Detroit Lions vs. Arizona Cardinals, 12/7/18 NFL Predictions & Preview

Lions vs. Cardinals Total Prediction

The Detroit Lions and Arizona Cardinals haven’t been great at putting up offense this season. Will the two struggle to score when they meet each other on Sunday at 4:25PM ET?

Game Snapshot & Odds

127 Detroit Lions at 128 Arizona Cardinals

Sunday, December 9, 2018

4:25PM ET – State Farm Stadium

TV: FOX

Public Betting Trends

According to oddsmakers at BetNow.eu, the Lions are favored on the road in this game, as they are getting odds of -3 points against the Cardinals. The over/under total for the contest is listed at 40.5 points. The public betting for this game currently has 58 percent going on the Lions on the road.

Lions hitting the road

Detroit had its last three games come at home and they dropped the last two games, including a 30-16 loss to the Rams last weekend. Detroit is 4-8 overall, 6-6 against the spread and 6-6 with the over/under total. The Lions have hit the under in three straight games.

The Lions have been getting worse on offense as injuries have mounted. They now average just 21.2 points and 340 yards per game. Matthew Stafford has thrown for 3,086 yards and 18 touchdowns with 11 interceptions. He has been sacked 36 times. Leading rusher Kerryon Johnson is unlikely to play on Sunday due to a knee injury and second-leading receiver Marvin Jones Jr. is on IR. Kenny Golladay is the leading receiver with 55 catches for 854 yards and five touchdowns. Defensively, the Lions are giving up 26.3 points and 354.5 yards per game.

Cardinals stun the Packers

The Arizona Cardinals are coming off a surprising 20-17 win at Green Bay last weekend to snap a 3-game losing streak and ultimately lead to the firing of Mike McCarthy as head coach of Green Bay. The Cards are now 3-9 overall, 6-5-1 against the spread and 7-5 with the under.

The Cardinals come into the weekend with the league’s worst offense. They rank last in scoring (14.6 ppg) and total offense (239.3 ypg). They also have the league’s worst passing attack (153.3 ypg). Rookie Josh Rosen has thrown for 1,670 yards and 10 touchdowns with 11 interceptions this year. Leading receiver Christian Kirk is on IR with an injury. He had 43 catches for 590 yards. David Johnson is leading the offense with 761 rushing yards and six touchdowns. Defensively, Arizona is giving up 25.8 points and 361.3 yards per game. Their pass defense does rank fourth in the NFL, allowing just 220.4 yards per game. They have 38 sacks as a unit, with Chandler Jones leading the defense with 12.

NFL Betting Trends

Detroit

The Lions have hit the under in five of their last six overall and four of their last five in December.

Arizona

The Cardinals have hit the under in six of their last eight division games and in 19 of their last 26 home games.

Prediction:

The total is low, but this should be an ugly game. The Detroit defense actually put up a fight against the Rams, but the offense looks like it has quit. Stafford isn’t throwing down field and the Lions have no run game. The Arizona pass rush should create a lot of problems there. On offense, the Cardinals are a mess and I expect them to struggle with the Detroit defense. The winning team could very well be under 20 points.

NFL Prediction: Lions/Cardinals Under 40.5