The Arizona Cardinals are huge favorites versus the Detroit Lions in Week 15.
The NFL betting lines currently show the Cardinals as 13.5 point favorites this Sunday. Can Arizona bounce back from a loss and cover a nearly two-touchdown spread on the road?
Here are a couple of my best bets for this Cardinals at Lions matchup.
Arizona Cardinals -13.5 (-110)
At home, the Cardinals are coming off a tough loss to their division rival, the Los Angeles Rams.
The Cardinals are 2-0 ATS this year after a loss, and they’re facing a Lions team that’s struggled all season.
Arizona’s offense is one of the best in the NFL. They rank 4th in points per game (28.2) and 9th in yards (374.8). Quarterback Kyler Murray currently ranks 5th in QBR among all quarterbacks.
One of their biggest strengths is their ability to finish drives. They rank 3rd in red-zone scoring, finishing visits to the red zone with a touchdown 67.31% of the time.
Unfortunately for Detroit, they give up a touchdown 74.42% of the time their opposition gets within the 20-yard line, which is second-worst in the league.
The Lions also rank 31st in opponent yards per pass completion (11.8), meaning they are more susceptible to big plays against them on defense. Arizona excels in this area, with a yards-per-pass completion average of 10.8, 10th best in the NFL. As a result, the Cardinals should be able to take shots downfield and stretch Detroits’ defense.
I don’t believe the Lions can keep up with the Cardinals. Detroit only averages 16.4 points per game, while Arizona averages 28.2. That’s a margin of 11.8 points.
Arizona’s defense is also ranked fourth in points per game (19.5) and the fifth-best pass defense (209.8 yards per game). So if Detroit falls behind early, it will be difficult for them to use their passing game to catch up.
Even though the Lions recently won their first game, I’ll still confidently bet on the Cardinals to cover the spread.
Lions Team Total Under 17.5 (-155)
There are a few reasons that I don’t believe that the Lions can score 17 on the Cardinals’ defense.
The first reason is that the Cardinals are good at forcing turnovers. They intercept opponents’ passes on 2.71% of dropbacks, which is 12th best in the NFL. In addition, they average 1.8 takeaways a game, which is tied for sixth place.
The Lions could have some success running, as they rank 17th in rush yards per game, but their lead running back is doubtful to play. D’Andre Swift is still dealing with the shoulder injury that has sidelined him for back-to-back games.
On top of that, Detroit has only scored 17 points or more three times in their last ten games.
Best Bets: Cardinals at Lions
What do you think of these two bets for the Cardinals at Lions?
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