Detroit Lions vs. Arizona Cardinals, 9/6/19 Week 1 Predictions

Lions vs. Cardinals Over/Under Prediction

Kyler Murray and Kliff Kingsbury will make their NFL debuts on Sunday when the Cardinals host the Lions at 4:25 p.m. ET. Will Kingsbury’s offense turn out to be a dud initially or will the Cards and Lions score enough to get over the number?

Game Snapshot

469 Detroit Lions (-2.5) at 470 Arizona Cardinals (+2.5); O/U 46.5

4:25 p.m. ET, Sunday, September 8, 2019

State Farm Stadium, Glendale, Arizona

Public Betting Trends

According to our NFL Football Public Betting Chart page, the Lions are receiving 60% of the betting tickets from online sportsbooks.

Detroit Lions Fantasy Spin

NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reports Lions C Frank Ragnow suffered a "minor" ankle sprain in Detroit's third preseason game against the Bills. It's a sigh of relief for the entire organization as the injury initially looked much worse. Rather than missing a portion of the season, this recent development likely puts Ragnow on track to play in Week 1 against the Cardinals. While the team waits for an update on stud MLB Jarrad Davis (leg), they can at least remain confident in every player in their trenches being at full health to start the year.

Arizona Cardinals Fantasy Spin

Larry Fitzgerald, Christian Kirk, and Michael Crabtree were listed as the starters on the Cardinals' depth chart. That makes rookies KeeSean Johnson and Andy Isabella backups, but we'll see just how much Kliff Kingsbury uses four-receiver sets in the NFL. This preseason, the offense was intentionally very vanilla, though it's worth noting their preference for rotating in their receivers. It's also fair to wonder how much Crabtree has left in the tank as a 32-year-old, but he'll get the first crack at playing meaningful snaps. Crabtree is a WR5 versus the Lions.

NFL Betting Trends

Detroit

The under is 7-0 in the last Lions’ last seven games overall and is 6-0 in their last six conference matchups.

Arizona

The under is 21-7 in the Cardinals’ last 27 home games and is 19-7 in their last 26 games in September.

Prediction

Murray and Kingsbury will have plenty of adversity in their first NFL season but Kingsbury has an advantage early in the season because he’s a relatively unknown NFL play-caller. Until opponents have an opportunity to study his tendencies as a pro play-caller, the Cardinals’ offense should be fine in the early going. I imagine Kingsbury will also put Murray in a good spot out of the gates, limiting his reads and allowing his young signal-caller to run plays he’s most comfortable with from practice. Defensively, Arizona will struggle in pass coverage, especially without Patrick Peterson (suspension). Matthew Stafford should have a big game and the addition of tight end T.J. Hockenson will boost Kerryon Johnson and the running game. Points shouldn’t be at a premium on Sunday.

NFL Week 1 Prediction: Lions/Cardinals OVER 46.5