The Arizona Cardinals and Detroit Lions, two of the coldest teams in the NFL of late, will square-off this weekend in Glendale, Ariz.
Neither team has won a game since November, when the Lions (4-9) beat the woeful Jaguars in Jacksonville. The Lions' most recent failing came in Green Bay last week, where they lost 27-20 on Sunday Night Football. The defeat was their 21st straight in Lambeau, and their fifth consecutive overall.
But the mess Detroit made in Green Bay was nothing compared to the egg that Arizona laid in Seattle. The Cardinals (4-9) were criminally listless against the Seahawks, dropping their ninth straight game by a 58-point margin.
This week's game won't have any impact on the postseason, but it's worth watching to see which team is more capable—or, rather, less incapable—of snapping their prolonged losing streak.
Let's take a closer look:
When: Sunday, Dec. 16th – 4:05 p.m. ET
Where: University of Phoenix Stadium, Glendale, Ariz.
Watch: Fox (Check local listings)
Live Stream: NFL Sunday Ticket
Spread: Detroit -6.5 (via VegasInsider.com – LVH)
Most books opened this game at Detroit -3, but eager bettors—particularly those with images of the Cardinals-Seahawks game still fresh in their mind—have since bet that all the way up to 6.5.
This seems like it might be an overreaction. Detroit has, after all, failed to cover in four of their last five games. Is it possible that backing Arizona after such a massive loss could provide value?
Nah.
Detroit ranks 12th in Football Outsiders' efficiency rankings, while the Cardinals rank a paltry 28th. The 27-point advantage the Lions have in DVOA makes them the clear and worthy favorite.
There are actually some palpable signs of a "trap game" here, so I'd advise staying away. But if I had to play, there's no way I'd be putting my money on the Cardinals.
Over/Under: 43.5 (via VegasInsider.com – LVH)
The ship has steadied in recent weeks, but at one point this season, the Cardinals were 1-7 against the over—and it doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out why.
Arizona ranks dead-last in Football Outsiders' offensive efficiency rankings, and does so by a large margin—like, a very large margin. The Cardinals haven't scored 20 points since September 30th. (For context sake, the first presidential debate took place on October 3rd.)
Detroit is capable of putting up points, and are equally adept at surrendering them. But unless we get a repeat of last week's debacle, it's hard to see how a game involving Ryan Lindley reaches 44 points.
Bet the under.
Detroit Lions Injury Report (via USA Today – 12/13/12)
Player Injury Status
CB Don Carey Knee Probable
OT Corey Hilliard Knee Probable
CB Chris Houston Hamstring Questionable
CB Jacob Lacey Achilles Questionable
TE Brandon Pettigrew Ankle Questionable
S Louis Delmas Knee Questionable
Arizona Cardinals Injury Report (via USA Today – 12/13/12)
Player Injury Status
DE Calais Campbell Calf Probable
WR Early Doucet Concussion Questionable
DE Ronald Talley Ankle Questionable
WR LaRon Byrd Head Questionable
on both of teams. I'm in favor on just tanking for the rest of the season but with the Cards QB play so bad, any efforts to tank would be damn obvious.
kolb...that's my quarterback