The Detroit Lions take on the Arizona Cardinals Nov. 16th
Two of the NFL’s top teams get together this weekend as the 7-2 Detroit Lions head to the desert to take on the 8-1 Arizona Cardinals at the University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale on Sunday, November 16. Arizona beat the St. Louis Rams last Sunday to become the league’s top dogs, but there was a price to pay as quarterback Carson Palmer could be sidelined for the rest of the campaign due to a knee injury. It looks like Drew Stanton will start against the Lions as these teams battle it out for the NFC’s top seeding.
Detroit (1st – NFCN) at Arizona (1st – NFCW) at University of Phoenix Stadium KICK OFF – 4:25 PM ET PM ET
- Point Spread: Detroit (+2.0) at 10/11, Arizona (-2.0) at 10/11
- Over/Under: 41.0 points – 10/11
- Money Line: Detroit 11/10, Arizona 10/13
- Head to Head: Detroit is 0-5 ATS in their past five visits to Arizona
- Match up Summary: The 8-1 Arizona Cardinals are red hot as they beat the St. Louis Rams 31-14 last week for their fifth straight victory. QB Carson Palmer is injured again and backup Drew Stanton led the team to 21 straight points in the last quarter for the comeback win. Palmer looks like he’s done for the season since he appears to have a torn ACL. They’re in for a tough test as the Detroit Lions have won four straight and are 7-2 on the year. Calvin Johnson is back for Detroit and scored a TD last week along with 113 yards in seven receptions in their 20-16 win over Miami.
Detroit Lions:
- Overall Record: 7-2
- Record Against the Spread (won-lost-push): 5-4-0
- Home Record: 4-1
- Away Record: 3-1
- Over/Under Record: 2-7-0
- Key Injuries:
- Nick Fairley DT Out Knee
- Eric Ebron TE Doubtful Hamstring
- Joseph Fauria TE Questionable Ankle
- Brandon Pettigrew TE Questionable Foot
- Ezekiel Ansah DE Probable Toe
- Reggie Bush RB Probable Ankle
- Calvin Johnson WR Probable Ankle
- George Johnson DE Probable Hamstring
- LaAdrian Waddle T Probable Concussion
- Travis Lewis LB Injured-Rese Quadriceps
- Montell Owens RB Injured-Rese Hamstring
- Stephen Tulloch LB Injured-Rese Torn left ACL
- Nevin Lawson CB Injured-Rese Foot
- Corey Hilliard T Injured-Rese Foot
- Bill Bentley CB Injured-Rese Torn ACL
The Lions have won four consecutive games, but they have all be earned with a lot of hard work as they had to come from behind in their last three outings. Their last contest was a 20-16 win over the Miami Dolphins and came when quarterback Matthew Stafford tossed a game-winning touchdown with about 30 seconds to go. The Lions’ also own one of the league’s top defensive units They held Miami to 226 yards and 16 points and broke their three-game winning streak. Detroit leads the NFL in yards allowed at 280 on average each game and in points allowed at just 15.8 against per outing.
If there have been any problems in the Motor City this season they’ve been offensively. They seem to have a bit of a struggle when it comes to putting points up on the scoreboard. The Lions haven’t broken the 30-point barrier since their season-opener when they beat the New York Giants 35-14. Part of the reason for this could be the absence of Calvin Johnson for games against the New Orleans Saints and Atlanta Falcons. However, Johnson was back in action last week and they managed just 20 points. Johnson did his part though with a touchdown and 113 yards. Golden Tate also played well and recorded another 100-plus receiving game, his fifth in the past six contests. The Lions will be facing a tough defense in Arizona, but the Matthew Stafford vs Drew Stanton quarterback duel should be an advantage.
Arizona Cardinals:
- Overall Record: 8-1
- Record Against the Spread (won-lost-push): 7-2-0
- Home Record: 5-0
- Away Record: 3-1
- Over/Under Record: 3-5-1
- Key Injuries:
- Carson Palmer QB Day-to-Day Left knee
- Stepfan Taylor RB Out Calf
- Desmond Bishop LB Out Hamstring
- Ed Stinson DT Questionable Groin
- Lorenzo Alexander LB Probable Knee
- Marcus Benard LB Probable Illness
- Bobby Massie T Probable Ankle, knee
- Andre Ellington RB Probable Foot
- Larry Foote LB Probable Back
- Matt Shaughnessy LB Injured-Rese Knee
- Dave Zastudil P Injured-Rese Left groin
- John Abraham LB Injured-Rese Concussion
- Eddie Whitley CB Injured-Rese Foot
- Darnell Dockett DT Injured-Rese Torn right ACL
The Cardinals have won five in a row with their latest victory being 31-14 against the St. Louis Rams last Sunday. They’re also riding a five-game home winning streak. It looks like Palmer has torn an ACL though and will be out for the year. The quarterback already missed four games earlier this season due to a nerve problem. Drew Stanton took over for him and even though he wasn’t at his best the Cardinals kept on winning. Stanton threw an average of two TDs a game along with 176 yards, but his pass completion percentage was below 50. However, he hasn’t been intercepted as of yet.
Stanton should get some help from players such as Michael Floyd, Andre Ellington and Larry Fitzgerald though as they’re all quite explosive at times. It appears that the Cardinals have a good chance of winning if they can limit the Lions to 20 or fewer points. The Denver Broncos have been the only team to break the 20-point mark against them this season due to the Cardinal’s solid defense. Arizona’s also tough to beat at home as they’re 9-1 in their past 10 games and seven of the victories have been against the spread.