On the other hand, both teams tend to have more quality on offense than on defense. We can therefore easily imagine celebrating one or two touchdowns.
